My zucchini sandwiches are absolutely scrumptious and can be ready in a flash! Made with lemony seared zucchini slices, roasted red peppers, and hummus, they're so simple, but so delicious! The perfect easy lunch or lazy dinner for zucchini season.
These sandwiches are doubly perfect for summer. First, you've got zucchini season. Once you've made my zucchini soup, zucchini pasta, zucchini lasagna, and zucchini fritters for the zillionth time well (because zucchini is endless this time time of year!), these sandwiches are a great way to switch things up. Second, they're EASY. If you're anything like me, cooking a complicated meal in the sweltering heat is not your thing. Good thing these sandwiches can be thrown together in minutes!
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It's all about the combination of ingredients that make these sammies so scrumptious, despite the fact that they're such a cinch to make. The zucchini is seasoned with zippy lemon and zesty garlic, plus you've got peppery arugula, creamy hummus, and smoky roasted red peppers. So simple, but so much flavor!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. This is great for flavor, but other high-heat oils can be substituted if needed.
- Garlic.
- Zucchini. This is the star ingredient, but yellow summer also works great.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed juice. It has way more flavor than bottled!
- Salt & pepper.
- Sandwich bread. I love making these sandwiches with a good multigrain or sourdough bread.
- Hummus. You can use store-bought hummus, or a homemade variety like my roasted garlic hummus, pesto hummus, or dill pickle hummus.
- Fresh chives.
- Roasted red peppers.
- Arugula. Baby spinach makes a great alternative.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Sauté the garlic. Smash your garlic clove. Heat your oil in a large skillet, then add the smashed garlic. Sauté it for a few minutes, until it starts to brown, then remove it from the skillet. Keep an eye on it and stir it often to keep it from burning. Take it out of the skillet when it's done.
Tip: To smash your garlic, first place it on a cutting board. Grab a large knife, place a flat side over the garlic, then press down firmly on the knife with your other hand until you feel the clove smash.
Step 2: Sear the zucchini. Turn the heat up a bit, and add your zucchini slices, making sure to get them in a nice even layer. This might mean cooking them in batches.
Cook the slices for a few minutes on each side, until they start to brown. Now drizzle them with lemon juice, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and let them cook for about a minute more.
Step 3: Assemble the sandwiches. Spread hummus over all of your bread slices, then sprinkle them with chopped chives. Layer each sandwich with your zucchini slices, roasted red peppers, and arugula, then enjoy your zucchini sandwiches!
Variations
- Make them into wraps. Stuff the ingredients into large flour tortillas instead of bread.
- Vegan cream cheese variation. Instead of hummus, slather your bread slices with homemade cashew cream cheese, or store-bought vegan cream cheese.
- Zucchini panini. After assembling your sandwiches, grill them in an oiled skillet. You can optionally add some vegan cheese, but since the hummus will warm up and soften, you really don't need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just use your favorite vegan and gluten-free sandwich bread.
Store each of the components of this recipe in a sealed bag or airtight container for up to three days, then assemble the sandwiches when you're ready to enjoy them.
Yes! These sandwiches are great for packed lunches, but make sure you're using a super sturdy bread so they don't get soggy! Store them in sealed bags for up to a day.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Seared Lemon Zucchini Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, smashed with the side of a large knife
- 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound, total), cut in half, then into ¼-inch slabs
- 2 tablespooons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 slices sandwich bread
- 6 tablespoons hummus, or more, if desired
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- ½ cup roasted red peppers
- ¾ cup arugula
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the oil just starts to shimmer, add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often and keeping an eye on it to prevent burning. Once the garlic turns golden brown, turn off the heat and remove the garlic from the skillet (Note 1). Leave the oil in there.
- Place the skillet back over medium-high heat. Give it a minute to heat up, then add the zucchini slices in an even layer. You can cook them in batches if they won't all fit. Cook the zucchini slices for 4 or 5 minutes on each side, until browned. Drizzle the lemon juice over the zucchini and sprinkle the slices with salt and pepper, then cook it for a bit longer, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until most of the juice dries up. Remove the zucchini from the skillet.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of of hummus over each bread slice, then sprinkle the hummus with chives. Pair up the bread slices and stuff them with the zucchini, roasted red peppers, and arugula.
- Serve.
Notes
- The oil will retain flavor from the garlic after performing this step. You can discard the garlic at this point, but if you really love garlic, feel free to mince it up and sprinkle it on your sandwiches.
- This recipe makes about three medium-sized sandwiches, but depending on the size of your bread, you could also get two large or four smaller sandwiches.
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Haven't made this yet but wanted to say THANK YOU for this recipe - it looks so totally delicious!