As a family of five, we didn’t go out to eat very often growing up. The bill racked up quickly, in large part due to my older brother who had a habit of ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. Steak and lobster for a 10 year old? Wasn’t above it.
Sometimes if we were really lucky though, we’d head to HyVee for brunch after church on Sunday mornings. Ask any Iowan who lived within a five mile radius of the grocery store back in the 90s and I can almost guarantee you they’d say the best deal in town was their $3 plate piled with 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, a pile of greasy hash browns, and 2 slices of thick-cut toast dripping with butter. You couldn’t beat it!
Years passed and eventually I traded post-service bacon and egg brunches with Mom and Dad for a hangout session with ma church friends at a nearby bagel shop. We were young, had just gotten our licenses, and the bagel shop was so cool, man. Riiiight.
Regardless of how awesome we thought we were loitering at a bagel shop on Sunday morning, the shop’s bagel sandwiches actually slayed. My favorite sandwich to this day was their Very Veggie Bagel Sandwich. Garden-fresh toppings including tomato, cucumber, red onion, and sprouts piled onto a freshly toasted bagel with garden-vegetable cream cheese. Might sound basic, but it was clearly memorable, and is made even better using THE BEST EVER cream cheese from Arla USA!
File ‘cream cheese’ under foods I had zero opinion of before trying Arla’s. It’s good, but it’s just cream cheese, right? WRONG. You have no idea how good cream cheese can be until you’ve tried Arla’s version, which is soft and spreadable right out of the package, and unbelievably decadent tasting. That’s because it’s made with simple ingredients you can recognize like cream, milk, cheese culture, and salt. No artificial flavors, preservatives, thickeners, nor stabalizers – just 100% goodness.
I’m excited to be partnering with Arla this year to share their wonderful products with you, and this post is sponsored by Arla. Arla not only makes cream cheese, but sliced cheese, and snack cheeses (which I love to pair with Duke’s beef sticks + an apple for an easy snack!) – all of which are made with short, clean ingredient lists. They have a really cute campaign out right now asking kids to define ingredients that are commonly, and unnecessarily, added to cream cheese. Imagine asking a 5 year old to describe what they think “sorbic acid” is, and you get the idea.
But back to the taste! Arla’s cream cheese in particular is just one of my favorite foods. So pure and delicious – I not only use it to top bagels, but dip into with vegetables. It’s so creamy! My favorite flavor is the Herbs & Spices cream cheese which, local folks – tastes just like AE Party Dip. Except you get to put it on a hot and toasty bagel. YES.
This bagel sandwich is a cinch to assemble. Enjoy for breakfast, or wrap it up for a healthy lunch on the go. I know you’re going to love it!
I couldn’t decide between using Arla’s Herbs & Spices Cream Cheese Spread or Mediterranean Garden Cream Cheese Spread for this bagel sandwich, but like I said, the Herbs & Spices is just to die for, so I went with it. That said, the olives in the Med spread are fab and definitely made the choice difficult.
To build the sandwich all you have to do is toast a gluten-free bagel (I like Canyon Bakehouse’s plain bagels,) then let it cool while you slice the fresh vegetable toppings. Once the bagel has cooled, slather the cream cheese onto the bottom half – the thicker, the better.
Next layer on 1 slice Arla Muenster cheese. I grew up eating muenster on sandwiches, as it’s one of my Mom’s favorite cheeses, and it’s perfection on this veggie bagel sandwich. Super soft, creamy, and mild tasting.
Finally, pile high with thinly sliced tomato, cucumber, and red onion, plus a big pinch of fresh sprouts, which really make this sandwich – they add a ton of taste and texture. Top with the other bagel half then slice and dig in. I hope you love this healthy, filling, downright delicious breakfast or lunch idea – and please do give Arla products a try if you can find them at your grocery store!
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Very Veggie Bagel Sandwich
Description
Very Veggie Bagel Sandwich is stuffed with fresh vegetables, herb and spice cream cheese, and mild muenster cheese. A healthy and satisfying breakfast or lunch idea!
