I love a good veggie sandwich. There are so many colors, textures, and flavors in every bite that it’s just beyond satisfying. And, because they’re super flexible, you can build an ultimate veggie sandwich using odds and ends of things you may already have in your fridge. And that is one of the most valuable characteristics of a recipe or meal when it comes to eating on a budget.
This is going to be more of a how-to than a recipe because it’s so extremely flexible and it’s unlikely that you’ll end up using the exact same mix of ingredients as I did. For that reason, and because some of these ingredients are nearly impossible to accurately measure let alone calculate the cost of, I didn’t do a cost breakdown this time. But I’m willing to bet that it cost me less than shelling out $8 for a veggie sandwich at a deli!
I will put a recipe card with my exact sandwich ingredients below for anyone who is interested in trying to duplicate the exact sandwich pictured.
Step 1: Choose Your Bread
I suggest a good, hearty bread for veggie sandwiches, like wheat bread, sourdough, focaccia, or ciabatta. You need something that can hold up to the hefty texture of the vegetables without ripping and something that will provide a little weight in your stomach next to all those lightweight veggies. If you want to make your own bread, no-knead bread or focaccia would be awesome.
You could also make your veggie sandwich into a wrap using an extra-large tortilla. A pita pocket might work too, but it might be difficult to squeeze all those veggies in without it ripping.
The sandwich in the photos was made using Dave’s Killer Bread, Good Seed flavor. It was my first time trying this bread and while it was strong enough for the sandwich, it was a little softer than I’d prefer and the flavor was a bit too sweet for my liking.
Step 2: Choose Your Spread
Using some sort of sandwich spread adds moisture, flavor, and a little fat, which gives the sandwich a more satisfying mouthfeel.
I whipped up a quick scallion cream cheese that was basically a scaled-back version of my Scallion Herb Cream Cheese Spread. I just mixed together 2oz. cream cheese with one sliced green onion, ½ tsp lemon juice, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp dried dill, and a pinch of salt.
Other good sandwich spread options include:
- Hummus
- Guacamole
- Pesto
- Mayo (or a pesto-mayo mix)
- Thick salad dressings, like ranch or green goddess
- Boursin
- Marinara
- Garlic Aoli
Step 3: Add Cheese (Optional)
Since my spread was technically a cheese, I didn’t add any extra cheese. A little cheese can go a long way toward making a veggie sandwich very filling. Here are some good cheese options for veggie sandwiches:
- White cheddar
- Feta
- Goat cheese (chevre)
- Havarti
- Swiss
- Fresh mozzarella
Step 4: Pile On the Veggies!
And here’s where you can start to get really creative! I pulled a lonely carrot out of my produce drawer, grabbed a handful of leftover fresh spinach, sliced up a cucumber and tomato, and used the leftover half of a red bell pepper that I had from the day before. Oh, and I added some alfalfa sprouts because I love the texture they bring to the sandwich! Here are some other vegetables you can add:
- Sliced button mushrooms or grilled portobello
- Avocado
- Coleslaw (this would act like a veggie-spread combo ingredient)
- Pickles
- Red onion
- Roasted red peppers
- Fresh or grilled zucchini
- Roasted beets (sliced thin)
- Sauer kraut
- Jalapeño
- Fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro
- Broccoli (chopped fine)
You’ll want to slice most of your vegetables thinly, which helps keep everything packed together tightly. For hard vegetables, like the carrot I used, it’s helpful to chop or shred them into very small pieces. I used a cheese grater to grate my carrot, but something like broccoli I would just chop finely.
Step 5: Top with Extras
With so many veggies piled onto one sandwich, a little extra ✨spice✨ is never a bad idea. I always like to add some salt and freshly cracked pepper to my tomato layer, but you can also add things like Italian herbs, sunflower seeds, everything bagel seasoning, crushed red pepper, furikake, or nutritional yeast. A sliced hard boiled egg would even be fun!
Vegetarian Sandwich Ideas
Before we get into exactly what was on the sandwich pictured above, here are a few other fun veggie sandwich combo ideas:
- The Green Goddess: Green goddess dressing, spinach, sprouts, cucumber, avocado, feta on any bread.
- The Roasted Veggie: Hummus, roasted red peppers, roasted portobellos, roasted zucchini, feta, everything bagel seasoning, on any bread.
- The “Pizza”: Marinara, grilled or roasted eggplant or portobello, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, black olives, red onion, fresh mozzarella, on ciabatta bread.
