Mega Melty Vegan Cheese Sandwich/Toastie with Pesto
This combination of flavours is to die for and can easily be made using simple shop bought ingredients or tasty homemade if you’re feeling creative. One of our colleagues tried this toastie and said “this is the nicest sandwich I’ve ever had in my life!”
Meal
- mains
- lunches
- sides-light-meals-and-salads
Servings
2
Ingredients
Pesto
(Quick version… buy a jar of Sacla Dairy Free Pesto, Zest Vegan Pesto or one of the supermarket ‘free from’ brands)
- 50g/2oz fresh basil leaves (or wild garlic)
- 25g hazelnuts
- 15g/1oz pine kernels OR cashews
- ½-1 garlic clove
- Black pepper
- 50ml olive oil
- ½ tsp agave
- 1 tbsp vegan ‘parmesan’ or nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
- A little lemon juice if the pesto is still too dry – add a splash at a time
Vegan Cheese
Choose from our list or just use your own favourite firm vegan cheese. If you’re feeling adventurous then follow our Cashew White Cheddar Artisan Style recipe!
- Bute Island Sheese Strong Cheddar Style
- Tesco Strong Soya Cheese
- Vegusto No Moo Mild Aromatic
- VBites White Cheddar
Other
(If making a quick version then just choose 1-2 from the list)
- Fresh, crusty vegan bread of your choice (use GF if required)
- Vegan spread
- Cherry tomatoe, sliced
- Baby spinach
- Jalepenos
- Kimchi (optional. If using, make sure it’s vegan; some kimchi contains fish or shrimp paste)
Instructions
Pesto
- If using skinned hazelnuts, go straight to no. 4.
- Heat the oven to 200ºC/400º/Gas Mark 6. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray. Roast them in the oven for 8-10 mins but keep an eye on them; check after 5 minutes that they’re not burning!
- Place the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rub off the skins.
- Dry roast the pinenuts in a small frying pan until golden. Keep stirring and keep a close eye on these as they catch and burn very quickly.
- Put all ingredients together in a food processor and blend until the pesto becomes as smooth as you like. Personally we like ours on the slightly rustic, chunkier side so we don’t blitz it for so long.
- Taste it, then add in more oil or seasoning if you wish.
- Make other varieties by adding different ingredients; sun-dried tomatoes, olives, nuts, different herbs.
Sandwich option
- Heat the grill to a medium heat
- Toast (or fry if you’re feeling indulgent) one side of each slice of bread
- Turn each slice over and cover with chunky slices of cheese
- Place back under the grill until melted
- Add all the other ingredients in layers and sandwich together
Toastie option
- Prepare the toastie machine as usual then make the sandwich.
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