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    Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches

    June 22, 2020 By Rene 7 Comments

    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar.

    Jump to Recipe
    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #veganpesto #vegansandwich

    One of my favorite things to make during the Summer is PESTO! It is so easy to vegan-ize pesto and it has so much flavor - you will want to put it on everything!

    These sandwiches are so simple to make, but have SO MUCH flavor. I'm telling you, this will be on your menu all Summer long. You won't be able to get enough of them!

    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #veganpesto #vegansandwich
    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #veganpesto #vegansandwich

    How to make vegan pesto

    Vegan Pesto is super easy. Round up your ingredients - basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper.

    Add it all to a food processor and blend until you have your desired consistency. You can add less oil for a more chunky pesto, or more oil for a more saucy pesto. I went with a chunkier pesto for this recipe because I wanted it to be more rustic. But either way will work!

    You can also check out some of my other pesto recipes:

    • Broccoli Pesto
    • Kale Pesto
    • Cashew Pesto
    • Arugula Pesto
    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #veganpesto #vegansandwich

    How to cook the best burst tomatoes

    Burst tomatoes on the stove are one of my favorite things, like ever. They take way less time to make than roasting them, and taste AMAZING!

    Cook them up in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, Once they begin to soften and burst, they are ready. It's really that simple!

    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #veganpesto #vegansandwich

    How to assemble these open-faced burst tomato pesto sandwiches

    To assemble these bad boys, toast your bread. I used a ciabatta baguette - you can use whatever kind of bread you want, but I recommend using something sturdy.

    Once the bread is nice and crispy, spread a layer of pesto on each slice, followed by tomatoes, arugula, basil, balsamic vinegar & pepper.

    That's it! These taste great hot off the stove or at room temperature. You can't go wrong either way!

    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #veganpesto #vegansandwich
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches

    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar.
    Course lunch
    Cuisine American
    Keyword sandwich
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 348kcal

    Ingredients

    FOR THE BASIL PESTO

    • 2 cups basil gently packed
    • ½ cup pine nuts
    • 2-3 cloves garlic peeled
    • 1 lemon juiced
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • ¼-1/2 cup olive oil

    FOR THE SANDWICHES

    • 1 baguette (approx. 12 inches long) I used ciabatta
    • olive oil
    • 12 oz cherry tomatoes halved
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • red pepper flakes optional
    • arugula
    • fresh basil
    • balsamic vinegar

    Instructions

    • Combine all of the pesto ingredients (except the olive oil) in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Slowly add the olive oil until your desired consistency is reached - I used ¼ cup because I wanted a chunkier pesto. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
    • Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and a sprinkle of salt, pepper & red pepper flakes. Cook until tomatoes start to burst (approx. 5-7 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
    • Cut baguette down the center and into 4 equal pieces. Spray or brush with olive oil. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Place the olive oil side down on the pan and cook until toasted. Remove from the heat.
    • To assemble, spread an equal amount of pesto on each slice of bread, followed by the tomatoes, a handful of arugula, basil, balsamic vinegar and more black pepper.
    • Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 400mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Iron: 3mg

    This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase I will receive a small percentage of the sale. Please know I would never link a product unless I have personally used it and loved it!

    If you make this recipe be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and  @thissavoryvegan!

    These Open-Faced Burst Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches are flavor-packed with seasoned tomatoes, vegan basil pesto, arugula and balsamic vinegar | ThisSavoryVegan.com #thissavoryvegan #veganpesto #vegansandwich
    « Weekly Vegan Dinner Plan #106
    Air Fryer Falafel Bites with Pesto Dipping Sauce »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emily

      April 15, 2021 at 4:16 pm

      I love your gold silverware! If you don’t mind sharing, where is it from?

      Reply
    2. Claire

      July 10, 2020 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      So good! I’m not much of a tomato person normally but I really liked this! Great way to use up pesto/basil.

      Reply
      • Rene

        July 12, 2020 at 8:03 am

        So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    3. Hayley

      June 30, 2020 at 10:37 pm

      5 stars
      These were really good! I added a couple tablespoons of vegan Parmesan to the pesto, and I drizzled a balsamic glaze overtop instead of balsamic vinegar just because my vinegar is really runny. I cannot get enough tomatoes and basil this time of year so you’re totally right these will be on repeat all summer long!

      Reply
      • Rene

        July 07, 2020 at 3:32 pm

        So glad you liked it - and yes, tomatoes and basil are a MUST this time of year 🙂

        Reply
    4. Alexi

      June 29, 2020 at 6:45 pm

      5 stars
      Was inspired to make this today! I roasted my tomatoes in the oven with some garlic and fresh basil instead of cooking them in a pan, and used store-bought vegan pesto. Loved it! Made for a great lunch. Will 100% make this again.

      Reply
      • Rene

        July 07, 2020 at 3:32 pm

        So glad it worked out roasting them in the oven!

        Reply

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    I’m Rene! So-cal native, dog mom and lover of all things spicy. Learn more.

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