- Coleslaw Sandwich: Creamy coleslaw, tomato, Swiss or havarti, salt and pepper, on sourdough.
- Cucumber Sandwich: Thinly sliced cucumbers, dilly cream cheese spread, spinach.
The Best Veggie Sandwich
Servings 1Ingredients
Scallion Cream Cheese
- 2 oz. cream cheese
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp dried dill
- 1 pinch salt
Sandwich
- 2 slices hearty bread
- 6 slices cucumber
- 2 slices tomato
- 1 handful spinach
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1 handful alfalfa sprouts
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
- Whip the ingredients for the scallion cream cheese together in a small bowl (I used a fork).
- Lightly toast the bread. Spread the cream cheese over one side of each pieces of bread.
- Pile the vegetables onto the bread, then close. Slice in half and enjoy.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Got Leftover Ingredients?
If you did happen to buy ingredients specifically for making a vegetable sandwich, here are some really flexible recipes that you can make to use up any leftovers:
We made this sandwich exactly to the recipe and holy moly it’s delicious. Would be really good with some bacon! Excited to have this recipe to fall back on during our blistering hot summers.
This sandwich is enormous and tastes amazing! It was my first time making it so I followed the recipe exactly (other than adding a couple slices of lunch meat for some additional protein) and is so good. The cream cheese spread is delicious and really adds a punch. I’m excited to try some of the other suggestions/variations next time I make it!
The sandwich looks delicious, unfortunately it has 41 carbs per serving. Is there any way to decrease the carbs without cutting the taste/nutrition? I’m diabetic and so many foods are out of reach.
That’s probably mostly in the bread, so I would suggest swapping for a low carb bread or wrap.
I came across this weeks ago and saved it. Came across it again today and just had to have it. I went out right then to get the ingredients and as I sliced my carrot and peppers I wondered if it looked great but tasted meh. WOW was I wrong! That first bite was just so flavourful! I ate half and decided to leave this comment before savoring the other half. Thanks for my new favourite sandwich!!! ( I cheated and used Boursin as my spread)
That’s a very reasonable cheat! I’m glad you enjoyed it. :)
This was dinner tonight, and what a big, fat, sloppy, delicious sandwich! Such a keeper. I used regular bread lightly toasted, the scallion cream cheese (awesome), cucumber, red bell pepper, spinach, and sliced tomato. I took a big piece of the red bell pepper and sauteed it so it would be hot and left the rest cold. It was FANTASTIC. Highly recommended. I’ll be working my way through all the recommendations in the weeks to come, for sure.
Oh man, this is so good. This is legit the most satisfying sandwich I’ve had in a while, veggie or not. I used toasted sourdough bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, spinach, green bell peppers, Philadelphia onion and chive cream cheese, a squeeze of lemon, and salt. If I hadn’t been stuffed afterward, I could’ve eaten ten more of these sandwiches. Amazing and probably less than 500 calories.
This is so delicious! Why have I never thought to make a sandwich like this.
So good! I add drained pineapple.
I’ve been using Kewpie mayo, sliced tomatoes (salt and pepper on tomatoes), alfalfa sprouts, and Tillamook thick-sliced cheddar on a seeded wheat bread lately, since I’ve had some teeth pulled that I need replaced. So nothing crunchy, just a few things I can gum. You’ve reminded me that I have Everything Bagel seasoning, and za’atar and smoked paprika, too. And when I’m less lazy I’m going to mash canned chickpeas, add some EVOO and seasonings, and use that as my spread/layer. I’m not a vegetarian, but I love vegetables, bread, and dairy. And sandwiches are my favorite things to eat.
Thank you for the softer food ideas for those with teeth issues!!
Thank you for this idea! I had the most delicious sandwich on whole wheat with mayo & bagel seasoning. Raw zucchini slices, tomato, carrot, red onion marinated in Italian dressing. I can’t wait for a repeat tomorrow.
Veggie sandwiches have been my pregnancy craving and this one knocked it out of the park. The cream cheese spread is everything!
I do eat meat but love veggies. You have some awesome recipes!!!
Using a bagel would be great with this.
Agreed on the Dave’s Killer Bread. I found most of the varieties too sweet. But the Powerseed one in the red bag is better and is now my go to.
Thanks for the tip!
Hi! The instructions skip Step 2. They go from “STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR BREAD” to “STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR SPREAD”.
Lol, I can’t count. Haha! I just fixed it. Thanks for letting me know! :)