I am not much of a sandwich eater, are you? Sandwiches have a lot going for them in terms of easy preparation and portability, but I don’t generally get excited about them. I’d rather have a giant salad or open-faced toast.
This sandwich, however, is something else. It’s all of my favorite things sandwiched between two slices of whole wheat bread: buttery avocado, roasted red pepper, as much of my favorite Greek salad ingredients as I could fit, a splash of balsamic vinegar and rich basil pesto. It wouldn’t be the same in any other form; sandwich is the way to go. I took back every insult I’ve thrown at sandwiches on first bite. And the best part? It kept me full from lunch until dinner. Not many vegetarian sandwiches can boast that.
The sandwich came to be while I was playing [read: procrastinating] at Panera’s Sandwich Showdown Contest. You can pick a bread and drag over ingredients. Avocado? Ta da! There it is. Bacon? Ta da! Change your mind on the bacon? Poof, it’s gone. If only bacon could be removed from the waistline so easily.
It’s a fun little game, a procrastination activity that I support, but I warn you that playing will make you hungry.
Another bonus of playing [procrastinating] at the Panera showdown is that they are giving away stellar prizes. The grand prize is $10,000 in cash, among other goodies, and the remaining top 20 entries are up for thousands of dollars in cash (plus gift cards! free bagels for a year!). I feel like a used car salesman here, but cash (!) and bagels (!) call for exclamation points, am I right?
Panera is also encouraging players to share their creations on twitter and pinterest with the hash tag #SandwichShowdown. The contest is open until this Saturday, October 6th, so hurry on over and play.
Before you go, though, please tell me about your favorite sandwich to make at home. I just might be on a sandwich-making kick. I took a couple of shortcuts with this sandwich by using store-bought pesto and roasted red peppers. Ta da! Lunch in under ten minutes.
Simple Greek Avocado Sandwich
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Greek
My favorite Greek salad ingredients sandwiched between layers of bread smothered with avocado and pesto. A quick, satisfying vegetarian lunch (vegan if you use cheese-free pesto). Recipe yields 1 sandwich so multiply as necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 slices soft whole wheat bread
- ½ avocado
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- roasted red bell pepper (jarred is fine)
- cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
- thinly sliced red onion
- 6 pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced
- handful spring mix
- balsamic reduction or regular balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Pit and peel the avocado half and mash it with a fork. Use a butter knife to spread avocado on one slice of bread. Spread a layer of pesto on the other slice of bread.
- Top the avocado bread with a single layer of roasted red bell pepper. Then add a layer of cucumber slices, red onion, olives and spring mix. Use a spoon to sprinkle some balsamic reduction over the lettuce. Place the pesto slice on top, pesto side down.
Notes
Make it vegan: See basil pesto recipe notes on how to make the pesto vegan. This recipe is otherwise vegan.
Make it gluten free: Use your favorite gluten-free sandwich bread.
▸ Nutrition Information
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Panera Bread. As always, opinions expressed are my own. Truths: Panera is one of my favorite places to lunch with my mom, their sandwich game is fun and this sandwich is exceptionally tasty.
P.s. Find more of my super simple meal ideas here.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
alison
I love this! What’s even better, I have all of the ingredients too. Lunch is going to be good.
Lisa
I’ve been obsessed lately with avocados…..putting them on everything I can. I definitely will try this!
Kate
The more avocado, the better, if you ask me!
Kelly Arrington
my mother,s favorite sandwich is…
2 slices of white bread
mayonnaise on one side, peanutbutter on the other, and layer onion, tomato, and cucumber. She says this is the best. She calls it
DON’T KNOCK IT TILL YOU TRY IT
Katrina
I don’t eat many sandwiches, but I love them! They’re so easy to make so it’s a bit strange that I don’t make them more. Thanks for reminding me!
