During the week, I try to make at least one quick and easy meal the whole family will enjoy. Today, for instance, I decided to make Italian Sandwiches. In my family, everyone loves a hearty veggie sandwich. So I marinated a bunch of my favorite veggies in my Creamy Italian Dressing to make Italian sandwiches for dinner.
In order to enjoy a hearty Italian sandwich, the first step is selecting the vegetables. Although I chose certain vegetables, any vegetables you enjoy work well for this Italian sandwich recipe.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED FOR VEGGIE ITALIAN SANDWICHES?
- Whole grain vegan buns
- Creamy Italian Dressing
- Red bell peppers
- Yellow zucchini
- Green zucchini
- White onion
- Mushrooms
- Eggplant
MARINATING THE VEGETABLES FOR ITALIAN SANDWICHES
Once the vegetables are cut, marinate the vegetables for the Italian Sandwiches in a container for a Ziplock bag. As a general rule, I prefer to marinate overnight, or for at least a few hours.
Then, I chose to grill my vegetables in a grill basket. Even though I prefer grilling, roasting is also an option.
GRILLING OR ROASTING THE MARINATED VEGETABLES
GRILLING INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees
- Remove vegetables from the container or bag, reserving the leftover marinade.
- Place the vegetables in the grill basket and put the basket on the hot grill
- Toss the vegetables every 3-4 minutes, adding additional marinade, for a total of 12 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
ROASTING VS. GRILLING ITALIAN VEGETABLES FOR ITALIAN SANDWICHES
ROASTING INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Using a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, place vegetables on the baking pan in a single layer, reserving the leftover marinade to use throughout the cooking process.
- Roast for 20 minutes, removing the vegetables from the oven halfway through and tossing with remaining marinade, and cook for the remaining time.
QUICK TIPS ON REDUCING BREAD FOR A CRISPIER SANDWICH
For those who avoid bread or prefer a crunchy sandwich, I suggest removing some of the bread from both sides of the bun in the center. Be careful, though, so you do not break through the bun.
Instead, scoop out each side, hollowing out the bun slightly. Then, I use the remaining bread for bread crumbs at a later time.
Regardless if you leave the buns intact, or remove the insides, I drizzle Creamy Italian Dressing on the bun and fill both sides with a generous layer of vegetables. Then, I add more creamy Italian dressing to the top of the veggies before broiling in the oven.
BROILING ITALIAN SANDWICHES WITH CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING
The final step is broiling the sandwiches to get the bun crispy and to heat the veggies a second time. Since I chose an Italian theme for this sandwich, I served this Italian sandwich with Vegan Italian Wedding Soup, but an Italian Chopped Salad is fabulous as well.
IF YOU LOVE YUMMY VEGAN SANDWICHES, CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES
- Vegetable Sandwich
- Lentil Burgers
- Falafel Burger
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap
- Oil-Free Hummus and Tabbouleh Wrap
- Quinoa Burgers
- Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Beet Burger
- Pulled Pork Sweet Potato Sandwich
- Muffuletta Sandwich
- Curry Chickpea Sandwich Spread
- Egg Salad
- Chicken Salad
📖 Recipe
Italian Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 6 whole grain sandwich buns
- 1 recipe vegan creamy Italian dressing
- 2 red bell peppers cut into thin strips
- 1 yellow zucchini cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 green zucchini cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 small eggplant cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 white onion cut into thin strips
- 8 ounces sliced mushroom
Instructions
- Marinate vegetables in ½ the creamy Italian Dressing recipe overnight in a container or large Ziplock bag.
Grilling Vegetables
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees
- Remove vegetables from the container or bag, reserving the leftover marinade.
- Place the vegetables in the grill basket and put the basket on the hot grill
- Toss the vegetables every 3-4 minutes, adding additional marinade, for a total of 12 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
ROASTING VEGETABLES
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Using a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, place vegetables on the baking pan in a single layer, reserving the leftover marinade to use throughout the cooking process.
- Roast for 20 minutes, removing the vegetables from the oven halfway through and tossing with remaining marinade, and cook for the remaining time.
PREPARING THE ITALIAN SANDWICHES
- Turn on the oven broil on medium-high temperature
- If reducing the amount of bread, remove excess bread from the inside of each side of the bun (use extra bread for bread crumbs or another recipe), or leave the bun intact.
- Brush both sides of the buns with a thin layer of vegan creamy Italian dressing
- Add a generous portion of vegetables on each side of each bun, and drizzle with additional creamy Italian dressing.
- Broil for 5-7 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Laurie
My husband and I both loved this sandwich. The dressing really gave it a lot of flavor. I can see using the dressing when making pasta salad too. I will definitely make these again and again.
Liz McCarthy
Made this for lunch yesterday and we really enjoyed it. I wanted it right away so I just marinated the veggies for about 20 minutes and then threw it in a pan for about 12 minutes. It turned out really delicious anyway. Thanks for this recipe and my new salad/sandwich dressing recipe too.
Cecile
Yummy!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Celile. So glad you enjoyed the Italian Sandwiches. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Louise
I have looked and spent too much on different cook books for WFPB and you ebook is the best money I have spent. I am sorry you don't have another. Being totally new looking to get healthier your book is easy to follow not too many ingredients and full of healthy options. Thank you! In the next book maybe a few photo's of the cooking process (I know space waste) for newbies it helps. Again Thank You.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Louise, I'm so glad the Ebook is helpful. I am working on a cookbook in the near future; hopefully, you are enjoying the blog in the meantime. Thank you for reaching out. I appreciate the feedback.
Laura
I made the Italian dressing tonight, for sandwiches tomorrow. It's delicious! I've never been an Italian dressing person but this recipe was in my inbox & I decided instantly I must make these sandwiches. 🙂 I love marinated veggie sandwiches. I'm so glad I subscribed to get your recipes emailed to me!!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Laura, I'm so glad you liked the dressing and the sandwich. That's funny, I'm not usually an Italian dressing fan either, but the creaminess and flavors are fabulous! Try the other Italian dressing; it's really flavorful too. I really appreciate your feedback and kind words.