Easy, vegetarian Mediterranean Sandwich—pile veggies, creamy feta cheese, and basil pesto on hearty bread.
Mediterranean Sandwich
This sandwich is my sister’s specialty. She’s been vegetarian for almost a decade, and this is one of her go-to meals. I finally tried her recipe, and now I’m hooked! We’ve been making this Mediterranean sandwich on repeat for lunches lately, so I thought it was time to share it.
She adapted it from Panera Bread’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich, one of her favorites. While the ingredients are a bit different, we love it just the way it is! The veggies are delicious, and the Sriracha mayo and pesto add tons of flavor to every bite.
If you like the Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich or anything from a Mediterranean sandwich company, you’ll love this homemade version. It’s a delicious sandwich that combines the best flavors in every bite!
What To Serve Alongside
- Greek Salad: Cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and feta with olive oil and oregano.
- Hummus and Pita: Creamy hummus with warm pita bread or pita chips.
- Tabbouleh: A delicious salad made with fresh herbs, tomatoes, cucumber, and bulgur.
- Creamy Cucumber Salad: Crunchy salad with the best creamy dressing!
- Lemonade: Is there anything more refreshing with a sandwich?!
Ingredients In Mediterranean Sandwich
- Hearty Wheat Bread: Use thick-sliced bread like Dave’s Killer Bread for a sturdy base.
- Fresh Basil Pesto: Choose a fresh pesto like Rana’s for the best flavor and texture. Hummus is a great alternative if you don’t love pesto!
- Real Mayo: Best Food’s mayo is my personal favorite here!
- Sriracha Sauce: Adjust to your heat preference.
- Baby Spinach: Lightly pack the spinach to fit well.
- Red Onion: Slice very thinly to avoid overpowering the flavors. If you’re sensitive to red onion, soak the slices in cold salted water first. Drain well, pat dry, and add to the sandwich.
- Crumbled Feta Cheese: Press gently to help it stay in place.
- Campari Tomatoes: Use ripe, firm tomatoes for good texture and flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: A small sprinkle to boost the flavors.
- Jarred Roasted Red Peppers: Drain well to keep the sandwich from getting soggy.
Quick Tip
This sandwich is filling and fueling! If you’d like to add more protein, include a layer of deli meat or shredded rotisserie chicken.
How To Make Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich
- Spread: Pesto on one slice of bread.
- Mix: Mayo and Sriracha; spread on the other slice.
- Layer: Spinach, avocado, red onion, and feta on the mayo slice.
- Add: Tomato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Top: With roasted red pepper strips.
- Place: The pesto bread slice on top.
- Press: Gently, cut with a sharp knife, and enjoy immediately!
Storage
Sandwich is best enjoyed right after being made! If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil and store for a few hours.
Prevent Soggy Bread: Keep ingredients separate and assemble before eating if storing longer.
More Sandwich Recipes
- BBQ Chicken Sandwich ready in 15 minutes or less!
- Chicken Salad my go-to recipe!
- Tomato Sandwich with a basil mayo spread
- Cucumber Sandwich Recipe with a 3-ingredient herb spread
- Chicken Caesar Sandwich using a salad kit!
Mediterranean Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 pieces hearty wheat bread (like Dave's Killer Bread)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil pesto (like Rana's fresh basil pesto)
- 1 tablespoon real mayo (like Best Foods/Hellmans)
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 1/4 cup lightly packed baby spinach
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 10 very thinly sliced red onion strips
- 3-4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- 4 slices Campari (or Heirloom) tomatoes
- Small sprinkle salt and pepper
- 6 strips jarred roasted red pepper, well drained (See Note 1)
Instructions
- Toast the bread. Spread one side of one slice with the pesto. In a small bowl, stir together the mayo and Sriracha (add Sriracha slowly to your heat preference). Spread this mayo on one side of the other slice of bread.
- Gently press the baby spinach on top of the mayo. Add avocado, red onion strips, and then sprinkle feta cheese on top and gently press it in. Add the thinly sliced tomatoes on top along with a tiny sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add the well-drained red pepper strips on top. Place the sandwich piece with pesto on top. Gently press together. Cut with a sharp serrated knife and enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I vacuum sealed this sandwich?
I’ve never vacuum sealed a sandwich (or anything else for that matter!) so I’m really not familiar with the process. Sorry to not be of more help
I made this today and thought it was pretty delish!
Then I had the thought that it seems like onions would be a nice addition. Lol… missed that item while making it. It was still tasty without the onion, but I am pretty sure onions next time will make it even more delightful!
Thank you for this recipe! Will make again…with onions!
Sounds delish! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks Renee! 🙂
Just started my mediterranean diet and this sandwich will be added to my daily eats. Looks and sounds delicious!
Do you have anymore mediterranean diet recipes?
Can’t wait to try!
Here are a few more to browse through: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/site-search/?fwp_keywords=mediterranean
So delicious, toasted or not. I take this to work in my lunchbox and eat it cold.
So glad you’ve enjoyed it! 🙂
As your sister I have to say, my husband and I cannot stop making these!!! We love this sandwich almost as much as we love your blog!!!
I’m thrilled to hear! Thanks Callie! 🙂
My new fav sandwich!!! Thank you!
Yay!! So thrilled to hear that 🙂 Thanks CorrinaLee!
So Delicious. I love the added flavor the pesto gives the extra kick.
Another terrific recipe – thanks Chelsea!!
I’m so glad you’re loving this Mediterranean Sandwich! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Recipe for sandwich using mushrooms
Here’s a sandwich with mushrooms! 🙂 Ham and cheese hoagies
looking at this picture of your sandwich makes my mouth water. I am making this right away. I don’t feel that this sandwich is so expensive to prepare. Being Italian, I have these ingredients in my frig all the time. Its just a given.
Awe thank you Sharyn! I hope you love the sandwich, would love to hear what you think 🙂
My problem is that this recipe is too expensive. In addition to what I have in the house, I would have to buy: Sriracha sauce, pesto, spinach, roasted red peppers, and feta cheese. Your recipe would make a very expensive sandwich!
Totally get where you’re coming from! The nice thing is, if you bought all the ingredients, you’d have enough to make many sandwiches over the course of a couple weeks so it would end up being a lot less per sandwich. If everything was bought to just make one sandwich, then yes that would be very pricy!
I mean you don’t need sriracha…. use any hot sauce you have on hand…. there’s a variety of uses for all of these ingredients…