Spicy, creamy and packed with delicious veggies – this Jalapeno Pesto Veggie Sub is perfect for summer!
Disclaimer: This recipe was filmed, tested and created before any of the physical distancing measures we’re put in the place therefore it involves a lot of fresh veggies. We’ll try our best in the blog post to include substitutions you can make that better fit your lifestyle now.
Move over Subway there’s a new sandwich in town. When you guys told us you wanted more sandwiches on TMG, we couldn’t have been happier. We LOVE sandwiches! They offer so much creativity and are honestly such a balanced meal when you add the right ingredients to them. This Jalapeno Pesto Veggie Sub is just what the name implies spicy, salty and loaded with veggies.
PS. We may have even kept these in the fridge overnight and they still tasted fantastic the next day!
Let’s break down what makes the perfect sandwich. To us the perfect sandwich involves four components; hearty bread, flavourful condiments, a meaty texture and a good helping of fruits and veggies.
So let’s break down this Jalapeno Pesto Veggie Sub:
- Hearty Bread – We use baguettes for most of our sandwiches. Their crusty and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Truly the perfect bread. Plus they take on so much delicious flavour from the condiments you add it.
- Flavourful Condiments – You don’t get much more flavourful than jalapeno pesto.
- Meaty Texture – Eggplant is a known meat alternative because of its deep flavour and chewy, meaty texture!
- Fruits/Veggies – We’ve got this sandwich loaded up with tomatoes, arugula and cucumbers.
What substitutions can be made?
Certain ingredients are hard to come by right now, so don’t worry if you don’t have everything. See below for the a list of substitutions that should be okay for this recipe. Please keep in mind that this recipe was only tested the way its been posted so we cannot guarantee that the flavour and texture will be exactly the same. Plus this recipe was designed to be made with fresh veggies (as it was pre-physical distancing) so these substitutions may not be as ideal as for other recipes.
- Tomatoes – This recipe calls for juicy fresh tomatoes and while these do lend a delicious acidic and fresh flavour to the sandwich. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand sun-dried tomatoes would offer a unique flavour with some of those familiar notes.
- Cucumbers – The cucumbers are here to offer a fresh and crunchy note. If you don’t have these any other crisp vegetable will do (like bell peppers). If you don’t have fresh produce to use you can opt for a crunchy pickle or pickled cucumbers!
- Smoky Eggplant – The eggplant is the “meat” of the sandwich. If you’re looking to substitute use ingredients that are often used in place of meat in recipes like; tofu, tempeh, mock meats and mushrooms.
- Jalapeno Basil Pesto – You don’t have to make your pesto from scratch, just use any store-bought pesto (make sure it’s vegan!) in it’s place. If you still want that spicy jalapeno kick you can blend your store-bought pesto with some pickled jalapenos!
Jalapeno Pesto Veggie Sub
Ingredients
- 1 small baguette
- 20 g (1 cup) arugula
- 62 g (1 medium) tomato, sliced
- 50 g (3/4 cup) cucumbers, sliced
- 3-4 slices vegan cheese
Smoky Eggplant
- 500 g (1 medium) eggplant, sliced
- 30 mL (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 30 mL (2 tbsp) soy sauce
- 15 mL (1 tbsp) maple syrup
- 10 mL (2 tsp) liquid smoke
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- black pepper, to taste
Jalapeno Basil Pesto
- 80 g fresh basil leaves
- 60 h (1/4 cup) pickled jalapeno
- 15 mL (1 tbsp) pickled jalapeno brine
- 30 mL (2 tbsp) lemon juice
- 10 g (1 tbsp) minced garlic
- 30 g (1/4 cup) nuts or seeds, of choice
- 60 - 120 mL (1/4 - 1/2) olive oil
- pinch salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- To a shallow pan combine smoky eggplant marinade ingredients. Add in eggplant slices and toss to coat. Allow to sit 15 minutes.
- To a food processor add jalapeno pesto ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust oil amount to your desired consistency. Set aside.
- Using a non-stick pan on medium-high heat cook eggplant for 2-3 minutes on each side or util golden. Set aside once cooked.
- Slice your baguette in half lengthwise and spread pesto on one side. Layer down slices of cheese on the other. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes.
- Top baguette (the side with the pesto) with eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes and arugula. Finish with baguette top, slice and serve.
