Perfectly grilled zucchini, chayote, and eggplant on a garlic butter grilled bun topped with grilled cheesy heirloom tomatoes and Italian herb oil.
Veggies For Days
I received a shipment of summer veggies from one of my clients to play with on the grill. I mean it is the grilling season after all. And while most folks think of steaks, burgers, or brisket when it comes to grilling, there’s something to be said about grilled veggies.
In this box was a vast assortment of things like fennel, baby artichokes, anaheim peppers along with baby squash, baby eggplant, and chayote.
Grab Your Ingredients
Y’all when I tell you that I am crushing HARD on this sandwich (and it’s all veggies), you know it has to be amazing!
- Baby zucchini
- Baby eggplant
- Chayote
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Hoagie Roll slathered in garlic butter
- Italian Herb Oil
Let’s Get Started
- Preheat the grill to 400F for direct heat. Not sure what direct or indirect heat means? Check out this article!
- Whisk together the ingredients for the Italian Herb Oil, and set aside. Slice the zucchini, eggplant, and chayote into 1/4″ thick slices.
- Pour a few tablespoons of the oil on top of the veggies and gently toss to coat all of the veggies.
- Place the veggies onto the hot girl grate in a single layer.
Grill To Soften Slightly
Grill for about 5-7 minutes and carefully flip.
You do not want these mushy but rather still slightly firm-ish.
Since the chayote are a more firm squash you can cook them a minute or two longer. I personally like the juxtaposition of textures between the semi-soft squash and the slightly crispy chayote
Remove to a plate.
Grill the Tomatoes & Bread
I personally like using heirloom tomatoes in this recipe as they are firmer than traditional tomatoes and can stand up to time on the grill.
- Cut the tomatoes into 1/3-1/2″ thick rounds and drizzle with some herbed oil.
- Place the tomatoes and garlic butter rolls onto the grill. I like to do uncut side-down first when it comes to the bread. Grill for about 2-3 minutes and flip.
Cheese Please
For this part you can go with pretty much any soft cheese. If you are going to use burrata though, I would not add this to the grill but put it directly on the hot bread and veggies on a plate.
- Once you flip the tomatoes, add a few slices of fresh mozzarella. Flip the bread and grill for 1-2 more minutes or until golden brown.
- For the tomatoes, grill for a couple of more. Gently remove from the grill.
Assemble The Best Grilled Sandwich Ever!
- Add a few slices of fresh mozzarella to the bottom of the bun. Follow that with 2 slices of cheesy grilled heirloom tomatoes.
- Top with a few slices of grilled zucchini, eggplant, and chayote squash.
- Drizzle a bit of the Italian herbed oil over the veggies, place the bun on top, and slice!
ENJOY!
I’ve said this a million times…growing up I ate exactly 3 veggies and none of the veggies on this sandwich was one of them. This sandwich… OMG, seriously it was INCREDIBLE! Like all it took was one bite to fall head over heels in love with a sandwich. An all-veggie sandwich too!
And the funny part, even before trying this sandwich I was not an eggplant fan. But grilled like this with the herbed oil and the other veggies, it was pure magic!
This sandwich was so ‘meaty’. And no, as a hardcore carnivore lover, you do NOT miss the meat at all. I loved this so much that I ate this every single day for 5 days in a row!
Ultimate Grilled Squash, Eggplant & Tomato Sandwich
Perfectly grilled zucchini, chayote, and eggplant on a garlic butter grilled bun topped with grilled cheesy heirloom tomatoes and Italian herb oil.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Category: grill, hoagies, meatless monday, sandwiches, vegetarian
- Method: grill
- Cuisine: grill, hoagies, meatless monday, sandwiches, vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 baby zucchini sliced in 1/4” strips
- 1 baby eggplant sliced into 1/4” strips
- 1 chayote squash sliced into 1/4” strips
- 1 heirloom tomato sliced in 1/3-1/2” rounds (4 pieces)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 8 slices fresh mozzarella
- 2 Hoagie buns sliced and coated with garlic butter
Instructions
- Preheat the Big Green Egg MiniMax grill (or your grill of choice) to 400°. Whisk together the olive oil and Italian seasoning.
- Place the sliced zucchini, eggplant, and chayote in a bowl. Drizzle with 1-2 Tbl herbed oil. Gently toss to coat.
- Place the veggies on the grill grate in a single layer; grilling for 3-7 minutes per side. You want them tender but not mushy. *Chayote will retain a crispness so if you want grill longer.
- Drizzle the tomatoes with some herbed oil and grill for 5 minutes. While grilling, add the hoagie roll, and uncut side down. Flip the tomatoes and place fresh mozzarella on top grilling for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the hoagie’s bottom part to the plate, and add more mozzarella followed by the tomatoes, grilled zucchini, eggplant, and chayote. Drizzle 1 Tbl of herbed oil over the top. Add the top, slice, and enjoy!
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