What to serve with a veggie sandwich
My go-to for sides is usually a salad or vegetables, but those are already in the sandwich! Ha! If you’re looking to round out the meal a bit, here are some good options.
Oh well okay then. Apparently I didn’t notice he has moved developmentally past the stage of dipping fries and sucking off the ketchup, like any self-respecting toddler. No, now he’s bypassing the fries entirely to get to the main event: chugging that ketchup like it’s a Gatorade commercial.
How is everyone’s summer coming along? I feel like I’m in a literal time warp these days, things are moving so fast. We over scheduled the fun, as usual! Life’s tough, right?? Are you keeping up with your menu plan lately? It’s kicking my butt, and we eat “leftovers” way more often than I care to admit 😂
My sister Laura told me about these sandwiches she makes for her family in the summer, and I’ve been meaning to try them for literally years, but I was held up by all my preconceived notions about what makes a decent sandwich.
But my sister Laura knows what’s up. She has been tweaking and perfecting this process for years now, and it’s one of her kid’s favorite meals. You know when a kid can get on board with a vegetable sandwich, something is up.
I finally tried it, and my whole sandwich belief system has been turned on its head. I never thought I could be into a sandwich without cold cuts the way I’m into this one, honest.
high quality sourdough bread is nonnegotiable you must toast the INSIDE of the bread, but not the outside. This will save you from shards of toasty bread tearing the roof of your mouth to shreds (I can’t be the only one here right??) Also, pivotally important, toasting the inside helps the sandwich hold up to all the inherently watery veggies we are stuffing it with. not one sauce, but two. Involving cream cheese and avocados, your welcome. fresh herbs are essential in this sauce. I have subs listed if you can’t get fresh, but I promise, it’s worth it. PICKLED ONIONS amp up the flavor of this sandwich so so much. Do not skip, my friends. Don’t buy a crap tomato. If your tomato sucks, your sandwich sucks. Seasoning your veggies is key (like salting the tomatoes and onions). We want to enhance, not mask the flavors.
All these elements combine to create something legendary. These veggie sandwiches fill you up without feeling heavy, and are so perfect on a day when it’s 105 degrees outside, and for a hot minute there you were seriously considering popsicles for dinner. She says, “In the last week I’ve probably had about 10 of these veggie sandwiches. New life level achieved! Also, since I’m in my 40s, I add pickled beets.” Ha! Now I’m wondering why I didn’t add pickled beets. Doesn’t this look so good?? Slice them thin, and squeeze lime or lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle with a lil salt and pepper, and set aside. They will start to turn delightfully pink. Now make the cream cheese spread. Do you HAVE to use fresh dill and parsley? Technically no, but I’m tellin’ you. If you can swing it, do it. It amps up the flavor so much. Now toast the bread, we are going to pop them under the broiler, just a couple minutes! Butter the top side if you are ready for the most epic sandwich, you can skip it if you are in a rush or counting calories. Don’t walk away!! I have literally lit bread on FIRE doing this exact thing! You know how a Watched Pot Never Boils? Well. Broiling Bread Burns Always. 🤣 I’m telling you, just stick around. Slice your tomatoes nice n thick. Set them on paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. This helps get rid of extra moisture, so our sandwich doesn’t completely fall apart. Now make your avocado spread, which is basically just Guacamole. I mean, why are we not adding this to every sandwich ever, amiright? Spread cream cheese on the buttery-toasty-side of one slice of bread. Spread guac on another toasty side. And then here is Laura’s tried and true veggie layering order. This is SCIENCE guys, don’t mess:
- tomatoes on cream cheese
- as many layers of thin sliced cucumbers as you want
- sprouts
- pickled onions
- slice of Havarti cheese, if using
- spinach last, which will stick perfectly to the avocado spread on the other bread slice. You can see that my spinach is perched a bit precariously, ha. It’s actually almost easier to add the spinach right to the guac spread on the other slice of bread, then smash. And voila! This sandwich is really good with the Havarti, but I promise, it doesn’t need it. It’s good with just the veggies. It’s like magic!
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Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram You’re much better off only assembling sandwiches as you need them. Have extra veggies ready to go in case someone wants more, but don’t put any extra sandwiches together until someone decides for sure they want one. Instead of storing already made sandwiches, store individual components and assemble as needed. The sourdough goes back in its bag and can be out at room temperature for a few days. All fresh veggies can either be returned to their container or added to an airtight container with a lid and kept in the fridge for a few days. The cream cheese spread can also be stored in a tupperware in the fridge. Mashed avocado can tend to brown, so try to only make what you will use. I have a whole section in my guacamole post about how to store avocado so it doesn’t go brown if you’d like to learn more! Bread freezes beautifully, so you can always keep a loaf handy in the freezer. The cream cheese mixture can be made ahead and stored in the fridge covered. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days. You can make the avocado spread up to 2-3 days ahead of time, but it will get a little discolored in the fridge. (You can also freeze avocado that has already been mashed! It’s not quite the same as fresh, a little more watery, but it can be done. Just add the avocado to a freezer ziplock bag and seal with as much air squeezed out as possible. Try to use it within one month. Leave it out on the counter for 10-15 minutes, give it a stir, and it should be good to go.) As for the veggies themselves: Cucumbers can be chopped ahead of time. The pickled onions can and should be made ahead of time, they will last in the fridge just fine for up to 7 days. Fresh bell pepper can be sliced and stored ahead. Everything else (tomatoes especially) needs to be sliced last minute.
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