First thing’s first, THANK YOU to everyone who came out to Panera last night!! Writing a blog often feels very one-sided (there’s back and forth communication via comments, of course) so it’s nice to meet the people who’ve been reading what you’ve been putting out there for so long in person. I thought it was just awesome, and appreciated it so much!
Before the meet-up, Panera asked me to give a little 10 minute presentation (well, it was supposed to be 10 minutes, but I was so nervous it ended up being about 5!) to some folks on my tips for building a better sandwich, as part of a sandwich workshop they were hosting to promote their Sandwich Showdown Contest. (Got that?) ;)
Anyway I thought heck, since my tips are already written (and permanently etched in my brain from practicing my speech so many times) I might as well share them with you all, then post the recipe for my favorite Panera sandwich of all time, the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich!
The “Med Veg”, as I like to call it, starts with Panera’s incredible Tomato Basil bread, which is stuffed with layers of thinly sliced fresh veggies, jalapeno-cilantro hummus, feta cheese, and a surprise ingredient – peppadew peppers. This is a surprise because I HATE peppers, but I LOVE these peppers. They’re a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and totally make this sandwich!
First though…
5 Tips to Build a Better Sandwich
1. Start with Good Bread
- Slice at home: Start with a good quality loaf of bread, then slice it thickly at home. Pre-sliced bread is often very thin, which doesn’t hold up well to a lot of toppings, and tends to fall apart if pressed on a panini press. Some of my favorite breads to buy for both hot & cold sandwiches are sourdough, focaccia, ciabatta, baguettes, and the aforementioned Tomato Basil bread from Panera.
- Read the label: If you do buy pre-sliced bread from the store, and are looking to go the whole-wheat route, make sure 100% Whole Wheat is the first ingredient listed in the ingredient list. The bread aisle is filled with so many confusing buzzwords – 100% whole wheat, 9-grain, whole grain – which I can never keep straight, so look for 100% Whole Wheat listed first, and you should be good to go.
- Think outside the loaf: A great sandwich doesn’t have to be made with 2 slices of bread. Some of my favorite sammies are made on pretzel bread or rolls, ciabatta rolls, bagels, english muffins, and wraps!
2. Choose Quality Meats and Cheeses
- Ditch the package: Visit the deli counter at your grocery store for deli meats, instead of buying the stuff that’s pre-packaged. The meats at the deli counter are fresher, and you can also find healthier, nitrate/nitrite-free, and low-sodium options.
- Use leftovers: Sandwiches don’t always have to revolve around deli meats. Try using roasted or grilled chicken breasts, meatloaf, or even grilled steak to build your sandwiches. One of my favorite sandwiches in the world is thinly sliced leftover grilled steak layered on a crusty baguette smeared with herbed chevre, then topped with caramelized onions and pressed on a panini press. MMM!
- Experiment with cheese: I love experimenting with cheese in sandwiches. Visit Whole Foods’ cheese counter (if you can!) where they’ll let you try any cheese you like, and recommend a good cheese for what you’re planning on including in your sandwich. Some of my favorites to use in sandwiches are brie, fontina, and chevre. Feta and bleu cheese crumbles are really good too!
3. Add Something Fresh or Unexpected
- Fresh is best: In addition to the traditional fresh toppings of tomato, lettuce, and onion, try adding something crisp to your sandwich like cucumber or sprouts, creamy like avocado, spicy like jalapeno, or sweet like sliced apples, peaches, or strawberries. Whatever you add, be sure to slice it very thin, otherwise your bread can get soggy.
- Add the unexpected: Ingredients like marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, kalamata olives, or bacon add big flavor to any sandwich.
4. Get Saucy
- Get creative: Sauces tie all the ingredients in a sandwich together into one, cohesive dish. Since mayo and mustard are banned from my house (per Ben’s gag reflexes) we get creative with adding sauces like guacamole, hummus, pesto, and even salad dressing to our sandwiches.
- Sweet & savory: Try schmearing on a sweet sauce like fig preserves, pumpkin or apple butter, or fruit chutneys to add a nice contrast to any savory sandwich. This works especially well with any sandwich involving the aforementioned salty BACON.
