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Pressed Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

5 from 8 community reviews

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A tasty make ahead pressed picnic sandwich full of roasted Mediterranean vegetables, basil pesto and mozzarella. Take it on the road or wherever the day takes you!

An open face sandwich spread with basil pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted eggplant, bell peppers and tomatoes.

Do you have any go-to meals that you love to make and take for the road? This make-ahead pressed roasted vegetable sandwich is one of my all-time faves, and I think you’ll enjoy it just as much as I do.

A pressed vegetable sandwich is a perfect summer picnic meal

A split loaf of ciabatta bread, spread with basil pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted eggplant, bell pepers and vegetables.

My style of vacation cooking is pretty simple, usually. The only tool I bring along to our favorite beach rental cottage is a chef’s knife, since the kitchen there is supplied with the major essential — a lobster pot.

Other than seafood just out of the ocean, I can’t wait for all the summer farm produce.

All you need is a loaf of great bread, some cheese and vegetables to make these sandwiches. Pack them up and take with you to the beach or wherever you like!

I don’t know why, but sitting in a beach chair doing not much of anything — maybe digging my toes into the sand every now and then — makes me really hungry.

A brick set on top of a cutting board over a wrapped sandwich.

Whether or not you’re on vacation or just don’t feel like spending a whole lot of time planning meals, this make-ahead sandwich is there for you.

The veggie-loaded sandwich can be assembled the night before, or even in the morning in advance of heading out to the beach, work or wherever the day takes you.

Pressed vegetable sandwich filled with basil pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted eggplant, bell pepers and vegetables.

Timesaver: Use prepared vegetables from a jar

I love the way freshly-roasted peppers and eggplants smell and taste.

But to make things even easier (and keep the oven off), use jarred roasted peppers, marinated tomatoes and roasted vegetables from the prepared food section of the grocery store to make a mighty fine sammy.

Pressed Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

Karen Tedesco
A vegetarian pressed sandwich that's perfect to make ahead for lunch, picnics or entertaining. Stuffed with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, mozzarella and pesto.
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5 from 8 community reviews
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Sandwiches
Cuisine Vegetarian
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Roma or plum tomatoes, quartered and seeded
  • 1 small eggplant (about 3-inches diameter), peeled if desired and sliced ½-inch thick
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • Salt
  • 1 loaf ciabatta bread (I used an 8 x 5 rectangular loaf)
  • ½ cup basil pesto
  • 2 jarred red bell peppers, drained well and sliced into wide strips
  • 8 ounce (225 g) ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼-inch thick

Instructions 

Roast the vegetables

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the oven has reached temperature, toss the tomatoes and eggplant on a medium sized baking sheet with the olive oil. Add the red pepper and salt to taste. Roast about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned.

To assemble sandwich

  • Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and tear out some of the excess dough. Divide the pesto onto both halves of the ciabatta and spread evenly over the bread. Layer the bottom half with the bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and mozzarella and grind black pepper over to taste. Close the sandwich and press down firmly.
  • Wrap sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Put a clean brick, a cast iron skillet, or a few can on top of the sandwich to flatten it. Let the sandwich sit for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Unwrap the sandwich and slice into serving pieces.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

  • Customize the filling of your sandwich: Try layering in thinly sliced prosciutto or other cured meat, pickled red onions, roasted zucchini or use goat cheese, provolone or feta cheese instead of mozzarella. 
  • If you want to skip roasting the vegetables at home, use about a cup each of prepared marinated roasted red peppers, eggplant, tomatoes or jarred caponata.

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 802mg | Potassium: 255mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 897IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

Recipe developer Karen Tedesco of the popular website Familystyle Food in her kitchen making a kale salad.

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.

5 from 8 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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24 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    An amazing end of summer sandwich! I added arugula, goat cheese and prosciutto to ours.

  2. 5 stars
    Oh this looks so GOOD! I am inspired to bake some bread and roast some veg! –Liza

  3. Just found this and made it with Bavarian feta instead of the mozzarella (because that’s what I had). So good! Thanks.

  4. Karen – guess who’s going to Primo in Rockland, ME in August? Sure wish you could join me!

    1. Stacy – sooo jealous!! Have a delicious time.

  5. Oh dear! I adore roasted veggies and Italian cheeses! The pine nuts and basil make this the world’s most perfect sandwich!!!
    P.S.
    I made your smokey chickpea tacos last night and they were a huge hit! A new fav around this joint. ;}

  6. Karen, I came to this post via Adri´s lovely link to your Pressed Roasted Veggie Sandwich – your photography is outstanding and your recipes are wonderful (I took the liberty of “looking around” a bit).This is such a wonderful summertime sandwich treat and we should all be making this – certainly a wonderful post! Thanks for sharing!
    P.S.: I will be trying your Lemon Polenta Cake tomorrow – will let you know how it turns out (it looks just like the kind of cake I like).

    1. Andrea, thanks so much! Hope you enjoy everything.

  7. Janet Crocetti says:

    Adri,

    Can’t wait to try this sandwich. Our basil is growing beautifully in the back yard. (Evidently, the deer are not big fans.) Thanks for your new and exciting Sunday treat!

    Janet

    1. It’s a great technique – hope you enjoy, Natalie!

  8. That is one tasty looking sandwich! I’m certain I could eat this every day of summer and never tire of it!

    1. Thanks, Laura – I think so and glad you agree. My daughter devoured hers, but she sneaked the eggplant off before I could see.

  9. one of my fave sandwichces – pressed veggies, and yours is exquisite. it looks so tasty. bravissima e complimenti!

    1. Hi Adri – I forgot about how great a pressed sandwich is. It’s worth experimenting with lots of variations (although I prefer all vegetables in mine)… Grazie!

      1. The pressed ones are great. I love the way all the flavors meld and seep into the bread. That, plus the different textures make a good sandwich a complete meal, in my view. I often put them in the hot press, just to amp up the entire affair. I’m with you on the veg, although Bart always prefers some meat.

        I had actually just stopped back at your site to look at your photographs. They really are beautiful, and I always enjoy looking at them.