Guys, let's talk about this delicious, open-faced grilled vegetable sandwich! It's one of my all-time favorite dishes to make during grill season. It's so tasty and easy to make.
Try this sandwich for dinner or serve as an appetizer.
These grilled veggie sandwiches make an easy and light weeknight meal or a hearty appetizer. Try them for your next barbecue— something other than burgers and dogs! Or just something different for dinner.
Simple yet oh-so tasty!
The blend of grilled veggies along with feta cheese and a light aoili sauce produces really great flavor without a ton of ingredients!
If you'd like you can swap out mayo with plain Greek yogurt in your aoili sauce. My mom is not a fan of mayonnaise. Even though I've tried to convince her there is really only just a little bit in the aioli sauce, she still just isn't a fan. So for her, and when I want to lighten up this dish, I make that swap.
Your choice if you want to do this too. Both produce great results but the Greek yogurt is a bit more nutritious too and adds some extra tang. You can also lighten up the aioli by using light mayo.
What veggies are used in this sandwich?
Truly, you could use any veggies but here are the ones I love: yellow summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers and red onion.
During grill season, many stores have prepackaged veggies, already cut and ready to be grilled. This particular combination of veggies — squash, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms and red onion is one I see often already all sliced and packaged together. I really prefer fresh-sliced veggies but if you don't have time, this is a great next-best option.
The Bread
You can usually find ciabatta bread at your local bakery. Toast them lightly so they're nice and crunchy. If you can't find ciabatta bread, any dry, crusty bread would work well.
The Aioli Sauce
This homemade sauce adds an extra layer of flavor and also helps the veggies and feta all stick together and stay put as you bite into these sandwiches. The sauce is very easy to whip up, however to save time, you can search your grocery store for pre-made aioli sauces. Keep in mind though, they're usually made with mayonnaise. So if you want a lighter version, make your own and use Greek yogurt in place of mayo.
Reasons you’ll absolutely love this sandwich!
First, it's just pretty and colorful!
More reasons to love this grilled veggies sandwich:
- The lemon-garlic marinade and aioli sauce adds a punch of flavor and a touch of creaminess.
- It's a hearty vegetarian appetizer or meal.
- You can grill or cook the veggies in a skillet on the stove top.
Tips for Grilling
If you try to grill veggies directly on the grill, most likely you're going to loose them down the cracks. That makes a big mess and your dinner lighter—but not in a good way!
If you're determined to have your vegetables look "grilled," complete with pretty grill marks, then your best bet is to use a cast iron griddle with ridges. Place the griddle on top of your grill and heat it up along with your grill. The griddle transfers the heat of the grill. A perk of using a griddle with ridges is that any juices the veggies produce when cooking, will drain off, leaving just a light coating of oil which will make your veggies crispier and tastier!
I'd recommend a cast iron griddle that has an edge to it. It's really hard to stir and flip the veggies without them fall off the sides if you don't have somewhat of an edge. Here's an example:
Source: Amazon
Source: However, if you don't have a griddle, that's okay. You can still get really good results with other tools.
You can use a veggie basket, a standard cast iron skillet, or even just a baking sheet. I recommend using a heavy duty baking sheet that's thick, otherwise the high cook temperature can warp your pan. I use a baking sheet when I'm making a big batch since it holds a lot of veggies and has a lip so it keeps things contained pretty well.
Keep an eye on the grill.
You're going to want to stir the veggies a few times during the cooking process so they cook evenly and get some tasty charred marks without completely burning.
I recommend standing watch and stirring or flipping as needed. The amount of water that will cook out of your vegetables can vary greatly, so you may need to stir more or less. Just keep an eye on the color. If the vegetables start to darken or get stuck to the pan, it's time to flip or stir them.
Serve these sandwiches, open-faced.
"Open-faced" is just a fancy way of saying these sandwiches only use one piece of bread. This helps cut down carbs and also looks pretty when served. Win-win!
Enjoy this summer grilling favorite and feel free to sub in or add other veggies as you please. Also, let me know what you think in the comments below!
Want more vegetable recipe ideas?
Browse all my vegetarian recipes
This marinated grilled vegetable sandwich recipe was featured on South Your Mouth and Menu Plan Monday!
Marinated Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 ciabatta rolls
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- 4 portobello mushrooms
- ½ yellow squash
- ½ zucchini
- ½ red bell pepper
- ½ green bell pepper
- ½ small red onion
MARINADE
- ¼ cup Mazola Corn Oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
LEMON-GARLIC AIOLI SAUCE
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup mayo swap with Greek Yogurt to lighten up
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine Mazola Corn Oil, sea salt, lemon zest and garlic to create marinade.
- Slice mushrooms, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, and onion and add to marinade. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Line your grill with a large sheet of foil or use a baking pan or griddle. Heat grill to high then add marinated veggies. You'll want to stir the vegetables occasionally as they cook. Grill for about 15 minutes or until veggies are softened and a bit charred.
- Prepare the lemon-garlic aioli sauce by simply mixing together the ingredients in a small dish.
- Slice the ciabatta rolls in half and toast lightly on the grill or in the toaster.
- Layer grilled veggies on top of the toasted rolls, then top with feta cheese crumbles. Spoon on lemon-garlic sauce and you're ready to serve!
Tasted this sandwich 8 years ago when I was in Cancun. Delicious. Have made it numerous times since.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. Sounds like enjoying it in Cancun would be the ultimate experience!!