Veggie Sandwiches- Over 50 Sandwiches without Meat

Recently I was talking to a friend at the junior college where I teach in the Fall. In discussing the tightness of the schedule, she noted “Yes, Tuesdays and Thursdays are sandwich days for me.” I lamented to myself, because I thought, what the heck am I going to have, since I’m not eating meat right now?! I just couldn’t think of many meatless sandwich options. I was thinking two days a week, for a whole semester, that’s a lot of fried egg sandwiches. Actually I wound up eating a lot of potato, egg, and cheese soft tacos. So now that I’ve had a chance to think about sandwich options, I should be set for next Fall.

I have created this reference with recipes and ideas for over 50 veggie sandwiches, in the following categories:

Simple & Raw

Greens & Things

Roasted Root Vegetables

Eggplant

Portabella Mushrooms

Mock Tuna

Eggs & Such

Cheese Please

Something Sweet

Wraps

Paninis

Sweet Paninis

Tofu

At the end I have included some basic tips and instructions, such how to make a balsamic reduction, and how to press tofu. I have also included an “inspiration list” for you to personalize for your shopping list.

Tomato Sandwich: If you have large vine ripe garden-grown tomatoes, Dukes mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and white bread, there’s hardly a better sandwich to be had.

Classic Cucumber Sandwich: Grate 3 baby cucumbers and drain, pressing between several layers of paper towel. Combine with softened cream cheese, Lawry’s garlic powder with parsley, and chopped chives or green onions. Spread on soft white bread.

Turkish Cucumber Sandwich: Split a small oblong bun. Top with slices of cucumber with peel, and a slice of mild goat or sheep milk cheese.

Crazy Combo Sandwich: Spread mayo on one side of bread (such as round Oroweat Multigrain sandwich thins), and Dijon mustard on the other side. Place thin slices of Granny Smith apple on the mayo side. Top with a slice of cheddar cheese. Top mustard side with a slice of sweet onion and slices of kosher pickle.

Slaw Pocket: Moisten finely shredded cabbage with a little mayo and apple cider vinegar. Pack into pita pocket with thin slices of sweet onion, and sweet apple, such as red or golden delicious. Throw in a few golden raisins.

Catalina Veggie Baguette: Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, and Catalina dressing.

Pita with Greens: Avocado slices, arugula leaves, Texas Sweet or Vidalia onion slices, sliced tomato in a pita pocket.

Spinach Sandwich: Baby spinach leaves, sun dried tomato sliced into thin ribbons, feta cheese, thinly sliced white mushrooms on a light soft bun.

Sautéed Greens Sandwich: Sauté greens, such as spinach, mustard, collard, or chard to sweat/wilt. Place on crusty bun. Top with caramelized onions, and mushroom slices that have been simmered in burgundy wine.

Classic Watercress Sandwich: There are several versions, but the classic is to make a spread by combining watercress with butter, and a tad of lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Other versions are made with cream cheese and cucumbers, or with egg salad. Classic serving is on crustless white bread, cut into fingers, about 3 from each sandwich.

Veggie Ruben: Sauerkraut, drained crushed pineapple, fried potato rounds on rye bread.

Roasted Root Vegetable Sandwich: Select root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips. Cut about ¼” to ½“ thick. Slice carrots and parsnips lengthwise in 4”-5” lengths. Roast vegetables with garlic and spices until done, but still firm enough to hold together. Arrange on hoagie roll and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Roasted Beet Sandwich: Roasted sliced beets, feta cheese, alfalfa sprouts, and romaine leaves on crusty round bun.

Grilled Vegetable Muffuletta (from Rachael Ray): You will need an 8- to 9-inch round loaf of crusty bread, pesto, provolone cheese, giardiniera (pickled vegetables), green olives, and grilled eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, portabella, and red onion. Cut off the top, and hollow out the center. Spread pesto on the bottom, add a layer of grilled vegetables, then another layer of pesto. Add remaining grilled vegetables, and provolone cheese. Pulse olives and giardiniera into a relish in food processor and spread on top bread. Place top, and cut into wedges.

Ratatouille Wrap: Sauté diced eggplant in olive oil about 5 minutes. Add diced zucchini, onions, red pepper, and seasonings and sauté another 6 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and simmer covered 5 minutes. Serve in large wraps with goat cheese.

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich: Prepare bread as for garlic bread on hoagie rolls or French bread. Slice eggplant diagonally and grill or bake until it starts to become tender. Dampen eggplant with water or olive oil. Coat with panko crumbs and fry until coating is golden and crispy. Drain and transfer to bread. Top with your favorite spaghetti sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Mediterranean Eggplant Sandwich: Spread hummus on half of a flatbread, and olive tapenade on the other half. Place grilled eggplant slices and fold over.

