Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich Recipe
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This healthy, easy Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich recipe is a delicious copycat version of Panera’s most popular veggie sandwich! Packed with hummus, greens, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and vegan feta cheese, it only takes 10 minutes to make and it tastes better than the original!
This copycat Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich is one of the best sandwich recipes ever! The whole family will love the creamy, flavorful hummus paired with crunchy veggies on soft whole wheat bread.
It tastes great and is perfect for those busy days when you think you don’t have the time to prepare a healthy lunch. It will literally take less time to make this healthy sandwich than to order takeout, and you’ll save about $10 by making this sandwich at home instead of buying it!!
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Use homemade or store-bought hummus to bring together the flavors with the layers of veggies in this sandwich. In fact, swapping out the creamy hummus is one of the simplest ways to amp up or alter the flavor. Roasted red pepper hummus, cilantro jalapeno hummus, black bean hummus, or even a garlic hummus are all yummy options to try on this mediterranean veggie sandwich recipe.
This mediterranean panini recipe is a delicious meal all on its own, but you can also cut the sandwiches in half to pair the half sandwich with a steaming cup of soup or a fresh green salad!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Super easy recipe!
- Healthy sandwich that’s fewer calories than the restaurant version
- This Panera bread vegetarian sandwich is perfect for lunch!
- Takes 10 minutes to make
- Simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store
- So much flavor in every bite!
- Kid friendly lunch you can customize with their favorite veggies
- One of the best vegan sandwich recipes ever!
🥘 Ingredients
You don’t need anything fancy at all to make this copycat Panera veggie sandwich recipe. It’s made with simple ingredients you keep on hand, like whole wheat bread, hummus, and fresh veggies. For a complete list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card below.
- Whole Wheat Bread: While Panera uses slices of Tomato Basil Bread for this sandwich recipe, I used vegan-friendly whole wheat bread. I love Dave’s Killer Bread, but if you can’t find that, try one of these healthy bread brands. You can also use any type of bread you like – try a rustic sourdough or for a gluten free option, try our gluten free bread or buckwheat bread.
- Salad Greens: Use whatever salad greens you like to keep on hand. I typically like to buy a green leaf lettuce blend, or you can opt for plain lettuce (emerald greens), spinach, arugula, or sprouts alone.
- Vegan Feta Cheese: You only need about an ounce of feta cheese on each sandwich. The tangy flavor of feta goes a long way. If you don’t have or don’t like feta, you can leave it out!
- Roasted Red Pepper: Make homemade roasted red bell peppers or use the jarred kind for convenience. They’re delicious either way. Panera’s version is made with peppadew peppers, so if you can find those in a store near you, grab them.
- Fresh Vegetables: I used red onion, sliced tomato, and a sliced mini cucumber to stay as close to the Panera version as possible. For the tomatoes, I typically choose vine-ripened tomatoes or Roma tomatoes. Kalamata olives or black olives are also yummy on a Mediterranean sandwich.
- Hummus: Use your favorite brand of pre-made hummus or feel free to make your own hummus at home.
- Salt and Pepper: Added to taste. I recommend fresh cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of kosher salt or sea salt for the best flavor.
📖 Variations
Add different fresh veggies: Swap out any of the veggies you don’t like for other Mediterranean veggies. Try alfalfa sprouts, artichokes, eggplant, bell peppers, or even zucchini.
- Try different greens: Swap out the mixed salad greens for any that you prefer. Fresh dandelion greens would be scrumptious, as would arugula or fresh baby spinach.
- Try a different spread: Not a fan of hummus? Tzatziki is a fabulous spread for a homemade Mediterranean veggie sandwich recipe, especially those that have cucumber! Spinach and feta dip is a lovely green dip that’ll add color to this Panera Bread veggie sandwich recipe
- Swap out the cheese: While feta is fabulous for many Mediterranean dishes, some don’t enjoy the strong flavor. If you’re looking for something a bit milder, try vegan Ricotta cheese, or vegan queso fresco. If you don’t need this sandwich to be vegan, you can also try goat cheese or blue cheese.
- Make a wrap: Swap out the bread for your favorite tortilla or wrap, add the toppings and fold it up like a burrito!
- Turn it into a Mediterranean veggie panini: If you’re not a cold sandwich person, make the sandwich, then grill it on a grill pan or in a panini press for a hot mediterranean panini!
🔪 How To Make The Best Panera Bread Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich
Prep Your Ingredients: Grab 4 slices of bread, and slice your veggies ahead of time to make assembling the sandwich simple and easy. Spread a generous amount of hummus on two slices of bread.
Layer Your Sandwich: Add greens to one side, and top with roasted red peppers, tomato slices, cucumber slices, red onion slices, feta cheese, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Finish: Top this delicious sandwich with a final slice of bread and slice in half.
Make A Second Panera Bread Mediterranean Sandwich! Repeat the steps with the remaining bread and ingredients. Serve and enjoy!
❓ Recipe FAQs
These sandwiches don’t store that well, because the water content from the veggies will make the sandwiches soggy the longer they sit in the fridge. I recommend enjoying these sandwiches freshly made. Cut the recipe in half if you only need one sandwich.
However, if you do want to make them both at once and save one for later, you can prep all the ingredients, but keep the veggies, hummus and bread in separate airtight containers or sandwich bags. Then, when you’re ready to eat, spread the hummus on the bread slices, add your toppings, and you’ll have your sandwich ready to go in 1 minute!
Serve this Mediterranean vegetable sandwich with a simple salad, a bowl of soup, or some crispy French fries.
No, Panera’s version is not vegan because it’s made with regular feta cheese crumbles, and Panera’s Tomato Basil Bread is made with honey. If you’d like to make it vegan, skip the feta, and use one of their vegan breads.
