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Vegan Power Sandwich with Asparagus Pesto

I used sun dried tomatoes from a jar, packed in olive oil. I've had this with both, parsley and cilantro. Both are delicious!
Leftover asparagus pesto can be enjoyed with crackers, bread or with raw veggies. Prep time includes time to roast the asparagus. You can cut and prep the veggies while the asparagus is on the oven.
Prep Time25 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: asparagus, asparagus pesto, pesto, roasted asparagus
Servings: 2
Author: Hip Foodie Mom

Equipment

  • food processor or blender

Ingredients

For the asparagus pesto:

  • 1 bunch asparagus spears hard ends removed, roasted and cut into 2 inch pieces*
  • 3 to 4 sun dried tomatoes
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
  • 1/4 cup whole almonds or almond slices or a mix of almonds and pecans or walnuts
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar to taste
  • light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

For the sandwich:

  • 4 whole wheat bread slices toasted
  • 1/2 large cucumber sliced thin lengthwise
  • raw shaved fennel white bulb only
  • 1 large tomato sliced thin
  • 1 large carrot peeled to create ribbons
  • alfalfa sprouts
  • 1 to 2 ripe avocados sliced
  • Serve with: Your fave creamy balsamic dressing or just oil and vinegar or some hummus

Instructions

For the asparagus pesto:

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. place asparagus on lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Let the asparagus cool slightly, cut into 2 inch pieces and place into the food processor. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, garlic, parsley and almonds (or blend of almonds and pecans or walnuts) in a food processor and pulse/process a few times until just blended.
  • Sprinkle in some salt (start with just a pinch) and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and pulse a few more times to blend together again. Add a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse again. If your pesto becomes too smooth and blended, you can always add more parsley and almonds and pulse a few times to get some texture. Taste and adjust any ingredients as needed. Remove from the food processor and set aside.

For the sandwich:

  • Spread the asparagus pesto onto one slice of bread and top with the cucumbers, fennel, tomato slices, carrot ribbons, and sprouts. Top the other slice of toasted bread with the avocado slices and place on top of the other side.
  • Slice and serve with your fave creamy balsamic dressing, or oil and vinegar or some hummus. Alternatively, you can spread the dressing or hummus on the second slice of toast before placing on top of the other side of the sandwich.