The next time you grill vegetables, be sure to grill extra to make these veggie Cubano sandwiches. You will love this savory rich sandwich, packed with grilled veggies.
Crispy and buttery on the outside, the sandwich is stuffed with grilled vegetables, tart dill pickles, savory Dijon mustard, and melted Swiss cheese. It’s a scrumptious vegetarian version of a traditional meat-dense Cubano sandwich.
The amounts in this recipe are estimates to give you a general guideline. Much depends on the vegetables you choose and how much they shrink when grilled.
The recipe makes two sandwiches.
Tips
- If you cannot grill the vegetables, put them under the broiler on high, flipping them halfway through.
- Grill your favorite vegetables to make this sandwich. Thinly sliced eggplant or colorful bell peppers are great options.
- I’ve made the sandwich from leftover chunks of grilled vegetables, but chunks are harder to keep together when you flip the sandwich. Vegetables sliced thinly and flat make it a little easier to manage the sandwich.
Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make two veggie Cubano sandwiches.
- Two medium zucchini squash
- Two medium yellow summer squash
- Half a small onion, peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- About 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 4 large slices bread with crusty crust
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 – 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 large slices Swiss cheese (deli style)
- 16 – 20 dill pickle chips (or 6 sandwich style dill pickle slices)
Special Equipment
You need a heavy-bottomed skillet and a top that will cover the skillet.
Directions
Prepare and Grill the Vegetables
You can grill the vegetables a day ahead and store them in the refrigerator until 30 minutes before you want to use them. Bring them to room temperature (or close).
Wash and dry the zucchini and summer squash. Cut the squash ends off and thinly slice the squash from stem to blossom ends (the long way). The slices should be about 1/4-inch thick.
Prepare and heat the grill according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Lay the slices out on baking sheets. Brush the vegetables with olive oil, turn them over and brush the other side.
Slice the onion into 1/4-inch rounds. Put them on the baking pans and brush each side with olive oil.
Sprinkle the top surface of the vegetables with a little salt and pepper.
Grill the vegetables until cooked, but still somewhat crisp, turning them over halfway through. Remove them from the grill.
Make the Sandwiches
Pat the pickle slices with a towel to dry them. Set them aside.
Chop the grilled onions a little, so that they are easier to eat.
Assemble the sandwiches. Spread butter on one side of each bread slice. Turn each slice over and spread the mustard on the opposite sides. Lay the slices down, mustard-side up.
On one slice (mustard-side up) of each sandwich, add a slice of Swiss cheese, a layer of dill pickles, two layers of grilled vegetables, and the onion pieces. Top them with a slice of Swiss cheese. Cover the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, mustard-side down. The butter sides should face outward on both sides of the sandwiches.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
When the pan is hot, place the sandwiches in the pan. Cover the pan with a large lid. After a couple of minutes, lift the lid and check the sandwiches. When the bottoms are golden brown and the cheese is starting to melt, set the lid aside for a minute and use a spatula to carefully turn the sandwiches over. (You may need to tuck in a vegetable or pickle if it slips out.) Cover the pan again and cook the sandwiches until the bottoms are golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. You may need to turn the heat down. Watch that the butter doesn’t brown too much. If it starts to darken, turn down the heat.
Remove the sandwiches from the pan and slide them onto plates. Cut them in half with a sharp knife before serving them.
Be sure to provide large napkins. You’ll need them!
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