Skip to content

Olive, Bacon, and Watercress Sandwiches

If you’ve never tried an olive sandwich, you’re in for a treat.  These sandwiches are the perfect solution for parties, gatherings, showers, or just lunch.  The filling can be made ahead of time and chilled until ready to spread onto your favorite bread.  These yummy sandwiches keep extremely well and are fun to eat.

Olive and Bacon Sandwiches

I didn’t grow up eating olives, and I wasn’t an admirer of them until I went island-hopping in Greece.  You can’t do anything Greek related without gaining a new appreciation for the beauty of olives and olive oil.  That’s probably when I permanently quit plucking the olives out of my restaurant food.

Usually, a few slices of olives speckle a dish as garnish.  But what about when olives take center stage?

I didn’t take my first bite of an olive sandwich until a few years ago, at a ladies’ luncheon type thing.  ALL the women were raving over the the cute little finger sandwiches filled with olives and cream cheese.  Skeptical me wasn’t sure about that many olives.  In a sandwich, no less…

Olive Bacon Watercress Sandwiches

Let’s just say I ate more than my share of those tasty little olive sandwiches at that lunch party.  And ever since then, I’ve wanted to make my own olive-based sandwiches.

These yummy Olive, Bacon, and Watercress Sandwiches are the result of my quest to find the perfect olive sandwich.  These are the ideal finger sandwich, as they are creamy and hearty and just right for cutting into little triangles.

The filling here is exceptionally creamy, flavorful, and brimming with savory olives, bacon, and cream cheese. Watercress is awesome in the filling, as it cuts through the richness of the other ingredients.

Olive and Bacon Sandwiches

My favorite thing about these Olive, Bacon, and Watercress Sandwiches is that they can easily be prepared ahead of time.  Truly awesome if you’re serving a crowd or doling them out at a shindig.

Just make the filling and keep it chilled up to 2-3 days.  Spread onto your bread of choice up to 24 hours before you want to serve them (if you do this, be sure to wrap them tightly with cling wrap and keep chilled.)

I discovered that a little filling goes a long way with these.  Technically, you could use about half the amount of filling that you see in these photos, and get double the amount of sandwiches.  Awesome for feeding a crowd.

Enjoy!

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

Olive and Bacon Sandwiches

Olive, Bacon, and Watercress Sandwiches

5 from 5 ratings
These Olive, Bacon, and Watercress Sandwiches are creamy, tasty, and keep well. Perfect for make-ahead party food. Cut into finger sandwiches for parties, showers, and potlucks.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 24 appetizer servings
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

  • 16 oz regular cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh watercress
  • 2 cups sliced black olives
  • 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • salted butter, softened, for spreading
  • 12 slices good quality white or wheat bread

Instructions

  • To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, watercress, olives, and bacon, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir to fully incorporate. Add salt/pepper to taste, if needed. Cover tightly and chill until ready to spread.
  • To make the sandwiches, spread a thin layer of softened butter on bread slices. Spread desired amount of olive/cream cheese filling onto half the bread slices, leaving a bit of the edges without filling. Top with remaining bread slices to make a sandwich. Slice off crusts.
  • If serving immediately, cut into triangles (or desired shapes) and arrange on a platter. If serving later, wrap each sandwich tightly with cling wrap and cut into shapes just before serving.
  • *Note: Make it meatless by omitting bacon. Filling may be prepared up to 2-3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Completed sandwiches may be wrapped tightly and chilled until ready to serve. Cut until shapes just before serving.

Notes

  • Makes about 6 whole sandwiches, or 24 cut-triangle appetizer sized sandwiches. 
  • If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ❤️

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 471mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 348IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Lunch, sandwiches
Cuisine: American
Method: No cook

Source:  Chew Out Loud

These Lemony Cucumber Sandwiches have become quite a hit on this site.  And with great reason – they are the perfect spring/summer food.

Lemon Cucumber Sandwiches

This Tex Mex Quinoa and Black Beans is another recipe that rocks at summer gatherings.

Quinoa with Black Beans tex mex

Caprese is a favorite menu item everywhere, but we twisted it up a bit by making it into a pasta salad.  This Caprese Pasta is an absolute crowd pleaser at any party.

Caprese Pasta

Add a comment

Recipe Rating




11 comments

    • Karen

    Recipe looks good. Question, how many sandwiches on average would this make?
    Thank you!

      • Amy Dong

      It makes 6 whole sandwiches, or 24 cut-triangle appetizer sandwiches 🙂

    • Tessa

    Would this work with green olives?

      • chewoutloud

      Hi, Tessa! Black olives are generally milder and more “sweet” than the green ones. Many people prefer the milder taste of black ones, so when making these for a party, I go with those. But if you love green olives, then by all means, use them 🙂 Enjoy!

    • Nancy

    What could you use instead of watercress. I don’t have access to that.

      • chewoutloud

      Hi, Nancy! You could use arugula, too. 🙂

        • Nancy
        • 5 stars

        Thanks!

    • Liz
    • 5 stars

    A nice recipe. Thank you.

      • chewoutloud

      You’re welcome, Liz!

    • trkingmomoe
    • 5 stars

    Your olive and cream cheese during the depression and into the 1960’s was called Lu Lu paste. The only difference was a tablespoon of finely minced onion was added to it. I went to many of tupperware parties and ate that little sandwich. Thanks for reminding me of it.

      • chewoutloud

      So interesting! Thanks for coming over 🙂

Get our free email series: 5 Easy Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less

Plus our newest recipes each week