5. KISS
- Less is more: Sure, a good sandwich can have 10+ ingredients, but in my experience, a GREAT sandwich usually has 5-6 ingredients, max. Flavors and textures tend to get muddled when there’s too many players on the field, so to speak, so just remember that sometimes less is more.
Honorable Mention: Slice on the Diagonal
- Ben demanded that I add in this final tip for making a great sandwich, and that is to slice your sandwiches on the diagonal. This, according to him, makes any sandwich infinitely better. I couldn’t make this stuff up, people (although I can’t say I disagree!) ;)
During last night’s workshop Panera’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich, which follows all 5 tips for building a better sandwich, was demo’d by the locations head chef for everyone in attendance to try. As I watched each fresh ingredient pile on top of one another, I thought to myself, hey, I could totally make this at home!
So I did. And I loved it! And so will you. :)
Start the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich with 2 slices of Panera’s Tomato Basil Bread. I HEART this bread for it’s high squish factor, and for the tiny bit of cinnamon-streusel that’s baked on top, which adds a touch of sweet to each slice.
Next smear each slice with hummus. Now, Panera uses cilantro-jalapeno hummus but all I could find at the store was jalapeno hummus, which still tasted amaze. I could have added in a little cilantro with a food processor I suppose, but, meh, this was totally fine! Next add a few slices of crunchy lettuce.
On top of that goes a few thin tomato slices. On the other piece of bread, layer on thinly sliced cucumbers. Again, the name of the game here is THIN slices of whatever ingredients you are adding to a sandwich!
Next add thin rings of red onion, and a spoonful of crumbled feta cheese.
Finally, add zee star of zee Med Veg sandwich – peppadew peppers!
“Peppadew” is actually the brand name of the pepper, not the type. It’s sweet and hot at the same time and seriously knocks my socks off. I got these at the Whole Foods olive bar, but I think I’ve seen them in my regular grocery store, too. Just chop a couple up, then pile ’em on.
Press the two sides together, then stick a toothpick in each side for some flare.
Finally, slice the sandwich in two (sorry Ben, this sandwich is the one exception to your rule!) then serve!
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Copycat Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich Recipe
Description
Copycat Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich Recipe is a winner with vegetarians and meat eaters alike.Â
Ingredients
- 2 slices Panera Tomato Basil bread
- 2-3 Tablespoons jalapeno hummus
- fresh lettuce
- thinly sliced tomato
- thinly sliced cucumber
- thinly sliced red onion
- 1-2 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- 2 Peppadew peppers, chopped
Directions
- Spread both slices of bread with hummus, then layer on lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and peppadew peppers. Slice sandwich in half and serve.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
If you have never tried this sandwich, then you are in for such a treat. I’ve told you before that I’m not normally a cold sandwich person, but this baby can compete with the best of paninis!
Awesome for vegetarians and meat eaters alike, this sandwich will make a great lunch (the hummus will create a barrier so the bread doesn’t get soggy from the veggies) or dinner, served with a piece of fruit, side salad, or cup of soup. Enjoy!
jdaniels 01.20.2018
who is this person who tells you how to slice your sandwiches? and no, no, no to the lettuce–use baby spinach instead…you like chewy bread, and the baby spinach will enhance that effect. and i’ve stolen an ingredient from a great italian restaurant up north here: pesto instead of hummas, etc. and mozzerrella cheese. baked and cut on diagonal (lol). yummy.
Thelma 11.09.2015
This is my favorite as well, I add finely chopped cilantro to hummus and a sweet balsamic vinaigrette reduction to try and mimic panera experience ?
Panera Bread Recipes - Copycat 08.28.2015
[…] Panera Bread Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich – Don’t miss this delicious sandwich that your vegetarians will love you for. This is packed full of peppers, feta cheese, and more. […]
Lynn 11.22.2014
Had this sandwich and could not believe how pitiful it was. Two slices tomato and one pickle or cucumber .. Really sad that someone would charge for this. In essence its a bread sandwich with garnishes..
Nysa 10.08.2014
Thank you for your post. It’s very inspiring and helpful. One question for you, where can I buy the Tomato Basil bread from? Anyone know?
