Grilled Vegetable Ciabatta Sandwiches
A mix of grilled vegetables including zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and red onions is the perfect filling for this ciabatta sandwich with pesto and fresh mozzarella.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For vegetables
- 1 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 2 bell peppers, cut lengthwise into 3-inch wide strips
- 1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For sandwich
- 1 loaf of ciabatta, halved horizontally
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1 handful baby spinach
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on medium high heat.
- Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. (It’s easiest to do this on a sheet pan because then you can use that to carry the veggies to the grill.)
- Grill the vegetables until they are tender and have grill marks, about 3-4 minutes per side for eggplant, peppers and onions and 2-3 minutes per side for zucchini and squash.
- To assemble the sandwich, spread both cut sides of the bread with pesto and scatter the spinach on the bottom piece of bread. Layer on the grilled vegetables. (You can spilt the onions slices into rings). Then add the mozzarella and top with the other piece of bread.
- Cut the sandwich into your preferred serving sizes.
Notes
If you’re planning to save leftovers, don’t assemble the entire sandwich. For meal planning, store the grilled vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Also, you might find it better to use sliced bread instead of ciabatta for your sandwiches.
Store leftover sandwiches in the fridge up to 2 days. Then reheat them in a 350-degree F oven. Take off the top bread slices and put them and the open-faced sandwiches on a sheet pan for 8-10 minutes. It toasts the bread and melts the cheese.
Substitutions & Variations:
- Bread: You can use focaccia, sourdough or another sliced bread with a good crust.
- Vegetables & Filling: It’s ok to adjust the vegetables depending on what you like and what you have in your kitchen. For the carnivores, you can add salami, prosciutto or sliced turkey.
- Cheese: Provolone, parmesan, feta or goat cheese are all great options.
- Greens: You can try baby arugula or romaine instead of spinach.
- Avocados: sliced or mashed
- Pepperoncini: for some heat
- Tomatoes: raw or roasted
Nutrition
Calories: 456kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 1199mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2593IU | Vitamin C: 72mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 1mg