These green goddess sandwich bites are bursting in flavor and are filled with healthy ingredients such as avocado, zucchini, ricotta, and soft-boiled eggs.

Summer has been really hot in Rome that we reduced our cooking almost by half. The house gets practically on fire even while preparing coffee, so we are trying to eat more raw, fresh food instead. Besides delicious strawberry asparagus salad, multiple-layer sandwiches have been saving the day. 

Natural, healthy, and fulfilling, veggie sandwiches are our favorite! 

What I love about them is that you can actually mix ingredients and always get a new flavor. Even though they are so simple in preparation, veggie sandwiches always look so delicious and tempting!  I mean, look at those layers. I feel hungry already!

When preparing sandwiches, I always try to use healthy ingredients, choose good quality bread, make my own spread, and pack it with proteins and vegetables. The more colorful, the better! 

For these green bites, I used rye bread and filled it with avocado-lime spread, ricotta cheese, grilled zucchini, cucumbers, and a soft boiled egg. Add a few leaves of songino salad, some freshly picked basil leaves, and this green goodness is ready for tasting!

How to assemble a multiple layer sandwich

When assembling a multiple-layer sandwich, you should make sure that all the ingredients have their layer and are presented well. I am one of those persons that eat with their eyes, and good-looking food is always essential for me, even on a daily basis. 

What makes sandwich assembling much easier is preparing all the ingredients ahead and building your sandwich step by step. I usually prepare all sandwich parts and place them on a clean countertop where I have a good preview of all of them. In that way, you won’t forget to put that special ingredient that you love or make a mess while assembling the sandwich. 

Prepare your spread first, if you are making your homemade version. For this sandwich, I made my avo-lime spread, which is refreshing but also very nutritious thanks to the good avocado fat. I also added a few tablespoons of sheep ricotta, which we get from our neighbors' local farm. This kind of ricotta is much more flavorful than the one made with cow milk, but you can be very flexible here and add your favorite fresh cheese or even omit it. 

Washing, drying, and chopping your salad ahead makes it much easier when it comes to the assembling process. My two favorite salads are arugula and songino salad (small leave salad that is so tasteful and packed with vitamins and minerals). For this recipe, I use songino salad as it is smaller and not as bitter as arugula. If you use songino salad, there is no need for chopping (yes!), and you can just toss a few leaves on your sandwich. 😉

Zucchini and cucumbers are in season, and our garden is bursting with these green beauties. Zucchini multiply so fast that we eat them several times a week!   I love grilled zucchini as you can make them in advance and add pretty much to everything. I grill zucchini for 3-5 minutes until just cooked and crunchy.  Cucumbers add that extra freshness to your sandwich and go well with the rest of the ingredients.  A soft-boiled egg is a delight on its own but in this case not only adds an extra protein layer to our sandwich, but it enriches it with flavor and creaminess. 

If you love this recipe but are looking for a vegan version, omit eggs and cheese and instead add some chickpeas. Check the vegan version in notes.

Irresistible Avocado Green Goddess Sandwich
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2
Prep. time: 15 minutes

1 avocado, ripe
 
1 medium zucchini, grilled

50g fresh songino salad (or salad of your choice)

1/2 fresh cucumber

2 eggs, soft boiled
 
50g fresh ricotta cheese
 
A handful of fresh basil

Juice from 1/2 lime

2 tbsp olive oil
 
4 slices of rye bread (or bread of your choice)

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

Prepare your avocado-lime spread by mixing avocado, lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and pinch of ground black pepper. Mash everything together with a fork or use a blender to mix the ingredients together. 
Wash and dry all your veggies. Cut zucchini in long slices and grill them for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden and crunchy.  If you are using songino salad there is no need for chopping it as its leaves are already small. If you are using a regular lettuce salad, make sure to chop it into smaller pieces before assembling the sandwich.  Peel the half of the cucumber and cut in thin circles.  

Prepare the eggs by placing them in a smaller pan together with cold water and bringing them to boil. To have a soft boiled egg, you should cook it for about 6 minutes. 

Assemble the sandwich by putting a nice layer of avocado-lime spread on both bread slices, then add a layer of salad, a layer of grilled zucchini, a layer of ricotta cheese and few cucumber slices. Add egg slices, sprinkle with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add some freshly chopped basil leaves, and your green goddess sandwich is ready! Enjoy!

Notes:

Vegan version: In a small bowl add a can of pre-cooked chickpeas, a half of a fresh lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper to taste. Smash everything with your fork just until soft. Prepare the sandwich as described in instructions and add chickpea mixture instead of cheese and egg. You can also add a few avocado slices for extra creaminess.