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[…] Copycat Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich Recipe + 5 Tips to … Fresh is best: In addition to the traditional fresh toppings of tomato, lettuce, and onion, try adding something crisp to your sandwich like cucumber or sprouts, creamy like avocado, spicy like jalapeno, or sweet like sliced apples, peaches, or strawberries. Panera's Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich. Add this recipe to ZipList! Print this recipe! Serves 1. Ingredients: 2 slices Panera Tomato Basil bread 2-3 Tablespoons jalapeno hummus fresh lettuce thinly sliced tomato […]
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[…] and other ingredients. Blogger Kristin Porter shares the recipe on her blog – iowagirleats.com so make sure you visit it to see the full recipe along with 5 great tips for building a better […]
Buck Weber 10.19.2013
Wonderful tips. I agree that the type of bread is very important, being the foundation of a sandwich. At the end of the week when nobody wants to cook we will make open face sandwiches and warm them in the oven. Now I have a few more ingredients to try thanks to your post.
PS Very nice blog, from a fellow Iowan.
Jess 09.04.2013
Thanks for sharing this! Beautiful photos! I have been getting this sandwich a lot recently and bought some of the tomato basil bread to try to make my own, which is how I stumbled upon your lovely blog. Last week the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich I ordered had avocado on it, and I was trying to figure out if it was just sliced or actually guacamole. Has the recipe changed, do you know?
Iowa Girl Eats 09.04.2013
You must have just been lucky – I got one the other day and it was avocado-less!
Jess 09.04.2013
Funny! I attempted it at home today for lunch with the avocado slices and it was great! I made sure to slice everything very thin :-)!
Gail 07.24.2013
I just ate another of Panera’s wonderful Mediterranean Veggie sandwiches and decided I needed to be able to make it at home. I’ve look a several different sites and this one looks the best by far! Thank you!
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[…] Panera’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich Recipe + Tips to Build a Better Sandwich […]
Marie 05.07.2013
THANKS! I love this sandwich…I never get tired of it. With soup in the winter and on it’s own in the summer. It is the BEST! Now I can create it at home when I can’t get to Panera.
Rachel @ My Sunkissed Farm 04.25.2013
Oh. My. Gosh. This is brilliant! This I will *have* to try! (And your photos? Just gorgeous! Loved the bright, friendly colors!) ::grin::
mysunkissedfarm.wordpress.com
Back away from the junk food…. | Slow.Lane.Runner 04.21.2013
[…] I am attempting to recreate Panera’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich. This is one of my favorite sandwiches- hope it turns out just like […]
Ann Mazzoli 01.12.2013
Just curious what type of lettuce that is? Boston? Or is it just romaine and I can’t tell cuz it’s just one piece?
Iowa Girl Eats 01.13.2013
It’s a couple of pieces of romaine!
Elizabeth N. 12.02.2012
I was browsing your site today and ran into this post and I about freaked. The Panera Mediterranean veggie sandwich is one of my top three favorite sandwiches of all time and I have to order it everytime I go to Panera. I am so excited to have a recipe for it now. I think this automatically makes you my favorite blog ever.
Mindy 10.09.2012
I keep meaning to tell you how much my daughter and I enjoyed meeting you last week at Panera (she’s the one that just graduated from Wartburg). Thanks so much for sticking around late to talk with us. I think you inspired Kindra to cook because the next day she made delicious cookies. Have to start somewhere, so it might as well be sweets! :)
Thanks for all of your beautiful pictures and amazing recipes. We’ve loved everything that we’ve made from your blog.
Keep those petite clothes suggestions coming for us shorties!
Mindy & Kindra Hook
Iowa Girl Eats 10.11.2012
I enjoyed meeting both of you so much, and thank you again for staying so late!! :) Love that Kindra made some cookies the day after too. Like you said, everybody’s got to start somewhere! :)
Brenda 10.05.2012
I think Panera will have a run on tomato basil bread now! you made me want to run out and buy some! Happy Friday!! Can’t wait to see your picks.
Emily @ Life on Food 10.05.2012
This is my one and only sandwich option at Panera. Great sandwich and great bread. I definitely love that you put bread at the top of the list. It definitely can make or break a sandwich right from the get go.