My Favorite Portabella Burger: My favorite veggie burger is definitely the portabella burger. Scrape gills from large portabella mushroom cap, and grill about 5-7 minutes on each side. Top portabella with garlic and herb, pepper Jack, or other favorite cheese. Spread Hawaiian Roll with mashed avocado. Top with mushroom and caramelized onions.

Double Portabella Melt: Scrape gills from large portabella caps. Cut caps crosswise to make two pieces to each cap. Grill mushroom pieces. Top each with cheese, and stack in twos. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Serve on crusty buns.

If you are a meat eater, or former meat eater, the secret to great mock tuna salad is to do it up like you would do tuna salad. If you typically use onions and celery, than that’s what you should use. If you never use carrots in your tuna salad, then don’t. I have two examples that I got from YouTube, when writing my Mock Tuna hub. This is how I modified them for my taste.

Walnut Paté: Soak walnuts 8 to 12 hours, rinsing at least once. Process walnuts in food processor. Add fine chopped celery, purple onion, sweet pickle relish, mayo, and a touch of cumin. I like this one on Wasa Crisp ‘n Light 7 Grain Crackerbread.

Chickpea Mock Tuna: Process chickpeas in food processor. Add finely diced dill pickle, mashed boiled egg, diced sweet onion, finely diced cucumber, and mayo. Serve on pumpernickel.

Egg Breakfast Sandwich: Fried egg, Swiss or American cheese, and shredded hash browns on an English muffin, or small ciabatta roll

Fried Egg Sandwich: Fried egg, thinly slice cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, and mayo on Oroweat round Sandwich Thins.

Not Just Egg Salad: Make a basic egg salad with mashed boiled eggs and mayo, on your favorite bread. For something a little different add a little…

Dill relish and Dijon mustard

Sweet pickle relish and fine chopped nuts

Diced green, black, or kalamata olives

Diced jalapeno, or other favorite pepper

Ultra finely diced onion and celery

Sliced and chopped sundried tomatoes

Chopped pimentos

Double Egg Sandwich: Crazy about eggs? Top your egg salad with a fried egg.

Cold Cheese Sandwich: Make a sandwich with slices or smears of 3 different cheeses, such as Colby, jalapeno jack, asiago, brie, cream cheese, mozzarella, Gouda, Swiss, farmer cheese, provolone, Muenster, or port wine cheese. Choose several cheeses and enjoy on a crusty bun. You could try a balsamic reduction, tapenade, pesto, or whole grain mustard on your sandwich.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich: You can go with tradition, and make a sandwich with American or Cheddar cheese on white bread, fried in butter. But you could make a sandwich with any favorite cheese, and your favorite bread but treat yourself, still fry it in the butter!

Mock Meatball Hero: Place fried mozzarella sticks or cheese balls in a hoagie roll or soft Sara Lee sub roll, and top with your favorite spaghetti or pizza sauce.

Toasted Pimento Cheese: Generously smear your favorite deli pimento cheese on a split crusty roll, and place under the broiler until bubbly.

Caprese Sandwich: Smear crusty French bread with basil pesto. Top with fresh Mozzarella rounds and tomato slices. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Peanut Butter and Jelly: Go for the classic with grape jelly and creamy peanut butter on white or wheat bread, or for something different, make your PBJ on French toast. Use a firmer bread, such as a multi-grain and seed bread, or an English muffin for crunchy peanut butter. Be adventurous and try apricot preserves, marmalade, or any favorite jelly or jam.

Cream Cheese and Jelly: Try a nice sandwich with grape jelly or strawberry jam with cream cheese. Of course any jelly or jam would work. This would be good on an English muffin, or try it on raisin bread.

Banana Sandwich: Ah, life’s simple pleasures. Liberally spread Dukes mayo on two slices of Brownberry Oat Nut bread. Cut banana the length of the bread, then cut lengthwise slices and place on bread. Yum.

Hunka Hunka Burning Love Banana Sandwich: Spread creamy peanut butter on two slices of bread. Cut bananas lengthwise and place on bread. Fry in butter. Eat with Elvis.

Cinnamon Swirl Rollup: Flatten raisin bread gently with a glass or rolling pin. Spread a mixture of cottage cheese and cinnamon, and roll up.

Pineapple Cream Cheese: Soften cream cheese and blend in some well drained crushed pineapple, and finely chopped pecans. Spread on a soft honey croissant or panettone bread.

