Roasted Vegetable Sandwich
Hello Guys! Lately I’ve been thinking about this sandwich I used to eat about once a week my freshmen year of college. It was part of my meal plan at one of the dining facilities on campus, and it was definitely one of my go-tos. The ingredients in the sandwich are pretty simple, but it’s still a labor of love. The vegetables are sliced, seasoned, and roasted in the oven. Those perfect, natural flavors come together on a piece of bread, topped with fresh mozzarella, and drizzled with balsamic glaze. The final piece of bread is placed on top, and into the oven it goes for a few minutes. The mozzarella cheese begins to slightly melt, the bread becomes warm and crispy, and it’s just delicious. See below for my rendition of this delicious sandwich!
INGREDIENTS:
1 eggplant
2 carrots, medium to large
2 red bell peppers
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 loaf bread (I used rustic ciabatta bread, but I found it to be too thick. I’m thinking maybe Italian or a regular ciabatta loaf would be better!)
Cooking spray
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash all the vegetables.
Peel the eggplant and carrots.
Cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots lengthwise, about 1/2 inch thick. For the bell peppers, cut off the ends and make a slit on either side of the pepper. You should get one long piece. Remove the seeds and ribs.
The vegetables will cook at different rates, so it’s best to place seperate the vegetables by tray. Lay the vegetables on sheet pans with spaces in between. You don’t want to overcrowd the vegetables or they will steam instead of roast.
Spray the vegetables with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Turn the vegetables over to the other side and repeat.
Carrots take the longest, so I would put them in first for 30 minutes. Remove from oven when a fork goes through easily.
Next, roast the red bell peppers and eggplant for 20 minutes and remove from oven.
Finally, roast the zucchini and squash for 15 minutes and remove from oven.
Combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Mix and cook over medium heat. Once it boils, turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
Remove the skin from the roasted bell peppers and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice fresh mozzarella into 1/2 inch thick pieces and set aside.
Cut the bread into 4 pieces and slice those pieces in half to make a top and bottom slice of bread.
Layer the roasted vegetables on the first slice of bread on a sheet pan. I put a layer of carrots, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell pepper, but you can arrange the layers however you like!
Place the mozzarella slices on top of the roasted vegetables and drizzle with balsamic glaze. If the glaze is too sticky, stick it in the microwave or heat it on the stove for a 15-30 seconds.
Spray the top slice of bread with the cooking spray and place next the assembled sandwich. Place in oven for 5 minutes.
Remove from oven. Place other slice of bread on top, and enjoy :)