Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Uruguayan

Chivito

Non-vegetarian

Uruguay's national sandwich: thin, tender griddled steak stacked in a soft bun with ham, melted mozzarella, bacon, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.

Chivito is an Uruguayan sandwich, ready in about 35 minutes and made with beef sirloin steak and mozzarella. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Uruguayan chivito steak sandwich with ham, egg, cheese and lettuce
Photo: Diosverde / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
745

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Fry the bacon (opens in a new tab) on a hot griddle until crisp; set aside. Fry the eggs (opens in a new tab) in a little oil until the whites are set.

    Food safety: Cook eggs until the whites are fully set for vulnerable eaters.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Season the steaks (opens in a new tab) and sear on the very hot griddle for about 1 minute per side.

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Top each steak (opens in a new tab) with a slice of ham (opens in a new tab) and the mozzarella (opens in a new tab), cover briefly with a lid until the cheese melts.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Toast the cut buns on the griddle until lightly golden. Spread with mayonnaise (opens in a new tab), then layer lettuce (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), steak (opens in a new tab) with ham (opens in a new tab) and cheese, bacon (opens in a new tab), egg (opens in a new tab) and the peppers (opens in a new tab) and olives, if using.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Punta del Este, Uruguay · Commonly attributedUsually said to have been created in Punta del Este in the mid-20th century; the details of the story are popular rather than documented.Also popular in ArgentinaMore food from Uruguay
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sandwiches · Street food
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Grilled
Taste
savoury, rich, salty
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food
Cook more with
Beef sirloin steak · Mozzarella · Bacon · Egg · Ham · Hamburger bun
Techniques
Grilling · Searing · Charcoal grilling · Pan-frying

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom mozzarella, hamburger bun
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg, hamburger bun, mayonnaise
  • Contains: Wheatfrom hamburger bun
  • Contains: Glutenfrom hamburger bun
  • May contain: Soyfrom hamburger bun
  • May contain: Sesamefrom hamburger bun
  • May contain: Mustardfrom mayonnaise

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

745 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 364 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 29%
  • Carbohydrate 16%
  • Fat 55%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy745 kcal205 kcal
Protein53.3 g14.7 g
Carbohydrate28.8 g7.9 g
Net carbohydrate27 g7.4 g
Sugars5.2 g1.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.9 g0.5 g
Fat44.9 g12.3 g
Saturated fat13.5 g3.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol322 mg89 mg
Sodium1205 mg331 mg
Salt equivalent3 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
809 mg
Calcium
298 mg
Iron
5.3 mg
Magnesium
66 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
210 µg
Vitamin C
6 mg
Vitamin D
1.6 µg
Vitamin B12
2.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
127 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: roasted red peppers (jarred), green olives.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

  • Serve with chips and Russian salad, as in Montevideo's chivito al plato.

Food safety

  • Thin steak is cooked quickly; sear until no longer red on the surface.
  • Don't leave the mayonnaise-dressed sandwich out for more than 2 hours.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Variations

  • Chivito al plato (Uruguay): All the fillings served on a plate without the bun, with chips and salad.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like