Ingredients
- 1 gluten-free bagel, toasted and slightly cooled
- Arla Cream Cheese Herbs & Spices
- 1 slice Arla Muenster Cheese
- thinly sliced tomato
- thinly sliced cucumber
- thinly sliced red onion
- small handful sprouts
Directions
- Slather bottom half of bagel with a thick layer of cream cheese then layer on muenster cheese, tomato, cucumber, red onion, and sprouts. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the top bagel half then slice and eat.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
[…] Very Veggie Bagel Sandwich | If a veggie and cream cheese loaded gluten-free bagel is your jam, check out this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats. […]
What brand gluten free bagel do you prefer?
I love Canyon Bakehouse!
[…] Very Veggie Bagel Sandwich […]
I haven’t tried Arla cream cheese – but i’ll look out for it next time i’m at the grocery store!
It’s soooo good, Emily! I hope you love it!
Did you get the Arla at Hyvee? I haven’t seen it there before.
Arla sent me their cream cheeses to use but you can ask your HyVee store manager to order Arla products!
had never heard of this brand of cream cheese before, sounds good since my national brand is loaded with all of the stuff that is un-pronounceable! Thank you for this recipe, looks delicious and much more healthy than what I usually make!
You got it, Sabrina, I hope you love it!
Yum! This would be a great brunch recipe. I think that I see a bagel sandwich bar at my next gathering!
Such a fun idea – can I come?! ?
This bagel sandwich looks delicious!! I have a nosey question for you, what kind of camera do you take your blog pics with? Your photography is amazing!
Not nosy at all! I use a Nikon D7000 – here’s a link for you:
Where do you find Arla products in West DSM/DSM area? Thanks!
Hi Shiela! The cream cheese was only available in a few markets until now – they are rolling out across the country so be on the lookout!
This looks out of this world!!
I used to order almost this exact same thing during grad school at Bruegger’s in Iowa City, but I’d throw on a little Dijon mustard! Yum!
Looks great for a change in lunch or after-school snacks:) Thanks for the reminder of the great bagel sandwiches of old!
Totally – such a good switch up from the same old snack. Total bonus that you’re able to sneak in a ton of vegetables!
Yum! This bagel sandwich is right up my alley…and who doesn’t love a good slathering of cream cheese? I’ll have to try Arla brand, sounds delicious!
This post brings me back to my high school days and going to Bruegger’s nearly every day for their veggie bagel sandwich. It was so delicious!
Could not agree more about Arla, thought it would be just another cream cheese or cheese-nope, it’s fantastic!
Right?! It is so, so, SO good. What’s your favorite flavor?
Looks yummy! Have you found Arla products in the DSM metro? Which store? Thank you!
1
Hy Vee Food Store
1725 Jordan Creek Pkwy
West Des Moines, IA 50266
2
Walmart Supercenter
6365 Stagecoach Dr
West Des Moines, IA 50266
3
Hy Vee Food Store
555 S 51st St
West Des Moines, IA 50265
4
Hy Vee Food Store
1700 Valley West Dr
West Des Moines, IA 50266
5
Hy Vee Food Store
1990 Grand Ave
West Des Moines, IA 50265
6
Hy Vee Food Store
1005 E Hickman Rd
Waukee, IA 50263
7
Hy Vee Food Store
8701 Douglas Ave
Urbandale, IA 50322
8
Hy Vee Food Store
7101 University Ave
Windsor Heights, IA 50324
9
Walmart Supercenter
2150 E 1st St
Grimes, IA 50111
10
Hy Vee Food Store
5750 Merle Hay Rd
Johnston, IA 50131
You had me at AE party dip! Where locally have you found these Arla items?
They were only available in a few number of markets until now, and are rolling out across the country so be on the lookout! :)
Yum! I just grew my own sprouts this week so this will be perfect! Does Hyvee carry this cream cheese by chance?
Oh my gosh how fun – that’s perfect! Arla products are rolling out nationwide this month! :)