Ezen
I’ve always loved a delicious healthy sandwich. Panera bread definitely has yummy ones! :)
Cassie
This is absolutely my kind of sandwich. Well, any sandwich with avocado is my kind of sandwich. I love the Greek flavors here!
Ashley
I’m not much of a sandwich eater myself, but this one looks perfect, Kate! I want it for lunch!
Annie Hollywood
Beautiful. I hope you entered the contest because that seems like a winner.
There are many Middle Eastern/Mediterranean grocery stores where I live and I’m addicted to a couple of ingredients: ajvar (red pepper spread) and labneh (kind of a yogurt cream cheese). I like to use those in a sandwich with cucumber and whole mint leaves (oddly refreshing).
Dalia
Try a little summac or zataar in the labneh.. oh YUM!
Tom
This was amazing and simple. I went a little off script and added fried prosciutto with melted mozzarella. I also did fresh basil and bell pepper instead of pesto. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Bev @ Bev Cooks
I loooove sandwiches! Sammies. Jammies.
all of it.
Stefanie @ Sarcastic
Great combination of ingredients!!! I don’t believe you aren’t a sandwich person.
kale
i wouldn’t say that i am a sandwich fanatic, but from time to time it feels really good to take a big bite out of a yummy sandwich! i always put way too much stuff in my sandwiches (can’t help it). i think my favorite right now might be warm grilled chicken, herb cream cheese, bacon, smoked paprika mayo, and pickle on toasted sesame bread! ooooh yeah, baby.
Basil
Oh, wow, that looks like heaven – pesto, avocado, roasted bell pepper.. all of my favourites! What a great lunch you had..
Stef
I wonder if there is a sandwich lover’s fan club. If there is, I nominate myself as president. I. LOVE. Sandwiches. Probably too much. And I love Greek salad so I’d undoubtedly love this!
A favorite of mine is this one that I make that is pretty healthy and so satisfying:
First I make an artichoke heart spread using: [obviously] ‘choke hearts, roasted garlic, a bit of fresh grated parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I spread that GENEROUSLY onto a slice of bread [Ezekial, or home-made foccacia or challah] and pile on a leafy green veg, such as kale or collards that sometimes I’ll sauté in EVOO first. Then I shave some chunks of parmesan onto that and top with the other slice of bread. Drizzle with EVOO and put that into a panini press until everything is hot and oozing. Finally, I drizzle some raw honey on top. Sure its sticky and messy, but it is sooo worth it!
★★★★★
Kate
Now that is a sandwich. Roasted garlic and artichoke hearts? Gotta try it
Stef
Can’t go wrong there! Let me know if you try it!
Eileen
Salad in a sandwich! Hooray! Avocado with tangy pesto, olives, and onion sounds so good right now.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Oh my gosh, this is gorgeous! My kind of sandwich.
Michelle
one of my favorite sandwiches to make isis super simple. It’s with roasted red pepper hummus (or kind of hummus that you love) with mashed avocados seasoned with a little pepper and a dash of lime, and alfalfa sprouts on a nice baguette! It’s so frigging yummy!
Kate
That sounds stellar! I’ll have to give your sandwich a try asap.
Lana
This is so weird. I got this sandwich for lunch and just spent an evening looking for that recipe! And was just about to give up when I decided to check my Bloglovin! And guess what?! My sandwich was staring at me!! Haha
★★★★★
Kate
That is weird. Where did you get this sandwich for lunch? That chef and I must be on the same wavelength.
Lana
I got it at Panera. The Mediterranean Veggie. Your recipe is perfect for that. I might just buy their tomato basil bread. Slurp. I want it again! :(
thelittleloaf
I take sandwiches into work every day – open toasts just aren’t practical when you’re eating at a desk. My favourite is homemade wholegrain bread with pumpkin and poppy seeds, avocado mashed with chilli, roasted red peppers, rocket and feta cheese. So very similar to this one which looks delicious!
