I have a theory that even the most grown up among us love indulging in versions of our favorite childhood comfort foods (such as sandwiches!) from time to time. Like grilled cheese? Try this apple cheddar panini for grown ups, or, make your childhood grilled cheese even better by adding vegetarian bacon. Yes, that's right.
When it comes to vegetarian sandwiches, the possibilities are endless! Try making sandwiches from your favorite vegetarian meat substitutes, use healthy vegetarian spreads such as hummus, or explore different nut butters such as cashew nut butter. These vegetarian sandwich recipes and ideas are just a few of my favorites, but there's so many more out there, there's no need to ever get bored.
1. Vegan cream cheese veggie wraps
If you start a sandwich wrap off with a flour tortilla (I like the spinach kind) and cream cheese, then you really can't go wrong. You can add bean sprouts lettus, just about anything, and you'll have an amazing vegetarian sandwich, or vegan if you use vegan cream cheese (and why wouldn't you? Tofutti brand vegan cream cheese is fantastic!). Prefer to follow a recipe? Here's one way to make vegan cream cheese veggie wraps. More »
2. Vegetarian reuben with tempeh or mushrooms
Ah, how I love ruebens. A good vegetarian rueben is hard to find (unless you live in Chicago!), so why not make your own at home? A traditional reuben is always served on rye bread with a Thousand Island sauce, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. Try this vegetarian version made with tempeh instead of meat, or, try this rueben with caramelized mushrooms and portobello mushrooms.More »
3. Vegan Black Bean and Avocado Sandwich Wrao
Got sandwich wraps or tortillas, a can of beans, some salsa and an avocado? If so, good news, you can make these simple vegetarian and vegan avocado wraps for a healthy lunch. Add some hot sauce or a sprinkle of sea salt for extra flavor. More »
4. Greek tortilla wrap with feta and olives
In this delicious Greek-inspired vegetarian wrap sandwich, cucumbers, yellow squash, feta cheese, black olives and tomatoes are marinated in balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs before being wrapped into a flour tortilla. Delicious!More »
5. Vegan grilled cheese with vegetarian "bacon"
This grilled cheese sandwich satisfies just about every single one of my additions in one single bite. Except chocolate. Carbs? Check. Vegan cheese? Check. Umami-like veggie bacon? Check. If you like vegetarian bacon and if you like grilled cheese, try this tasty vegan sandwich.More »
6. Grilled vegetable sandwich with cream cheese
Here's a lighter meatless sandwich idea, if you're not keen on the idea of too much cheese and vegetarian bacon: a vegetarian sandwich made of grilled vegetables on toasted bread with a bit of spinach and cream cheese. There's absolutely nothing in this sandwich that will make your bread soggy, so it's a good make-ahead meal to take into the office for lunch. Keep it vegan by using vegan cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese.More »
7. Easy Vegan "Egg" Salad Sandwich
When mashed together with the usual egg salad ingredients, including mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish and a touch of paprika, tofu takes on a texture similar to the traditional hard boiled eggs used in egg salad. And, with a tablespoon of mustard to give it a yellowish hue, this vegan tofu egg salad recipe really looks (and tastes!) like egg salad. Here's a similar tofu egg salad recipe, if you want to shop around.More »
8. Grilled cheese with apples
This apple and cheddar panini is a grilled cheese sandwich for vegetarian grown-ups. It's a simple recipe with just apples, cheese and honey mustard, but what else do you need on a grilled cheese sandwich?More »
9. Vegan barbecue tofu sandwich
No list of vegetarian sandwiches would be complete without at least one tofu sandwich, and this barbecue tofu sandwich is one of the easiest and tastiest vegetarian and vegan sandwiches I can think of. All you need for this meatless sandwich is a good quality barbecue sauce, some tofu and a roll. The rest of the fixings are up to you.More »
10. Camembert grilled cheese panini
Grilled cheese for grown ups! Take an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich, and transform it into a gourmet vegetarian panini by adding infused pepper oil and French Camembert cheese. Who doesn't love a fantastically soft and savory French camembert?More »
11. Saad's vegan falafel sandwich
About.com's Middle Eastern food expert Saad shares this homemdae falafel recipe, and says it's best served in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes and tahini sauce. His falafel sandwich recipe is made from chickpeas mashed together with parsley and other seasonings for a traditional dish. Saad's falafel sandwich recipe is both vegetarian and vegan.More »
12. Even more vegetarian and vegan sandwiches and wraps
Still looking for the perfect vegetarian sandwich? There's plenty more to browse through here. Try a vegan egg salad sandwich, a tempeh "chicken" salad sandwich or load up on your daily greens with this Swiss chard and cheese wrap (pictured). The possibilities for meatless sandwich ideas are endless!More »