A perfect option for meatless Mondays, this Grilled Veggie & Pesto Sandwich is packed with summer veggies and burrata cheese, then slathered with pesto and balsamic glaze. For the veggies in this sandwich, zucchini and summer squash are sliced into ribbons and grilled to tender perfection, then paired with nicely charred mini sweet peppers and red onions. But don’t forget the baby arugula dressed in a lemony vinaigrette for a fresh and bright flavor boost.
make it with:
Homemade Pesto
This classic homemade basil pesto is bright and nutty and is the perfect way to use up fresh basil! Perfect on summer pastas, pizzas, & more.
If you’d rather not go down the vegetarian route, some prosciutto or deli chicken would be perfect on here! Just layer it on after the pesto so it doesn’t go slipping and sliding around the sandwich 😉
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Grilled Veggie & Pesto Sandwich at home:
- Bread – A loaf of ciabatta is perfect for this sandwich – it’s soft and not too dense, but holds up well to all the ingredients and slices up perfectly to make 4 servings. If you can’t find ciabatta, a good soft Italian bread or even focaccia would work well.
- Pesto – My homemade basil pesto is perfect for this sandwich, but store bought works too.
- Grilled veggies – I used red onions, mini sweet peppers, and yellow squash and zucchini sliced into ribbons for mine. Get tips for grilling these veggies and more here!
- Burrata cheese – If you haven’t used it before, burrata is a fresh cheese that’s sold in a little tub of water. When you break open the ball of burrata, the cheese oozes out into a tasty mess. You can melt it down on the pizza a little or leave it in rustic chunks. Fresh mozzarella would also be yummy on this sandwich, especially if you melt it down a bit before serving.
- Baby arugula – A nice and bright green that’s a bit peppery goes really well with the sweetness of the grilled veggies. Dress it in some of the veggie marinade before piling it on top of the sandwich.
- Balsamic glaze – Balsamic glaze brings acidity and depth of flavor that are most definitely needed in this sandwich, so don’t skip it!
Tips for
Grilling Summer Veggies
When grilling veggies, I like to set the flames on my grill at medium to medium-high and maintain a temperature between 350°F and 425°F. Anything higher than that and you’ll char the veggies before they cook through, and anything lower risks not getting char marks at all. I find that right around 400°F is the sweet spot for most veggies.
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Recipe
Grilled Veggie Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread, halved lengthwise, (283 grams)
- 2 cups baby arugula, (76 grams)
- 1 small zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced into 1/4" thick ribbons, (120 grams)
- 1 small yellow squash, ends trimmed and sliced into 1/4" thick ribbons, (120 grams)
- 3 mini sweet peppers, trimmed and halved
- 1/3 small red onion, sliced into 1/4-1/2" rings
- 1 ball burrata cheese, (4 oz)
- 1/3 cup Basil Pesto
- 3 tbsp balsamic glaze
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Flakey sea salt and black pepper to taste
Veggie Marinade
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp champagne vinegar
- Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/4 tsp Oh My Spice! Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Prep the Veggies
- Add all veggie marinade ingredients to a dressing shaker and shake until the oil is emulsified no longer separated from the vinegar and lemon juice.
- Drizzle about 1/2 of the marinade over the baby arugula and toss to mix. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the zucchini and squash ribbons and halved peppers, then toss gently to coat evenly.
Grill the Bread and Veggies
- Pre-heat grill to 400°F.
- For the bread: As the grill pre-heats, brush the bread lightly with olive oil on the cut sides and place cut side down on the grill grates once the grill reaches 350°. Grill for 3-5 minutes or until light grill marks appear. Set aside.
- For the zucchini, yellow squash, and peppers: Grill directly on grates at 400°F for 5-7 mins or until tender & grill marks form, flipping 1-2 times to avoid burning.
- For the red onion: A grill topper is helpful to avoid losing parts of the onions – grill at 400°F for 7-9 minutes or until tender, flipping once.
Assemble the Sandwich
- Brush the bottom slice of ciabatta with pesto, then layer with grilled onions, grilled zucchini, grilled yellow squash, grilled peppers, dressed arugula, and burrata chunks. Season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, then top with remaining ciabatta half.
- Cut sandwich loaf into 4 pieces and serve immediately.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
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