Indoor grilled summer veggie sandwich - delicious summer grilled veggies (grilled indoor) made into a sandwich that everyone can enjoy on Labor day weekend!
I think a lot of people equate Memorial day as the beginning of summer and Labor Day as the end of summer. During this time, people hang with their family and friends to grill in the backyard and enjoy each other's company with good food.
I cannot think of anyone who doesn't like grilled food. When food meets grill, some sort of amazing magic happens and it just tastes absolutely delicious.
Since moving to LA, grilling in the backyard is no longer an option sadly. Our apartment does have a grill but I just feel weird using the grill not knowing who cooked what and when it was cleaned. So I turned to my trusty cast iron pan with grill marks! The good thing about using this method is I can cook all these delicious vegetable in the comfort of air conditioning 😉
My Indoor Grilled Summer Veggies:
- My Indoor Grilled Summer Veggie Sandwich is a vegetarian recipe. However, veggies are a great side dish for any meal. This would make a fantastic side for steak, sausage, chicken, or as is!
- Since this dish is meant for Labor Day gathering, I use summer vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, pepper, and eggplant.
- Although I'm making these indoor, you are more than welcome to grill outside. I'd only suggest the cooking time to be a little shorter assuming your grill is hotter than my cast iron pan.
- These grilled vegetable really captures the vibrant color and flavor of the summer!
5 Ways to enjoy my indoor grilled vegetables:
- Of course, make a sandwich (recipe below) and serve it as a meal itself or share it with others as an appetizer.
- Make a veggie wrap.
- Great topping for quinoa bowl/buddha bowl.
- A great addition to your salad.
- Make a grilled veggie pizza.
I didn't just make an ordinary sandwich but I used sun-dried tomato focaccia bread with a healthy smear of vegan pesto! As I was making this, it was hard to stop eating and make the rest of the sandwich. It was that good!
So how about firing up your grill or cast iron pan (in my case) and make these delicious summer veggies for an amazing sandwich to celebrate Labor day weekend with your loved ones?!
Happy eating, my friends!
Indoor Grilled Summer Veggie Sandwich
Indoor grilled summer veggie sandwich - delicious summer grilled veggies (grilled indoor) made into a sandwich that everyone can enjoy on Labor day weekend!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 75 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini Sandwichs
- Category: Main course
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For Balsamic Vinegar Marinade
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
For vegetables
- 1 large zucchini, sliced diagonally and about ¼ inch thickness
- 1 large yellow squash, sliced diagonally and about ¼ inch thickness
- 2 small Japanese eggplants, sliced diagonally and about ¼ inch thickness
- 3 large king oyster mushroom, sliced
- 1 medium red onion, sliced and secured with a toothpick
- 6 mini sweet peppers, seeded and cut lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- Salt (to taste)
For sandwich
- 1 focaccia bread, cut horizontally
- 2-3 tablespoons pesto of your choice (I used Trader Joe's Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto)
- Grilled vegetables
Instructions
For balsamic vinegar marinade
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and set aside.
For King oyster mushroom
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay the mushroom and brush with melted vegan butter.
- Sprinkle some salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Broil for 5 minutes and set aside.
For red onion
- Heat the cast iron pan with grill marks with ½ tablespoon of grapeseed oil.
- Once the pan is heated (4-7minutes), place the onion on the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Do NOT move the onion around. It won't develop the grill marks if you move it around.
- When onions are cooked, move them out of the pan and set them aside.
For eggplant
- Keep your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep it close to the cast iron pan.
- Add the cut eggplants with 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar marinade in a large bowl and toss to coat.
- On the same cast iron pan, place the eggplant and cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not move the eggplant once you place them on the pan. Otherwise, it won't develop the grill marks.
- Flip the eggplants and continue to cook for additional 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the eggplants to the baking sheet and brush the eggplants with balsamic marinade. Sprinkle some salt over.
- Place them in the oven and cook for 5 minutes.
- Take them out of the oven and set them aside.
For zucchini and yellow squash
- Keep your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep it close to the cast iron pan.
- Add the cut zucchini and yellow squash with 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar marinade in a large bowl and toss to coat.
- On the same cast iron pan, add the remaining ½ tablespoon of grapeseed oil.
- Place the vegetable on the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not move the vegetable once you place them on the pan. Otherwise, it won't develop the grill marks.
- Flip the vegetable and continue to cook for additional 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetable to the baking sheet and brush them with balsamic marinade. Sprinkle some salt over.
- Place them in the oven and cook for 5 minutes.
- Take them out of the oven and set them aside.
For mini sweet pepper
- Add the peppers with 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar marinade in a large bowl and toss to coat.
- On the same cast iron pan, place the pepper and cook for 2-3minutes.
- Flip the peppers and continue to cook for additional 2 minutes.
- Take it out of the pan and set it aside.
For sandwich
- Cut the focaccia bread horizontally with a bread knife.
- Smear about 1-2 tablespoons of pesto of your choice on both sides of the bread.
- Layer the grilled vegetables on top of the bottom part of the bread.
- Top it off with the focaccia bread and cut it into a little slider size. Secure with a toothpick so the vegetables won't slide off of the sandwich.
Notes
- If you are using an outdoor grill, once you flip the vegetable the first time, brush the veggies with marinade and sprinkle some salt and continue to cook for an additional minute or two.
- The cook time on the outdoor grill depends on how cooked you'd like your vegetable and also the temperature of the grill. I personally like my veggie on a slightly crispy.
- The cook time for this recipe is longer than most of my recipes. That's because I'm cooking lots of vegetables on a medium-size cast iron pan. I had to cook double and triple batches. Feel free to use a bigger pan if you have them.
- You can easily make more of the sandwich if you'd like. There will be plenty of grilled vegetables left. They are a great side dish to any grilled food.
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