I love a Veggie Sandwich, particularly in the summer when the tomatoes are juicy and ripe and you can find beautiful, fresh produce at every turn.
In my mind, the ideal Veggie Sandwich is an explosion of color and texture, marrying nutrition with flavor, and reminding you that healthy choices can taste amazing.
That being said, it is easy for a Veggie Sandwich to fall very, very flat. I have discovered a few key ways to turn up the flavor on a Veggie Sandwich, and the first one is to season your vegetables as you go. In order for anything to taste like the best version of itself, salt is required. I don’t want the sandwich to taste salty, but I do want the salt to turn on the light and bring the flavors to life. At the very least, a sprinkle of salt on your tomatoes and avocado is a must.
The second secret ingredient for a really delicious Veggie Sandwich is a punchy, acidic sauce or an ingredient that has a very strong flavor of some kind. This can be a layer of pickled onions (my favorite), a pesto mayo, a dash of Sriracha, or a swipe of Dijon mustard. All of those vegetables need a high-flavor element with a punch of acid to break through the blah and bring your sandwich to life.
Today I am sharing my favorite Veggie Sandwich recipe, but obviously there are endless ways to adjust this and make it your own.
My Favorite Veggie Sandwich
Ingredients
- whole grain bread, the seedier the better
- fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced
- carrots, shaved with a vegetable peeler
- yellow bell pepper, very thinly sliced
- cucumber, very thinly sliced
- spinach or lettuce
- alfalfa sprouts
- smashed avocado
- pickled onions
- mayonnaise (or mustard if you're not a fan)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Before you begin to assemble your sandwich, prep all of the vegetables, taking care to slice them as thinly as possible to avoid a clunky finished product.
- On one slice of bread, add a thin layer of mayonnaise. On the other slice, add your smashed avocado. Season the avocado with salt and pepper.
- On top of the bread with mayo, add the following: sliced tomatoes (sprinkle with salt and pepper!), shaved carrots, sliced cucumbers, pickled onions.
- On top of the bread with the avocado, add the following: sliced bell pepper, spinach, sprouts. If you like, sprinkle a few drops of the pickling liquid over the sprouts and add one final dash of salt for good measure.
- Carefully put the two halves together, pressing down a bit to make sure everything is in place, and cut in half. If you are making this sandwich to enjoy later in the day, I suggest wrapping it very tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper to keep everything in place. Enjoy!
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