Kate
Ok, your sandwich sounds amazing. Do you use roasted pumpkin or what? I have to know!
thelittleloaf
Oh no, sorry to confuse you. I use pumpkin seeds, not pumpkin. Slightly roasted they add a lovely crunch & flavour!
Kate
Aha! Pumpkin seeds sound like a great sandwich ingredient. Trying your sandwich next.
Justin
Wow, this looks good. I’ll absolutely try this.
Kathryn
My boyfriend insists that girls can’t make proper sandwiches so I will have to show him this to prove him wrong! It looks really, really delicious.
Kate
Please do! It’s really delicious.
Jordan Little
I love sandwiches! This looks like a great one to try out, although PB and J will be my favorite forever. Thanks for posting this for us!
jamie @ GB&G
I really do love a great sandwich and this sure does look like one!
Carolyn
This was an awesome lunch for work today. Thanks Kate :)
★★★★★
Kate
You are welcome, Carolyn. :)
Katie @ figgyandspro
Yumm! Can’t wait to try this simple sandwich as soon as the avocados on my kitchen counter ripen :) Love the Greek flavors. Thanks for sharing Kate! xx
Riley
I’m a huge sandwich lover and I think you’ve hit it out of the ballpark with this one! Yum!
erin @ yummy supper
Kathryne,
I love everything about your sandwich! I can never get enough Greek Salad and avocado is kind of a must on any sandwich in my book. I actually an a huge sandwich fan, they are such an easy delivery device and quick fix. These days I’m eating mashed avocado with lemon, salt, and tons of freshly chopped cilantro from the garden, open-faced.
Have a good week,
E
Karolina
That sandwich is fabulous! It’s easy, tasty and makes my breakfast classy! Thank you for that recipe! :)
★★★★★
Joanne
Love this! Such a fabulous combination of flavors. I could eat it any day!
Nerd With Taste
YUM! Having devoured my lunch (unwillingly) for 14 years of my life, constantly eating PB&J sandwhiches on whole wheat bread… this is something the gods eat! Thanks for the nostalgia! :)
Jenn Dios
Looks amazing! I will try this one. My favorite sandwich is Hummus, tomato, green onion, ground red pepper sprinkled, and spinach on Ezekiel bread. (from Happy Herbivore.)
★★★★★
Kate
Your favorite sandwich sounds delicious, Jenn. Hope you enjoy this one!
Janet
Made these last night for a simple supper with the boyfriend. We used olive tapenade in place of pesto as he is allergic to nuts. They were fantastic! Will definitely be a go-to easy meal for me! Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Kate
Thank you, Janet! So glad you guys enjoyed the sandwich. Good idea with the tapenade. Hope you’re doing well!
Lyndsey
This was really delicious. I didn’t add the balsamic, because I’m not a fan, but there are plenty of flavors going on without it. I think I will add provolone cheese in the future. Thanks for this!
Kate
Glad to hear you enjoyed the sandwich, Lyndsey! Thank you for letting me know.
Linda
Made this for myself and hubby..
We loved it! What a wonderful combo…
Kate
Thanks, Linda! So glad you both enjoyed the sandwich. :)
Sarah
This sandwich looks good, I make something with a similar idea but in a wrap: I first spread on some cream cheese and then add the veggies (red onions, lettuce, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, avocado, olives) and wrap it up! The nice thing is you can make this the night before and leave the wrap in the fridge, it is good the next day and the cream cheese gets in more with the veggies overnight. It is a nice thing for work lunches!
Kate
Sarah, your wrap sounds delicious! I’ll have to give that a try soon.
Trang
I’m working for a dreadful office too ( in the good field though). I’m so happy to see that I’m not the only one counting the employment days (till the day I found a new job with better work-life balance). Cooking has been my new interested lately. Thanks for sharing the recipes, the pictures look great too.
Kate
Thanks, Trang! I find cooking to be a great escape from work, it’s so nice to come home and enjoy the fruit of my labor!
bianca
This is soooo good. oOne of the best sandwiches I’ve made at home and I don’t even notice the lack of meat. Thanks for the inspo!
