This California Veggie Sandwich is my favorite portable lunch! The trick to making this vegetarian sandwich downright irresistible is the homemade spinach dip spread! You’re going to LOVE it!
There once was a sandwich.
This sandwich:
It changed my life.
The End.
Um… this is a food blog after all, perhaps I should elaborate?
Nah. This sandwich needs very little introduction. It’s a restaurant copycat a’la the fabulous Fresh Market that I essentially lived off of while my eggo was preggo. Now that Spring and Summer are in the air again I shall eat no less than five zillion of these until the next polar vortex is upon us. You should follow suit.
Seriously.
It’ll change your sandwich game for the better.
California Veggie Sandwich
Since this is more of a meal idea and less of a recipe I’m going to skip providing exact measurements for this tasty veggie sandwich and just offer up a few yummy suggestions and ingredient combos to try. My thought is that if I have to meticulously and painstakingly measure out ingredients for my lunch then I’m clearly doing something wrong.
Let’s do lunch!
step 1: grab your spread!
Who needs mayo when you have spinach dip!? You can snag a store-bought variety or save yourself some dough and make your own! Here’s my go-to recipe for a fantastic chilled spinach dip:
Simple Spinach Dip
ingredients
- 9 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 packet of dried vegetable recipe mix [I love this one]
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup high quality mayo [or a second cup of yogurt]
- 3 stems of green onion, chopped
- 1/4 tsp of garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
If you don’t mind a few extra steps, I highly suggest grating extra vegetables into the dip. I typically use a box grater to shred half a cucumber and half a zucchini into the dip, plus some chopped broccoli florets too!
instructions
Thaw spinach, squeeze out the water with a handful of paper towels, combine all ingredients, and chill for a minimum of 2 hours to lock in the flavor and properly hydrate the dried vegetables! Throw it together any time you have a few minutes to spare and enjoy it as a sandwich spread and dip for veggies all week long! It will stay fresh in the fridge for at least four days. If you wind up adding oodles of extra vegetables like I do, feel free to add a bit of extra mayo/yogurt to the dip to keep the spread creamy!
Looking for a vegan option?
Use your favorite vegan sandwich spread to make the dip or simply swap the spinach dip for guacamole or your favorite hummus! With all the fun varieties [everything from roasted red pepper to edamame] the flavor combinations are endless!
step 2: choose your carb
step 3: veg it up!
This is where you essentially empty out your crisper drawer and pile on all. the. veggies. Thinly slice carrots, bell peppers, avocado, cucumber, and tomatoes and pile on your favorite lettuce and sprouts.
Feeling particularly carnivorous? No judgement here! Whether you beeline for sliced turkey or crispy bacon, have at it! Though trust me, it’s beyond magical with the veggies and spread alone! Save the bacon for dinner and go veggie for lunch!
step 4: faceplant
To whip this up in record time, plan ahead by making the spread and slicing your veggies in advance, then store them tightly wrapped in your fridge. When it’s time to eat, all you’ll have to do is assemble and annihilate your yummy sandwich!
Need a printable version? I’ve got your back!
This California Veggie Sandwich makes a perfect portable lunch, so whip one up for work or pack it along in your kiddo’s lunch! The spread + veggie combo also makes a fantastic wrap! Have fun with it!
California Veggie Sandwich: Fresh Market Copycat
Ingredients
- 2-6 slices of fresh bakery bread
- any and all of the fresh veggies in your crisper [see below]
- a few TBSP fresh spinach dip [homemade or store bought] per sandwich
SIMPLE CHILLED SPINACH DIP:
- 9 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 packet of dried vegetable recipe mix
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup quality mayo (or a second cup of yogurt)
- 3 stems of green onion (chopped)
- ¼ tsp of garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
THE VEGGIES:
- colorful bell peppers sliced thin
- fresh greens like romaine butter, or bibb lettuce
- carrots [grated thin or sliced into ribbons with a peeler]
- thinly sliced cucumbers
- red or white onions
- fresh sliced avocado
- sliced tomato
- sprouts
- choose all your favorites from the list above for a custom cali sandwich that's sure to rock your socks!
Instructions
- Spread a hearty layer of spinach dip on each slice of bread, pile on the vegetables and enjoy!
- To whip this up in record time, plan ahead by making the spread and slicing your veggies in advance, then store them tightly wrapped in your fridge. When it's time to eat, all you'll have to do is assemble and annihilate your yummy sandwich!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this California Veggie Sandwich, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
this looks so good!! i’ve been trying to figure out how to copy McCalister’s veggie sandwich (I order mine on a jalapeno roll) — but this looks sort of similar!
Hope you adore it!!! I haven’t had their veggie sandwich yet (I wish I had a McCallister’s near me!) but you had me a t jalapeño roll – YUM!!!
Wow, Just made this amazing sandwich for my myself and my hubby for lunch. The spinach spread is so good!! Loaded up so many vegetables it was almost to big lol. Feel good about eating such a healthy lunch. Can’t wait to try other recipes on your site. YUM!!! But like another poster said, I knew just looking at the photo that it was going to be good. Thank you!!!
Aw yay! Thanks Katie! So glad y’all loved it – that sandwich is my addiction! Let me know if you try anything else! 🙂 <3
I have been eating this Amazing, Delicious, Incredible, Tasteful Sandwich since you posted! The picture attracted me and I want to say Thank you because my husband is eating it…. He loves it so much!!!….I am following your recipes since this sandwich and always waiting to try the new ones that I get on my e mail…YUMMY AND HEALTHY!
Thanks Maria!!! Your comment is making me beam! I’m so happy you’re both loving it [this sandwich is my obsession too!] and I hope everything you try from my blog knocks your socks off! <3 Thank you so much!
yummm i need to try this! xo jillian
This looks so fresh and delicious!! Can’t wait to try your spinach dip, thanks for sharing 🙂
Yum. BUT… I need more info on that gorgeous cutting board!!!
Uh, holy heaven! What a perfect sandwich combo!
oh darnnnn you’re telling me that it’s wrong to not elaborate on food?! Haha, and sometimes that’s exactly how it is! You just can’t describe how delicious something is. : And this sandwich sounds awesome! errrmmm spinach diip is good in any way shape or form. By the way, how’s being a new mommy?! I’m really enjoying it despite the challenges or redefining a lot of deep things in life, haha. I can’t believe our babes are 1 year old in a few months!
A love-letter to a veggie sandwich? I’ll take it. Living in the land of baguette right now I have definitely developed a love for fancy sandwiches – bakeries here serve goat cheese chicken tomato and parmesan prosciutto arugula sandwiches. My favorite one is pretty basic though, I take a fresh baguette, spread it with avocado (natures butter!), add sliced tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper and a few leafy greens – it is love, I swear!