Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

This is a great way to use up leftover veggies. Once grilled, the veggies will keep for several days in the fridge and can be used for sandwiches, pizza, pasta, frittatas or omelets. These sandwiches were the first thing I made from our grilled veggies and we had enough leftover to make some yummy veggie pizzas (see pic below). I went all out and made some slow-roasted tomatoes and caramelized onions to go with mine but you could easily cut down on the cooking time by just doing the grilled veggies. This recipe is one of my own.

Time: 1 hour
Serves: 2, with leftovers

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant (see my Eggplant Parmesan post for more on how to pick out an eggplant)
• 2 zucchini
• 6 large mushrooms
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 2 sandwich rolls
• 2 packages of grape or cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 large Texas sweet onions
• 1 TBSP of butter
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup mayo
• balsamic vinegar

Prep

Roasted Tomatoes

1. Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 375°.
2. Slice each of your cherry or grape tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet in one layer. I like to line my baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.
3. Smash your garlic cloves, but don't peel them. Add them to the baking sheet too.
4. On top of your tomatoes and garlic, drizzle about 2 TBSP of olive oil, 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp each of kosher salt and pepper.
5. Toss the tomatoes and seasonings together with your hands, making sure all the tomatoes are coated in oil and spices.

6. Cook in your preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until tomatoes are softened and browned around the edges.
7. Add the tomatoes to a bowl and use a spoon to crush them into a paste.

Caramelized Onions

1. Peel and thinly slice your onions.

2. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat and add 1 TBSP of butter.
3. After the oil has heated for a minute or so, add your sliced onions, along with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Stir to coat all of the onions with the oil and spices.
4. Cook the onions for about 20 minutes, stirring every once in a while. When they're ready, they will be completely softened with a little bit of brown around the edges.

5. You can freeze whatever you don't use in an ice cube tray and use them on sandwiches and pizzas later on.

Grilled Veggies

1. Preheat your grill to high. I used all of the burners on ours for this.
2. Remove the top and bottom from your eggplant and slice it into 1/2 inch thick slices.
3. Remove the top and bottom from your zucchinis and slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices.
4. Clean your mushrooms with a damp paper towel and remove the stems.
5. Mix together your mayo and balsamic vinegar and put in the fridge until you're ready.
6. Add all of the veggies to a large, foil-lined baking sheet and top with 2-3 TBSP of olive oil and 2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Toss all of the veggies around to coat them with olive oil and spices.

Cook

1. Once your grill is hot, carry your veggies out and use tongs to lay them on the grill.
2. Close the lid on your grill and cook the veggies for about 2 minutes.
3. Open your lid and check to see whether your veggies are browned. When they are, use your tongs to flip them over. My eggplant cooked faster than my zucchini so I wound up flipping them first and leaving the zucchini on a little longer.

4. After you flip your veggies, close your grill lid again and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
5. As your veggies finish cooking, remove them from the grill and add back to your foil-lined baking sheet. Again, they probably won't all come off at the same time so just pull them off as they finish.

6. Once all of your veggies are finished, take them inside and assemble your sandwiches. Spread your balsamic mayo on one side of your roll and top with the caramelized onions. Add your roasted tomatoes on the other side. Add your veggies to the roll and top with the provolone cheese. Turn on your broiler and place your sandwiches in the oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted.

Here's a pic of the pizza I made with the leftovers later in the week. I used the roasted tomatoes as the sauce and topped with grilled veggies and cheese. The cooking method is based on my thin crust quick pizzas.