Kate
Hooray, thanks Bianca!
Morgan
My favorite vegetarian sandwich is what I call the “Mumbai Streets.” I curry leftover potatoes and spread that on whole wheat toast with hummus, chili flakes, muenster cheese, and sauteed onions. It’s also great open-faced with a fried egg on top. It’s definitely a carb-loaded treat for me.
Kate
Woah, that sounds epic!!!
Emily
Hi there! I was desperately searching for a good sandwich recipe for my lunch, and I knew that I wanted avocado on it, but I couldn’t find the right one (oh, the plight of a hungry teenage girl!) until I stumbled upon your website! This is easily one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. It was so delicious and fresh, and it really hit the spot- it’s 90 degrees here in Cleveland! I didn’t have any roasted red peppers, but I did have roasted red pepper and basil pesto, so I killed two birds with one stone there. I will definitely make this again, it’s my new favorite! Thanks for sharing! :)
★★★★★
Sally
I tried this tonight partly because I wanted to use the fresh bread I had and I also had fresh pesto and an avocado on hand.
It turned out very well. Also it opened my eyes to all the vegetables one can use for sandwiches.
Thanks!
★★★★
Bernie
I like this colorful combination of ingredients. It is not very Greek except for the calamita olives. Add feta cheese and Salonika peppers and fold it into Pita bread and then it is an homage.
Add anchovies if you like and oregano. Anyway your fresh ingredients win me over. Thanks.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Bernie!
Régine Bohar
This recipe has the perfect ingredients. Thank you! A favourite of mine is a very simple sandwich with ciabatta. Sprinkle with olive oil, and add a large handful of lovage. Hard to believe how delicious that can be! I also like sandwiches with slices of mushroom pâté (made with potobellos, pecans, green onions, tamari and rosemary, put raw in a blender, and baked). Another idea: a good ratatouille sandwich, again with crusty bread. In Provence, they make pan bagna, which is delicious, and can easily be “vegetarianized”. I hope you enjoy these ideas. Let me know if you want precise recipes, and feel free to share.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for your comment and review!
Régine Bohar
Artichoke hearts would be wonderful, as an addition. My second choice would be grilled shiitakes.
Kate
Thank you, for commenting!
Christy Mason
Delicious! Very easy to make!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Christy!
Nanna
This is my favorite vegetarian sandwich! It takes me right back to a beach on Crete I visited as a child where the local beach cafeteria made something similar.
I add feta and sometimes tomatoes, and I use fresh bell pepper instead of roasted because those are expensive in Denmark, hehe.
Thanks for the recipe! :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Nanna! I’m happy you love it.
Tom
This was amazing and simple. I went a little off script and added fried prosciutto with melted mozzarella.
★★★★★
Jeannie
Truly delicious!! So easy to make and will definitely keep this one as a regular!! Thank you
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jeannie! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
danielle
Can you tell me why the sodium level is so high? I know that olives have sodium but over 1800 mg of sodium for this sandwich seems to be quite a lot. Thanks.
Kate
Hi Danielle, All the nutrition information is an estimate. I do my best. I would suggest taking a look at my Nutrition Disclaimer.
Gay Attebury
Kate! Great sandwich, beautiful colors and good for us too. My tweaks are these…I got one serving of babaganush, and hummus at my local greek restaurant, sliced open a pita and painted the insides with those. Put my sliced cucumbers and red onion in a bowl with Rice Wine Vinegar and a sprinkle of sugar. While those married, I sliced Holland Bell peppers, my calamata, and avocado slices, and then drained cucs, arugala, and mixed all in a bowl with a few sprinkles of my fav balsalmic (Barengo of Modena), stirred together and stuffed that pita! It was great! Thank you for the inspiration!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Molly
We just had this for lunch and it was delicious! I did add some extra kalamatas and happened to have some balsamic reduction too. Perfect recipe, thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Molly!