See also paninis for something sweet.

Falafel Wrap: Prepare falafel by processing chickpeas in food processor. Add finely minced garlic and onion, coriander, cumin, parsley and a couple tablespoons of flour. Form into patties and fry. Arrange 3 patties on wrap with lettuce, tomato, and dressing such as tzatziki.

Green Bean Wrap: Sauté young whole tender green beans in soy and teriyaki. Place in wrap with fresh cut corn and red pepper strips.

Grilled Vegetable Wrap: Add grilled red and yellow bell peppers, purple onion, zucchini, and tomatoes to a tortilla or wrap.

Mexican Wrap: Spoon raw fresh cut corn and black beans into soft flour tortilla. Top with avocado slices. Make your own fresh chunky pico de gallo by dicing fresh tomatoes and onions into fairly large dice, then add finely diced jalepeno to taste tolerance.

Chili Relleno Wrap: Roast poblano peppers. Slit and insert white cheese like Monterrey Jack. Wrap in soft flour tortilla.

I found a great variety of vegetarian Panini recipes at Food Network, as well as many that could easily be adapted into meatless sandwiches. Panini sandwiches are typically brushed on the outside with butter or olive oil, and grilled on the Panini press. If you don’t have a Panini press, place sandwiches on a grill or in a skillet, and weigh down with small pans or baking dishes, and cans for additional weight.

Meatless Muffaletta: Pulse ½ cup pitted green and black olives in food processor with 1 cup drained giardiniera (pickled cauliflower, carrot and hot pepper). Divide mixture among 4 Kaiser roll bottoms. Top with a slice of sharp Provolone cheese. Drain and thinly slice 1 can of artichoke hearts. Divide among the 4 sandwiches. Top with another slice of cheese and toast in sandwich press.

Mozzarella with Pesto or Olive Tapenade: Place slices of fresh mozzarella ball on thick cut sourdough bread. Spread other slice liberally with basil pesto or olive tapenade. Heat on sandwich press.

Spaghetti Sauce & Taleggio Cheese: Spread your favorite thick pasta sauce on the bottom of a crusty bread. Top with taleggio cheese and place top, then grill on Panini press.

Spaghetti Sandwich: Scoop out excess bread from inside Italian loaf. Fill with pasta coated liberally with sauce. Top with Parmesan.

Grilled Vegetable Panini: Place grilled eggplant, zucchini, onion, and bell pepper on 6” length of French baguette. Top with vinaigrette and mozzarella cheese.

Caponata Panini: Prepare caponata with chopped eggplant, celery, red bell pepper, diced tomatoes, raisins, capers, red wine vinegar, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until thickened, then spoon into baguettes with soft bread scooped out of center. Top with provolone cheese and grill in Panini press.

Gruyere & Apple: Peeled, cored and thin sliced Granny Smith apples, gruyere cheese, chopped fresh thyme leaves, and whole grain mustard on thick country white bread.

More Paninis inspired by Food Network stars.

Banana & Nutella: For Bobby Flay’s version, mash ripe bananas and spread on bread bottoms. Spread Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread on the other side of the bread. Assemble sandwiches. Brush with butter and grill on press. Dust with powdered sugar. For Paula Deen’s version, slice bananas instead of mashing them. Spread white bread with thin layer of hazelnut spread. Top with banana slices and marshmallow halves.

Brie & Chocolate: Use sour dough bread. Top with thin sliced brie cheese, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and thinly cut fresh basil leaves.

Chocolate Walnut: Melt bitter chocolate pieces in walnut bread.

Fig & Brie: Make a fig jam by simmering dried figs, water, sugar, and brandy or apple juice. Transfer to food processor and pulse with toasted hazelnuts. Spread on ciabatta roll and top with brie.

Taleggio & Fruit: Slices of fresh pear, apple, or peach drizzled with honey, with taleggio or brie on ciabatta bread.

PBJ & Banana: Peanut butter, grape jelly, and banana slices.

Chocolate Strawberry Sandwich: Nutella and thinly sliced strawberries on buttered pound cake.

Banana French Toast by the Neelys: This one’s a little complex, but sounds worth it. In short, grill bananas and place in Texas Toast that has been prepared as for French toast, with egg, heavy cream, and a little orange juice.

You can visit another of my articles for instructions on how to press tofu. I’m pretty fussy about food texture, and didn’t think I would like tofu, but I was pleasantly surprised. Many sources recommend pressing or freezing the tofu. The other thing most sources agree on is that tofu easily takes on flavors, so you can create endless flavors with different marinades.

