You know those days when you are craving something cheesy and comforting, but you can't decide between a pizza or a sandwich? Well, how about you have both with this Vegetable packed Pizza Sandwich? Crunchy peppers, garlicky pizza sauce and covered in cheese in a sandwich. It's what dreams are made of.
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Lunchtime never has to be boring again. This is a great fridge raid sandwich, as it's easy to adapt with whatever bread, cheese and vegetables you have on hand.
All the flavours of a pizza in a deliciously comforting sandwich that can be nutrient dense too.
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Why You Will Love It
- An exciting new sandwich option
- Saves making a whole pizza
- Kids love it
- Easy to adapt
- Can be packed with vegetables.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Bread - You could use any bread for this, but sourdough is our preference. Tiger loaf slices work well, or you could even make a pizza bagel or panini.
- Tomato puree (paste) - This is a great time saving option, but you could use a pizza sauce instead, or even BBQ sauce to add extra flavour.
- Garlic - Use pre crushed garlic in a jar if you prefer.
- Oregano - You can use a mixture of dried oregano and basil.
- Olive oil
- Bell peppers
- Cheese slices - We used Emmental for this, as it adds a lovely creamy and nutty flavour. But you could use any cheese that melts well.
- Beef tomato
- Rocket lettuce (arugula) - you could swap this for spinach.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
One: In a bowl, mix together the tomato puree, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano.
Two: Add the oil to a pan and add the mixed peppers. Gently cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
Three: Spread the tomato sauce on 2 of the bread slices then top the bread with the cooked peppers.
Four: Add the cheese slices on top and put them under the grill for 3-4 minutes until melted.
Five: Top with tomato slices and add rocket lettuce.
Six: Top with other slices of bread and serve.
Pizza Sauce
We wanted this pizza to be as easy as possible, so we just spread some tomato puree on the bread and let all the other flavours shine though. However, if you want that more authentic pizza flavour, then you could use a more traditional pizza sauce.
You could even use a really good quality BBQ sauce instead, or our Healthy Homemade BBQ Sauce, to add a nice sweet and smokey flavour to it.
What Veg Can be Added?
These Vegetable Pizza Sandwiches are packed full of vegetables, so you can make your favourite comfort foods that little bit healthier, and we could all do with some more vitamins and minerals in our life, right? We are all about the colourful meals and this is bursting with colour.
We added bell peppers and rocket lettuce, but this sandwich is easy to adapt with whatever you have on hand. You could add mushrooms and courgettes and swap the rocket lettuce for other greens like spinach or even crunchy romaine.
How to Adapt
Apart from adding different vegetables, there are other ways that you can adapt these too. Can't have a meal without meat in it? This pizza sandwich is a good way to use up some leftover roast meat, so shred up some chicken (from our Slow Cooker Whole Chicken) and add it before you put the cheese on.
Speaking of cheese, you can use lots of different cheese in this recipe. We went with slices of Emmental, but mature cheddar or mozzarella work well.
How to Cook It
We put the halves of the sandwich under the grill to melt everything. However, you could put it all in a sandwich toaster or even cook it in a pan with a little bitter - that would make the outside of the bed get nice and crispy and golden.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Don't like the peppery taste of rocket? Swap it for spinach for an iron boost.
- We used Emmental cheese in this recipe, but you could use mature cheddar or mozzarella instead.
- Feel free to swap the vegetables to use what you have, or what you prefer. Mushrooms and courgettes work well.
- If you feel the need to add meat to this, add some shredded cooked chicken just before adding the cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a delicious meat free sandwich, however if you wanted to add some meat then there are lots of options. Shredded chicken works well, or you could go with some more traditional meaty pizza toppings like chorizo, pepperoni or salami.
These are best made fresh, otherwise they will go soggy when stored. So try to only make as much as you need, to avoid waste.
If you don't have a grill to put these under, then you can form the sandwiches and gently cook them on a griddle pan. But really careful when turning them over, so everything doesn't fall out.
More Sandwich Recipes
If you've tried this pizza sandwich recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Pizza Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 slices of Sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoon of Tomato puree
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 1 tablespoon of Dried oregano
- 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Olive oil
- 1 Yellow bell pepper - sliced
- 1 Red bell pepper - sliced
- 2 Cheese slices
- 1 Beef tomato - sliced
- 2 handful of Rocket (arugula)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together 4 tbsp of Tomato puree, 2 Garlic clove, 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper and 1 tbsp of Dried oregano.
- Add 1 tsp of Olive oil to a pan and add 1 Yellow bell pepper and 1 Red bell pepper. Gently cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Spread the tomato sauce on 2 of the 4 slices of Sourdough bread. Top the bread with the cooked peppers and 2 Cheese slices.
- Put them under the grill for 3-4 minutes until melted.
- Top with 1 Beef tomato and 2 handful of Rocket (arugula).
- Finish with other slices of bread and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Don't like the peppery taste of rocket? Swap it for spinach for an iron boost.
- We used Swiss cheese in this recipe, but you could use mature cheddar or mozzarella instead.
- Feel free to swap the vegetables to use what you have, or what you prefer. Mushrooms and courgettes work well.
- If you feel the need to add meat to this, add some shredded cooked chicken just before adding the cheese.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Tara says
Definitely a great way to up my vegetable intake. Such a great combination of flavors in this sandwich and love how easy it is to put together.
Jessica {Swanky Recipes} says
Pizza sandwiches sound like so much fun! I love how it's pretty adaptable as far as veggies and meat because you know I need a lot of cheese and sauce on mine ;)
Cookilicious says
That looks gorgeous. I am a sucker for sandwiches..& this one seems to be a great idea to try.,..pizza in a sandwich..what more could one want! :)
Maggie says
I love how you manage to squeeze vegetables in to so many dishes that you wouldn't expect to see them in. My husband and I don't eat enough vegetables, but we really want to try after his Dad had a heart attack recently, it was a bit of a healthy scare to us all.
Stephanie Davis says
These look incredible, such a great idea to put pizza toppings in to a sandwich. My boys would love this.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I wouldn't at all miss the meat here...these sandwiches look awesome, Dannii.
Rach @ This Italian Family says
Oh my gracious, these look delicious!
Just Jo says
Oh yum yum yum, I would gobble these sandwiches up very promptly! They look utterly delicious :D
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
Simple idea but wow what a good one, all the taste of pizza in a sandwich - genius!
LaaLaa says
I love seeing this because I use to do this years ago and people use to look at me weirdly but I never thought it was any different to a flat based pizza lol x
Aish Padihari says
Now that's a brilliant idea. Definitely going to try.
Olivia Thristan says
Oh my, these look amazing and so easy to make. Perfect for a lazy dinner and still healthier than actual pizza woohooo! x
samantha rickelton says
Fab - I didn't know you could get cans of pizza sauce like this. Very convenient!
Carolyn says
Two of my favourite foods (pizza and sandwiches) in one delicious meal! This is seriously making me drool - I need one now!
Leanne says
Eating pizza with a knife and fork? No, no, no, NO! You have to get right in there and get elbow deep in the pizza! Same with this sandwich I think. Looks and sounds amazing!