Epic Veggie Sandwiches

Our love language over the Summer was DIY veggie sandwiches. It was all about loading up a cutting board with a ton of veggies - whatever was seasonal & fresh - and building the dinner sandwich of your dreams. There was always 2 crucial components: a really good sauce + a really good cheese. It was everything needed to have Epic Veggie Sandwiches at home, and this past week, despite it being soup season, I was craving one of these loaded sandwiches. I whipped our signature spicy red pepper mayo and made sure we had some gooey burrata on hand, and we were set!

 
 

Every sandwich needs a secret sauce

I am hell bent on saving this recipe because of the this mayo. It’s the sauce for these sandwiches, and it’s so good. I found a recipe for a spicy aioli, and then kind of played with to find my go to red peper mayo. I use a hefty amount of spicy harissa (which is not very spicy at all), sriracha, and paprika. It’s perfect. We always make smashed potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes when we do at home sandwich night, and we use the leftover sauce as our fry dipper.

 
 

The 3 greenies

The critical veggies for one of these sandwiches are the 3 greenies - avocado, cucumber, and sprouts. The avocado is like a glue that helps hold the components of what can be a pretty messy sandwich in place. The cucumber is refreshing and acts as the “meat” of the whole thing. It’s what is the most plentiful when you cut the sandwich in half. Just a big stack of cucumbers right in the center is what you want to see. And then the sprouts. It’s the extra crunch! For me it’s not a good at home sandwich unless there are lots of sprouts, so I load them up.

The extra veggies are some fun jarred items I like to include to add a little kick. Roasted red peppers are sweet + meaty, and I like using them in place of tomatoes. And then the candied jalapenos. Just a lttle spicy, pickled component that adds a nice vinegary bite, and I’ve been on a big jalapeño kick.

Don’t skimp on the toast

I am a huge “rusher” when it come to dinner prep, and I’m trying to be so much better of not rushing things to get them cooked just how I like them before diving in. In the case of the veggie sandwiches, it means toasting the bread so that is gets lightly toasted, and then piling the burrata on top before throwing it back in the oven to finish toasting. The bread should be golden brown + the burrata melted right on. Its the combo of warm + toasty bread with the cold and crisp veggies that is pretty perfect. So for me it’s the reminder to not rush, get the perfect crunch going, and then dive in.

 
 

Sandwich night is just fun. I love a good, stacked veggie sandwich, and doing it myself means I get exactly what I want. And this is a sandwich I get stoked on. A super easy, very satisfying veggie filled meal. On this occasion, we compared cross sections of our sandwiches as we dove in. Made for just some silly banter at our kitchen counter, and I think Jordan may have stacked his a little more perfectly on this occasion.

For the sauce

  • 1 c. mayo

  • 2 tbsp. spicy harissa

  • 1 tbsp. hot sauce (I used sriracha)

  • 1 tbsp pepperoncini juice

  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

For the sandwiches

  • sliced sourdough (2 slices per sandwich)

  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced (I use half an avocado per sandwich)

  • 1 cucumber, halved + thinly sliced lengthwise

  • alfalfa sprouts

  • jarred roasted red peppers

  • burrata, excess moisture absorbed with a paper towel before cutting in half

  • candied jalapenos (or pickled! or pepperoncinis!o)

Start by making the sauce. Add all items to a bowl + stir to combine. Cover and set in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your sandwiches. I like to make the mayo first, and then prep my veggies - setting them all neatly on a cutting board for a DIY station.

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the sourdough slices on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Then slice the burrata and lay on top of half of the bread slices. Bake for another 7-10 minutes - cheese should be melted + bubbly.

Time to assemble - you need one cheesy slice + one non-cheesy slice. On the non cheesy slice, slather it with the mayo & top with a generous pinch of alfalfa sprouts. On the cheesy slice, smash half of the avocado. Top with the cucumber slices + roasted red pepper. Sprinkle the candied jalapenos on top. Smash the other half of the sandwich with the mayo + sprouts right on top. Slice on the diagonal and eat up!

Lesley ZehnerComment