But it’s super easy to make Panera’s mediterranean veggie sandwich vegan with two simple swaps! THIS version of the sandwich is completely vegan because we use a plant-based bread (honey-free) and vegan feta (or tofu feta).
Per VeggL, vegan breads at Panera include the French Baguette, Classic Sourdough, Rustic Sourdough, Black Pepper Focaccia, and Artisan Ciabatta.
The answer is – sort of! It’s got some great nutritional value — it’s high in fiber, high in protein, and has tons of veggies. But it’s also high in calories – one sandwich will run you about 630 calories. Instead, you can save money, time and make our healthier version at home! You can enjoy our whole sandwich for under 300 calories!
💭 Expert Tips
- Don’t put these sandwiches together until you’re ready to eat them. The veggies and hummus will make the bread too soggy if put together far in advance.
- Toast the bread to add a little extra crunch and structure to your sandwiches.
- Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the sandwiches before adding the last slice of bread to brighten up the flavors.
- Add another layer of sandwich ingredients and a third slice of bread to turn this into a veggie club!
🥪 More Easy Sandwich Recipes!
If you like this copycat Panera Mediterranean veggie sandwich recipe, you’ll also enjoy these recipes:
- Vegan Chicken Sandwich
- Greek Pita Sandwich With Chickpeas
- Gourmet Banana Peanut Butter Sandwich
- Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich With Pear
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📋 Recipe Card
Panera Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (Copycat Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 4 slices whole wheat bread
- ½ cup salad greens or baby spinach
- ¼ cup vegan feta cheese optional
- 1 roasted red pepper sliced
- 1 tomato slice
- 1 small cucumber sliced
- ½ red onion sliced
- ¼ cup hummus
- salt and pepper to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Have all ingredients sliced and ready to use.
- Lay two slices of bread on the cutting board. Spread a layer of hummus on each slice.
- Add a layer of salad greens to one slice.
- Top with remaining ingredients. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Finish with a final slice of bread to finish off the sandwich.
- Repeat with remaining bread and ingredients to make a second sandwich.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- To make this gluten free, use a gluten free bread
- Feel free to swap out the mixed salad greens for any that you prefer. Fresh dandelion greens would be scrumptious, as would arugula or fresh baby spinach.
- Try a different spread: Not a fan of hummus? Try tzatziki or spinach and feta dip.
- These sandwiches don’t store well, so enjoy them right after you prepare them. They will keep for a couple of hours at room temperature if you want to make them slightly in advance.
I love this sandwich! I order it often at Panera. They actually use Peppadew peppers on the sandwich also, which have a sweet and tangy flavor.
So happy to hear that Rebecca! 🙂 And yes, the peppadew peppers are delicious and totally will work on this sandwich too!
Love hummus in a sandwich and the combination of feta and salad is so good.
Thanks so much Amanda! 🙂
First time I used hummus in a sandwich and I am in love! Took these sandwiches to work yesterday and wow, one of the best lunches I could think of! Delicious 🙂
Yay!! This is one of my favorite lunches too!
This was WAY better than Panera’s! Can’t wait to make again.
Woohoo! So happy to hear that Kris!
Packed with so much Mediterranean goodness, this copy cat sandwich is a winner.
Yay! Thanks Andrea – glad you liked it!
Such a simple delicious lunch or dinner. We’ll be making these again.
Yay! Glad to hear it Beth!
A delicious and healthy sandwich…great way to add veggies to kids diets…love how all your recipes are so simple and approachable…Thanks!
Thanks so much Meenakshi!
I love the simple combination of this sandwich!! I’m adding this healthy sandwich to my lunchtime meals next week!
Awesome!! This really is the perfect healthy lunch!
Love the combination of ingredients in this Sandwich recipe. So flavorful and refreshing. Must try.
Thanks so much! You will love it!
Hi Anjali. Greetings from South Africa. Just bought a Panini Press yesterday and looking for an easy panini with feta and olives.Found exactly what I was looking for, on your blog after a good few hours of searching.Can’t wait to try it out.
Thanks a mill.
Oh awesome!! I LOVE my panini press — it’s such a great tool to make quick and healthy hot meals. Let me know how this recipe turns out for you!
I’m a huge fan of red peppers and feta! Gotta ditch the olives though 🙂
Haha! No problem at all – olives aren’t for everyone! 🙂
I love paninis! This one looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Karen! I love paninis too 🙂 You’ll have to let me know how this recipe turns out!
I really enjoyed this post. Nice blog – thanks for sharing! Keep it up!
Thank you so much!
Anjali, love the panini recipe! It is one of our mainstays at home with the kids! We find it easier to sneak some vegetables into their diet on a warm sandwich with cheese than trying the traditional ways of serving them. Your Mediterranean recipe looks delicious, I’ll be sure to print it out and give it a try!
That is so true Franko! It’s much easier to sneak in some extra veggies under the “disguise” of a sandwich 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how you and your kids like this particular panini – keep me posted on how it goes!
This is a fantastic recipe for panini
Thanks Linda! Let me know how it turns out for you!
yummmmmmmm….. mouth watering sandwich :-)…have to try sometime
hehe thanks Jo! I’m sure you will love it!
This looks delicious! I found your blog when I searched for healthy eating blogs. I made the yellow tofu curry this weekend and it hit the spot. I love how it’s only a fraction of the normal curry calories. I love your blog + plan on making many of the other recipes soon.
Thank you so much for your kind words Sarah!! It’s so nice to meet you. I’m so happy you liked the curry recipe – I’m a big believer in recreating restaurant favorites for way fewer calories at home – without losing any of the flavor 🙂 You’ll have to let me know which other recipes you end up trying and how they turn out! Thanks again!