Hummus and Feta Vegetable Sandwich with Cherry Tomato Soup

April 4, 2011

One of my favorite sandwiches is the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich from Panera Bread. If you haven’t had it, let me explain. It consists of fresh bread piled high with vegetables, but what makes it so tasty to me is the combination of hummus and feta cheese.

A few days ago, I decided to try to recreate something similar. I had made a batch of my Hummus with Almond Butter and had some feta on hand. I stopped in Great Harvest and picked up a loaf of Vienna bread, a crusty dark brown loaf on the outside with a soft and slightly chewy inside. Perfect for this sandwich.

I used up some of the vegetables I had on hand which this time around included carrots, cucumber and spinach. Red or green onion, lettuce or ripe tomato slices would be a fine addition as well.

I paired the sandwich with some easy tomato soup. The only tomatoes we have left in the freezer are yellow and red cherry tomatoes so I decided to give them a try. Almost all my tomato soups are now patterned after my favorite which is Simple Tomato Soup from A Good Appetite.

The cherry tomatoes worked well and added a sweet flavor to the soup. I did find that I needed to strain the soup after pureeing it though to remove any tough skins that didn’t cook down. After that, it was the ideal consistency and needed no garnish at all.

This is another picnic worthy combo that welcomes spring!

Hummus and Feta Vegetable Sandwich

4 slices fresh bread
½ cup hummus
¼ cup crumbled feta
1 carrot, peeled thinly sliced
½ small cucumber, thinly sliced
¾ cup baby spinach leaves

Evenly distribute the hummus over the four slices of bread and spread. Sprinkle the feta on two of the slices. On the other two slices pile on the carrot, spinach and cucumber. Press the vegetables into the hummus gently.

Top with the hummus and feta bread slices to make a sandwich. Serves 2.

Cherry Tomato Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups cherry tomatoes, thawed from frozen
½ cup onion, diced
1 red jalapeno, seeded and deveined, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add the jalapeno and garlic. Cook, partially covered, for another 7 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes burst and the onion is softened. The water from the defrosted tomatoes help to create a broth for the soup. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Remove the soup from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree all ingredients until mostly smooth. Place a strainer or colander over a heat-proof bowl. Strain the soup to remove any tough skins and seeds.

Pour the strained soup back into the sauce pan and heat through. Serves 2.
This post has been sent to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

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  • lesley lifting life April 4, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    I love the Mediterranean veggie sandwich from Panera, it’s what I always order when I go there for lunch.

    Your recreation looks ever better!

  • Deb in Hawaii April 5, 2011 at 1:33 am

    Gorgeous! I wish we had Panera here. 😉 Love the combination of hummus and feta too. A great soup and sandwich combo–let me know if you want to share it at Souper Sundays.

  • Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living April 5, 2011 at 4:57 am

    I love the combination of feta and hummus, and this sandwich sounds like the perfect light spring lunch or dinner!

  • kat April 5, 2011 at 9:46 am

    This is one of my favorite kind of summer sandwiches, the crunch of the cucumbers with the creamy toppings is the best! Glad you are so liking the simple soup idea

  • 5 Star Foodie April 5, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    I like the pairing of hummus and feta on the sandwiches and it goes perfectly with the cherry tomato soup, would be an awesome lunch!

  • ahealthypassion.com April 5, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    I love this combo of soup and sandwich and your soup looks amazing!

  • Mindy April 6, 2011 at 8:42 am

    This sandwich looks so good. I need to go make myself some hummus so I can have this every day!

  • MelindaRD April 6, 2011 at 10:41 am

    Both look really good, but I really think I need to make that soup. Yum!

  • The Food Hunter April 6, 2011 at 11:24 am

    sandwich and soup look tasty. Perfect combination

  • Sagan April 6, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    Neat idea! I LOVE a grilled veggie/hummus/cream cheese sandwich, but hadn’t thought of using feta instead.

  • cathy April 8, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    Mmmm…this combo looks divine! I’m definitely going to try your soup. I might roast the tomatoes first, though.

  • Lori April 8, 2011 at 7:39 pm

    Lesley – Me too! Love that sandwich. I’m not sure that this is better, but a great substitute. 🙂

    Deb – I missed it so much when we were living in Brazil!

    Lauren – That’s reall what makes it with the flavor. Those two go great together.

    kat – Your soup (or some variation of it) is now a staple!

    5 Star – Definitely! My kind of lunch.

    ahealthypassion – Thanks!

    Mindy – I don’t make it nearly enough. I need to have it in all the time because we’d definitely eat it.

    Melinda – Thanks!

    Food Hunter – Thanks!

    Sagan – Oh, I’m a big fan of grilled too!

    cathy – Great idea. I’m sure that will bring out the flavor even more.

  • OysterCulture April 10, 2011 at 5:07 pm

    Great combo of all my favorites tied together. I’d feel very healthy and happy after eating this.

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