TLT: Tofu, Lettuce, & Tomato Sandwich. Marinate tofu in your favorite marinade. I think Lawry’s Balsamic Herb or Tuscan Sun-Dried Tomato with Minced Garlic & Olive Oil would be great choices. Drain and pan fry to sear. Alternatively, prepare Southern Fried Tofu, which is dusted with seasonings and nutritional yeast, and fried. Spread mayo on wheat bread and top with tofu, lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

BBQ Tofu with Crispy Fried Onion Straws: Prepare Barbecued Tofu by marinating tofu in your favorite BBQ sauce, then cooking under the broiler. Top with blue cheese and thin slices of onion, lightly battered and fried crispy. Serve on a bun, such as an onion roll or Kaiser roll.

“Fish” sandwich: Make a fried “fish” sandwich with tofu. Cut tofu into slices. Brush with soy sauce. Cut nori sheets to size, and adhere to each side of the tofu. Dip in tempura batter and deep fry. Serve with tarter sauce on a bun.

Tofu Frito Sandwich: Marinate tofu slice in salsa. Drain and pan fry to sear. Place on soft hoagie roll. Top with queso fresco, crushed Chili Cheese Fritos, and a little fresh salsa.

Monte Cristo sandwich: Marinate thin slices of tofu in Worcestershire sauce. Drain. Place Swiss cheese on two pieces of thin white bread. Top one side with tofu. Put sandwich together. Dip in beaten egg as you would for French toast and pan fry on each side. Alternatively, dip sandwich in tempura batter and fry in deep oil.

Italian sandwich: Marinate tofu slice in your favorite spaghetti sauce. Bake tofu in sauce. Spread pesto on each side of ciabiatta bread. Place tofu on bread. Top with provolone cheese.

Here are some instructions and tips for ingredients or methods you will see referenced in some of the sandwiches.

Balsamic Reduction: Heat a half cup of balsamic vinegar in a small pan until the volume is reduced to half or less.

Pesto: Process ¼ cup almonds or cashews in food processor until fine chopped. Add 1 cup fresh basil leaves, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 clove garlic, and ¼ cup olive oil. Process until smooth. Add more oil if need for spreadable consistency.

Tzatziki or Cacik Cucumber Spread: Grate 1 baby cucumbers or ½ regular peeled and seeded cucumber. Drain and squeeze dry between layers of paper towel. Mix into one pint of Greek yogurt, along with 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves, and salt to taste.

Olive Tapenade: In a food processor, puree 3 anchovies, a clove of garlic, and a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves. Add 1 cup pitted kalamata olives and ¼ cup olive oil, and pulse to a smooth paste. Thicken if necessary with more olives. If it is too thick, thin by adding more olive oil.

Hummus: Pulse chickpeas in food processor to break up. Add garlic cloves, lemon juice, and tahini. Process until smooth.

Pressing and Preparing Tofu: Slice tofu into slabs about ½” or slightly less thick. Place waxed paper or plastic wrap on counter or large cutting board. Place tofu slices. Cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Place cookie sheet or large baking pan on top. Add additional weight. For step by step pictures you can visit my hub, How to Cook Tofu.

Grilling Vegetables: Cut eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash on the diagonal. Cut onions in ¼” rounds. Remove seeds from bell peppers and cut in wedges or length-wise strips. Brush with olive oil and grill to sear with grill marks, but vegetables should retain firm texture.

Create your own inspiration list of veggie sandwiches. Feel free to modify and personalize this list. Use it for ideas, and for your shopping list.

Breads: Onion roll, seed and grain bread, ciabiatta, texas toast, pita pocket, flatbread, sourdough, round Oroweat sandwich thins, Sara Lee soft sub rolls, Kaiser rolls, French bread, raisin bread, English muffins

Cheeses: American, cheddar, Swiss, Monterrey Jack, pepper Jack, mozzarella, Parmesan, brie, Gouda, blue cheese, cream cheese, port wine cheese, farmer’s cheese, feta, asaigo, provolone, Muenster

Condiments: Mayonnaise, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, tzatziki, pesto, hummus, balsamic vinegar reduction, Nutella

Raw vegetables: Lettuce, spinach, arugula, watercress, tomatoes, sweet onions, red onions, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, radishes, zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, lentil sprouts, white mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, enoki mushrooms

Roasted root vegetables: Red, white, or Yukon potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, red beets, golden beets, turnips, rutabagas

Fruits: Granny Smith apples, pears, peaches, raisins, pineapple