Delicious pressed roasted veggie sandwich, with goat cheese, balsamic and arugula.A great lunch or picnic sandwich, as these travel and keep well!
Back in the summer, I posted a Picnic Perfect Pressed Sandwich. It’s perfect for summer lunches. But it’s Winter now, and a different type of pressed sandwich is in order. Here’s my favourite – roasted vegetables, with a balsamic drizzle, goat cheese and arugula, pressed on a ciabatta bun and lightly toasted in a panini press or sandwich grill.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Vegetables – I’ve used zucchini, bell peppers and red onion here, but you can use any vegetable you can grill!
Bread – ciabatta is the bread of choice for this type of sandwich, as it is sturdy.
Goat Cheese – if you aren’t a fan of goat cheese, these sandwiches are equally nice with crumbled feta cheese.
Arugula – I love arugula, but baby spinach is a great substitution.
Recipe Tips
- I like to make these in the morning. I’ll assemble and set to press in the fridge. Later in the day, I’ll trim and toast, re-wrap and store in the fridge for weekday lunches, or enjoy for dinner, with a bowl of soup.
- You don’t always need to warm these sandwiches. They are nice at room temperature, as well.
- I don’t have a panini press. I just use a hand-held grill press and use a little muscle to press down onto a hot grill pan. A heavy cast iron skillet also works as a great press. You just need to heat long enough to just enough to warm the sandwich, melt the cheese and lightly toast the outside. If you don’t have either, just a few seconds in the microwave will warm up the filling and cheese.
Making Ahead, Storing and Freezing
Pressed sandwiches keep really well, well-wrapped in the refrigerator for several days. I like to double wrap with plastic wrap.
Get the Recipe: Pressed Roasted Veggie Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 ciabatta demi baguette or 3 ciabatta buns
- 4 oz log of goat cheese, 113g
- 2 sweet bell peppers, 1 red, 1 orange or yellow
- 2 zucchini, sliced into rounds (fairly thin, but not paper thin or they will burn)
- 1/2 small red onion, cut into slices
- Balsamic vinegar
- Arugula
- Butter
Instructions
- Roast your peppers: pre-heat the broiler on your oven. Slice the sides off the peppers and place, skin side up, on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler until the skin is bubbly and quite browned (10-15 minutes). Remove from the oven and place the peppers into a plastic or paper bag, seal and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Leave the broiler on.
- Meanwhile, slice your onions and zucchini. On a baking sheet, arrange the zucchini slices in a single layer and sprinkle the onion pieces over top. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Place under the broiler until the zucchini has dried and shriveled, but not browned too much (about 8-12 minutes). Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheet to cool a bit. (Hopefully, the zucchini are fairly dry. If not remove to a paper towel to cool.
- While the zucchini is cooling, take the peppers from the fridge and using the sharp edge of a knife, peel off the charred skin and discard. Place the peppers onto a paper towel, do dry the surface off a bit.
- Prepare your sandwiches: If using a ciabata baguette, cut it into 2 or 3 pieces, then cut your ciabatta loaf pieces or buns in half from the side and butter both sides. On the bottom half, place a generous layer of arugula. Top with a single layer of roasted pepper, then a layer of the zucchini slices and a few onion pieces. Drizzle with some balsamic vinegar. Top with crumbled goat cheese, then place the top of the bun on top. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap (wrap a couple of times to prevent bread from drying out). Place on the shelf in your refrigerator and place a flat plate or other flat object on top. Top the plate with something heavy (cans of tomatoes work well). Allow to press in the fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Once pressed, remove from fridge, unwrap and trim edges, if desired (not necessary, just look a little prettier). If you like, pop into a panini press or grill press to warm and toast lightly, or microwave for 30 seconds or so to warm.
Notes
More Sandwich Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hi Jennifer – as someone who occasionally fails to read the entire recipe, I had to make a few adjustments (namely the couple of hours in the fridge…and not having a sandwich press ;-) Followed everything else (and added a bit of salami – Italian sandwich – yum) and assembled by toasting the buttered bread in the oven open-face first, then adding all the ingredients, finished by a quick hand press. They were so delicious – restaurant quality delicious. Thanks for reminding just how special sandwiches can be with a few extra steps :-)
So glad you enjoyed these, Nick! Thanks :)
Pingback: happyvibes-healthylives: Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with Goat… | Body Beautiful
No one makes sandwiches look as pretty as you do! These are just gorgeous. They sound so good, too! –This weekend I need easy finger-food dinner ideas (we’re hosting an evening of drinks and board games) — I think these might just be perfect! Thanks!
Thanks Sophie. Yes, the would be perfect for your evening (which sounds like great fun).
These little sammies look perfect! ciabatta, roasted vegetables AND goat cheese sounds a delicious combination. Thanks :)
Thanks Morgan (really enjoyed exploring your site, btw!)
The combination of goat cheese and roasted vegetables on a ciabatta sounds so delicious!
It is, Ronja. I think goat cheese and anything is a winner :)
This is a sandwich I would really enjoy with its veggies, goat cheese and great bread.
It is my favourite. I love it slightly warm – just enough to melt the goat cheese a bit. Sandwich heaven!