Make the Best Veggie Sandwich, Budget, Ingredients

A delicious veggie sandwich is one of my favorite things to eat.

Every bite is filled with so many different colors, textures, and flavors that it’s impossible not to be satisfied.

And, because they’re so adaptable, you can make an ultimate veggie sandwich out of whatever you have on hand. And when it comes to eating on a budget, this is one of the most important qualities of a recipe or meal.

This will be more of a how-to than a recipe because it’s so adaptable, and you’re unlikely to use the exact same combination of items as I did.

I didn’t include a cost breakdown this time because of this, as well as the fact that some of these items are practically impossible to precisely measure, let alone determine the cost of.

But I’m willing to bet that was less expensive than an $8 vegetarian sandwich from a deli!

For anyone interested in trying to recreate the same sandwich seen, I’ve included a recipe card with my identical sandwich ingredients below.

STEP ONE: SELECT YOUR BREAD

For vegetable sandwiches, I recommend a nice, robust bread like wheat bread, sourdough, focaccia, or ciabatta.

You’ll need something that can withstand the substantial texture of the vegetables without ripping, as well as something that will give your stomach a little weight in comparison to all those light vegetables.

If you want to create your own bread, try making no-knead bread or focaccia.

You may also use an extra-large tortilla to wrap your vegetarian sandwich. A pita pocket could also work, although squeezing all those veggies in without ripping the pita could be tricky.

Dave’s Killer Bread, Good Seed flavor, was used to make the sandwich in the images.

This was my first time tasting this bread, and while it held up well in the sandwich, it was a touch softer than I’d like, and the flavor was a little too sweet for my tastes.

STEP 2: SELECT A SPREAD

Using a sandwich spread adds moisture, flavor, and a little fat to the sandwich, making it more satisfying to eat.

I made a scallion cream cheese that was essentially a smaller version of my Scallion Herb Cream Cheese Spread.

I simply combined 2 oz. cream cheese, one sliced green onion, 12 tsp lemon juice, 18 tsp garlic powder, 18 tsp dried dill, and a touch of salt in a mixing bowl.

Sandwich spreads that are also good include:

• Hummus
• Guacamole
• Boursin
• Pesto
• Mayo (or a pesto-mayo mix)
• Thick salad dressings, like ranch or green goddess
• Marinara

STEP 3: MIX IN THE CHEESE (OPTIONAL)

I didn’t add any extra cheese because my spread was technically a cheese. A little cheese may make a vegetable sandwich quite satisfying. Here are some fantastic vegetarian sandwich cheese options:

• White cheddar
• Feta
• Goat cheese (chevre)
• Havarti
• Swiss
• Fresh mozzarella

STEP 4: ADD THE VEGETABLES

And now is where you can truly let your imagination go wild! I picked a lonely carrot from my vegetable drawer, a handful of leftover fresh spinach, cucumber, and tomato slices, and the remaining half of red bell pepper from the day before.

Oh, and I added some alfalfa sprouts to the sandwich since I like the texture they add! Here are some additional vegetables to consider:

• 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)

The majority of your vegetables should be thinly sliced to keep everything securely packed together.

It’s easier to slice or shred hard vegetables, such as the carrot I used, into extremely small pieces. I grated my carrot with a cheese grater, but for something like broccoli, I would just chop finely.

STEP 5: ADD EXTRAS TO THE TOP

With so many vegetables packed into one sandwich, a little extra spiciness is always welcome.

In addition to salt and freshly cracked pepper, you can add Italian herbs, sunflower seeds, everything bagel seasoning, crushed red pepper, furikake, or nutritional yeast to your tomato layer. Even a sliced hard-boiled egg would be entertaining!

IDEAS FOR VEGETARIAN SANDWICHES

Here are some other fun veggie sandwich mix options before we get into what was on the sandwich pictured above:

• The Green Goddess: Green goddess dressing, spinach, sprouts, cucumber, avocado, and 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.

THE BEST VEGGIE SANDWICH

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING VEGGIE SANDWICH

1. In a small mixing dish, combine the ingredients for the scallion cream cheese (I used a fork).
2. Toast the bread lightly. One side of each slice of bread should be spread with cream cheese.
3. Place the vegetables on top of the bread, then fold them in half. Enjoy by slicing it in half.

NUTRITION IN VEGGIE SANDWICH

• Serving: 1 sandwich
• Calories: 411 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 41 g
• Protein: 15 g
• Fat: 22 g
• Sodium: 560 mg
• Fiber: 9 g