Focaccia Sandwich

Focaccia sandwiches are the perfect lunch-box meal, but they’re also delicious as a snack or an easy and fulfilling dinner.

We use our thick, fluffy, and ridiculously easy no-knead focaccia as a base with a crispy crust and a soft, pillowy interior.

You can stuff the sandwich with your favorite sauces, spreads, cheeses, and veggies. Here, we show you two of our favorite options.

Easy, delicious, and satisfying, a focaccia sandwich is the perfect recipe for picnics, potlucks, birthday parties, school, the office, and casual meals.

Focaccia is a thick and soft Italian bread similar to pizza but taller, excellent for stuffing.

If you are interested, we have a well-tested recipe for an easy no-knead focaccia—the one you see in the pictures here.

It’s seasoned with rosemary, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt, which makes it already plenty flavorful. Imagine how it can taste when stuffed!

You can stuff the focaccia with pretty much anything, including:

• Spreads and sauces: pesto, olive tapenade, hummus, vegan mayo, romesco sauce, muhammara, baba ganoush, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc.
• Cheeses: any vegan cheese, halloumi, feta, mozzarella, provolone, pecorino, etc.
• Leafy greens: arugula, spinach, lettuce, watercress, etc.
• Veggies: grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant or roasted eggplant, roasted bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, and more.
• Something pickled: quick pickled red onions, sumac onions, jalapeños, and more.
• Italian cold cuts: prosciutto, bresaola, salami, etc.

We’ll show you two options for making a focaccia sandwich, but feel free to change the ingredients to match what you have available.

• Mediterranean-inspired with grilled veggies, hummus, and pickled onions.
• Italian-inspired with basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and arugula.

For a mediterranean-inspired focaccia sandwich, you’ll need:

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Focaccia bread

You can make your focaccia or use store-bought focaccia.

We have a simple and well-tested no-knead focaccia recipe perfect for this focaccia sandwich. It’s the one you see in the pictures: soft inside and crispy outside.

Hummus

You can use homemade hummus or store-bought hummus.

Substitute hummus with basil pesto, vegan pesto, olive tapenade, baba ganoush, or muhammara.

Halloumi

Halloumi is a Mediterranean cheese you can find in most supermarkets.

Substitute fresh mozzarella for halloumi.

For vegans, you can use grilled tofu, vegan cheese or vegan ricotta cheese.

Vegetables

We use grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, and roasted peppers. You can grill and roast them yourself or buy them in jars or fresh in the deli section of your local grocery store.

You can also use roasted eggplant, air-fried eggplant, roasted zucchini, or air-fried zucchini.

If you prefer something raw, substitute spinach or arugula, tomatoes, sliced carrots, avocado, and raw bell pepper for the grilled vegetables.

Pickled onions

Add something pickled to make the flavors pop. We recommend quick pickled red onions or marinated sumac onions, which you can make in about 30 minutes from scratch.

Substitute pickled beets, jalapeños, sun-dried tomatoes, or marinated artichokes for the onions.

Seasoning

We use extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

1. Prepare the ingredients

You can use store-bought or homemade ingredients. Here are the links if you want to try and make them at home:

• Focaccia
• Hummus
• Grilled eggplant
• Grilled zucchini
• Roasted peppers
• Quick pickled red onions
• Halloumi, mozzarella, or grilled tofu: slice it into 1/5 inch or 1/2 cm.

You have two options for cutting the focaccia.

1. Cut it into 4.5-inch (11 cm) squares, then cut the squares open and stuff them. Do this if you are not using the whole focaccia – this is what we usually do.

2. Cut the whole focaccia open, stuff it, then cut it into portion-size squares. This method is more suitable if you use the entire focaccia to make several sandwiches.

2. Layer the ingredients

Spread a layer of hummus on the bottom slice of the focaccia bread.

Top it with roasted bell pepper, grilled eggplant, and grilled zucchini. Season with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, and black pepper.

Top with halloumi (you can grill it on a skillet for a minute on each side if you like) and pickled red onions.

Spread a thin layer of hummus on the other half of the focaccia.

Then, top the sandwich and cut it into squares if necessary.

Italian Caprese Focaccia Sandwich

This variation is inspired by the famous Italian Caprese sandwich.

You’ll need basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, fresh fior di latte mozzarella, arugula, and basil leaves.

Check out the full recipe for Caprese sandwich.

Delicious homemade hummus, creamy avocado, crunchy vegetables stuffed in crunchy bread slices (or in focaccia bread).

Here’s our hummus sandwich recipe.

Serving suggestions

This focaccia sandwich is a delicious lunch idea and works beautifully for school or office lunches.

Serve it with some leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, and pickled cucumbers for a delicious, nourishing, and satisfying meal.

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Make ahead: you can make this recipe up to 24 hours ahead.

Refrigerator: Keep in the fridge if storing for more than 2 to 3 hours.

Freezer: Not suitable for freezing.

Reheat: warm in the air fryer or a preheated oven at 400°F or 200°C for a few minutes.

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