Pesto Vegetable Cheese Toasted Sandwich (Vegan)
This Pesto Vegetable Cheese Toasted Sandwich is warming, oozing with vegan melted cheese, packed with homemade sunflower seed pesto, balsamic roasted Mediterranean vegetables and fresh basil.
If you love to make homemade cheese toasties and want to try a new and exciting recipe, this toastie is the one for you. It has a good amount of gooey melted vegan cheese, with lots of wholesome and fibre-rich vegetables, between two slices of delicious sourdough bread. This toastie is made in a pan, too, so you don’t need a fancy toasted sandwich maker to make the most delicious and warming lunch. You can use shop-bought pesto to make this sandwich even quicker to make, and the combination of the pesto with the vegetables and cheese is amazing.
Why will I love this?
This sandwich is so good:
- Cheesy, herby and hearty
- Nostalgic and comforting
- Made with plant-based ingredients
- High in fibre and a source of vitamins and minerals
- Contains 4 different vegetables and herbs
- Delicious for lunch or dinner
- The whole family and your friends will enjoy it
- Can easily be doubled or tripled to make more sandwiches
- Ready in a few minutes
- Naturally plant-based, egg-free and dairy-free
- Easily gluten-free
- Naturally nut-free
- A more wholesome alternative to a shop-bought toastie
- You can use different vegetables inside
If you already love the sound of this toastie, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourites and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the pesto:
- Sunflower seeds: these are a great nut-free alternative to use cashew nuts or pine nuts in pesto and still tastes “nutty”.
- Nutritional yeast: this adds a rich savoury flavour without being too cheesy. If you don’t have any, you can use vegan parmesan or leave it out.
- Garlic: for flavour.
- Fresh basil: for a strong pesto flavour.
- Lemon juice: for tang.
- Extra virgin olive oil: the better-quality oil is best for using in the pesto as it is fresh, and it adds a lot more flavour.
- Salt and pepper: for flavour.
To prepare the vegetables:
- Aubergine: cut into large slices to make the best filling.
- Red pepper: or another colour. Or, try courgette.
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar: this adds a lovely flavour to the veggies.
And to prepare the sandwich:
- Sourdough bread: I love the Jason’s range of sourdough breads, they have the white original (as shown here) and also have a seed or malted large loaves and smaller ones, too. they are all made with natural, simple ingredients, and are so soft.
- Grated vegan cheese: I use the Plant-Based Cathedral City or Applewood smoked cheddar cheese here and they melt really well.
- Spinach or kale: to add some greens inside.
- Fresh basil: to add some freshness.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
To make this gluten-free, use your preferred GF bread and this is naturally nut-free, just check your bread and cheese for nuts.
How do I make this?
You can make this sandwich in a few steps:
- Make the pesto:
- Toast the sunflower seeds in the oven for 10 minutesAdd all of the pesto ingredients to a small blenderProcess until smooth
- Use straight away or keep in a sealed jar
- Prepare the roasted vegetables:
- Slice the vegetables into thin stripsBrush with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping over throughout cooking
- Assemble the sandwich:
- Spread one piece of bread with pesto
- Top with the roasted vegetables
- Top with kale and basil
- Sprinkle over the vegan grated cheese
- Cook the sandwich:
- Heat some olive oil in a large non-stick pan until hot.
- Place the piece of bread with all the toppings in the pan
- Top with the second piece of bread
- Press with down a second pan or lid
- Cook for a few minutes until golden
- Carefully flip over to cook on the second side
- Slice and enjoy
How long will it last?
Once made, this is best eaten straight away while warm (or enjoy cold later on the same day, or heat back up in the pan).
What other recipes can I try?
For more lunch ideas:
- Chickpea “Tuna” Smash Sandwiches
- Tomato Gochujang Beans on Toast
- Creamy Curried Chickpeas on Toast
- Miso Sticky Tomato Beans on Toast
- Spicy Peanut Tofu Noodle Soup
Pesto Vegetable Cheese Toasted Sandwich (Vegan)
This Pesto Vegetable Cheese Toasted Sandwich is warming, oozing with vegan melted cheese, packed with homemade sunflower seed pesto, balsamic roasted Mediterranean vegetables and fresh basil.
Ingredients
For the Pesto:
- 80g sunflower seeds, toasted
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 25g fresh basil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Vegetables:
- 1 large aubergine
- 1 large red pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
For the Toasted Sandwiches:
- 4 slices No 1 The Great White Jason’s Sourdough
- 80g grated vegan cheese
- 2 small handfuls spinach or kale, chopped
- A few basil leaves
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Start by making the pesto. If toasting the sunflower seeds, add them to a tray and bake at 160Fan/180ºC for 10 minutes, tossing halfway through. Then allow to cool fully.
- Add the seeds and all of the other ingredients to a small blender or food processor and season with salt and pepper. Process to a smooth but slightly chunky paste. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for 1 week.
- For the vegetables, preheat the oven to 180Fan/200ºC and line 2 baking trays with parchment. Slice the aubergine into thin strips lengthways and slice the pepper into wide strips. Stir together the olive oil and balsamic and season with salt and pepper. Rub the vegetables slices with the oil mix, on both sides. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tender and starting to crispy up. Flip the vegetables over halfway through cooking.
- Now for the sandwiches. Have a non-stick pan big enough to fit a slice of sourdough in (or two side by side). Top two slices of the sourdough with 2-3 tbsp pesto each, the vegetables, some grated cheese and spinach or kale. Add some basil leaves and top with the second piece of plain sourdough.
- Heat the non-stick pan with some olive oil and carefully place the sandwich in the pan (work in batches or side by side, depending on the size of your pan). Lay a second pan or something heatproof and heavy on top and press down lightly.
- Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown underneath.
- Brush with top with more olive oil and carefully flip the sandwich over in the pan.
- Press down again and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until the cheese melts.
- Slice and serve straight away.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Pesto Vegetable Cheese Toasted Sandwich so please let me know in the comments and leave a star review. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With toastie love x
p.s. this recipe was first made with Jason’s Sourdough, but all opinions are my own and this blog post is not sponsored.
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