4.7 from 14 reviews

The Original Green Goddess Sandwich

By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Jul 26, 2014 (updated Sep 1, 2024) / 120 Comments Jump to Recipe

Elevate your lunch with these vibrant green goddess sandwiches packed full of herbaceous dressing, fresh mozzarella, cucumber, tomato, sprouts, and pickled onion. These can easily be made vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.

Gild the lily by serving these up on homemade sourdough discard focaccia. If you're looking for exceptionally delicious sandwiches, look no further than these!

I first shared this recipe back in 2013, inspired by a cool, crisp veggie sandwich I enjoyed at a local sandwich shop, plus my love of green goddess salad dressing. At the time, there were no green goddess sandwich recipes on the internet. It was an instant success! Now there are loads of green goddess sandwiches, including in Bon Appétit, Eating Well, and even on the menu at Panera. I'm honored that my humble invention has gained such popularity. If you're looking for a craveable sandwich recipe, I hope you love this one! Below is my original text.

They say bad things happen in threes and this summer I seem to have reached my quota. First there was my pain in the neck, then a bout of poison oak. I figured that whatever karma had caught up with me, I was now in the clear. But then while photographing these green goddess sandwiches the other day, I toppled off a step stool and landed in the ER with three stitches in my knee.

I've never before had neck pain last more than a day, and before this month, I hadn't experienced the itchy wonders of poison oak. Falling off of stepladders is not a summer activity in which I usually partake, either. Clearly this is all a sign that I need to stay indoors on the couch watching Britcoms, drinking (also green) chartreuse cocktails and eating green goddess sandwiches until Labor Day.

After the fall, during which I screamed bloody murder for about 5 minutes (I am not a graceful patient), Jay cleaned me up, plopped me on the couch with several ice packs, turned the laptop to face me, and finished shooting these green goddess sandwiches. What a nice guy, right?

When the pain didn't stop, we packed up the sandwiches and headed to the ER. The nurse asked if I had hit my head during the fall to which Jay responded, "She screamed. A lot. She was definitely not unconscious," which caused the entire staff to laugh uproariously.

Due to the bodily harm they caused, I should hate green goddess sandwiches if only they weren't so tasty. As it is, we've been making them daily for our lunch. The idea came from a couple of different dining experiences.

The first occurred at a restaurant that is usually quite excellent. I ordered a green goddess salad, excited for the little gems, radishes, avocado, red onion, and herbed vinaigrette promised by the menu. What I actually got were some chewed up outer leaves from a romaine head, rock-hard avocado chunks, and what tasted like a watered-down buttermilk dressing. I asked the server if I had perhaps been given the wrong salad, and she said, "No, that's it." The experience left me craving a proper green goddess coated in a nap of potent dressing.

The second source of inspiration was a simple vegetarian sandwich that Jay ordered from a cafe - Hazel's - in our neighborhood that's been around for ages. Sourdough bread, avocado, sprouts, cheese, tomatoes, and a slather of tasty aïoli, it was essentially a salad between two pieces of bread – tangy and cool.

Green Goddess Sandwiches

These green goddess sandwiches start by blending good mayonnaise with garlic, anchovies, lemon, and a mess of herbs: basil, tarragon, and chives being my favored combination. This green goddess mayo gets slathered on some bread (preferably a hearty sourdough) and topped with all the green things: thin slices of cucumber, green zebra tomatoes, avocado, sprouts, and lettuce. For protein and ooey-gooiness we add fresh mozzarella, and for extra pungence, some quickly-pickled spring onions.

Sandwiches for Everyone

A few options for dietary preferences:

These green goddess sandwiches could easily swing vegetarian by swapping out the anchovy in the mayo for capers.
To make them vegan, use vegan mayo and a good vegan mozzarella, ricotta, or cream cheese such as Miyoko's or Kite Hill.
Use gluten-free bread if needed. My favorite is Arise Bakery sourdough boules, but Canyon Bakehouse makes a good sandwich bread that's readily available at most supermarkets.

Thus the green goddess sandwiches of our dreams: messy, bright, and ultra-flavorful. Hopefully they will cause no more debacles; I'm very carefully crossing my fingers...

More Green Goddess Recipes:

Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this green goddess sandwich recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

top down shot of Green Goddess Sandwiches

4.72 from 14 reviews

The Original Green Goddess Sandwich

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 15

Total: 15

Servings: 4 to 6 sandwiches

Ingredients

Green Goddess Mayonnaise (makes enough for 4-6 sandwiches):

⅓ cup packed basil leaves
⅓ cup packed tarragon leaves
⅓ cup packed chopped chives
2 medium-large garlic cloves
2 anchovy fillets
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup good mayonnaise (such as Spectrum's olive oil mayonnaise)
zest and juice of ½ a lemon

Pickled spring onions (makes enough for 4-6 sandwiches):

1 white onion (or 2 spring onions), thinly sliced
½ cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed

Per sandwich:

2 slices sandwich bread or sourdough
½ a small, ripe avocado, sliced
2 fat slices fresh mozzarella
1 medium-sized green zebra tomato (or other heirloom tomato), sliced
a few thin slices cucumber
several slices pickled onion
a handful of sprouts or microgreens (I use broccoli sprouts), rinsed and dried
a couple of small lettuce leaves (butter or romaine), rinsed and dried

Instructions

Make the mayonnaise:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients except for the lemon juice (i.e., the basil, tarragon, chives, garlic, anchovies, salt, mayonnaise, and lemon zest).
Pulse until smooth, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pulse in the lemon juice a little at a time, stopping if the mixture becomes thin. Chill until needed.

Pickle the onions:

In a medium-sized jar, combine the onion slices, vinegar, sugar, salt, and peppercorns. Put the lid on the jar and let sit for at least 10 minutes, shaking a few times to dissolve the salt and sugar. Use immediately or refrigerate until needed, up to 1 week.

Assemble the sandwiches:

Toast the bread and spread both slices with a thick layer of the mayonnaise.
Top with the avocado, mozzarella, tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, sprouts, and lettuce.
Sandwich with the other slice of bread and press down gently.
Optionally wrap the sandwich in parchment or secure with two toothpicks, and slice in half with a sharp serrated bread knife or chef's knife.

Notes

Substitutions suggestions:

These green goddess sandwiches could easily swing vegetarian by swapping out the anchovy in the mayo for capers.

To make them vegan, use vegan mayo and a good vegan mozzarella, ricotta, or cream cheese such as Miyoko's or Kite Hill.

Use gluten-free bread if needed. My favorite is Arise Bakery sourdough boules, but Canyon Bakehouse makes a good sandwich bread that's readily available at most supermarkets.

The mayonnaise keeps well for up to a week, staying vibrant green and marrying the flavors together nicely. I like the onions best when freshly pickled, but they will also keep in the fridge for a week or more.

Wrapping the sandwiches in parchment paper prior to cutting them in half helps them to hold together, but feel free to skip this step in favor of deliciously messy sandwiches.

Nutritional values are based on one of four sandwiches.

Nutrition

Calories: 645kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 17gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 1375mgPotassium: 1136mgFiber: 12gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1900IUVitamin C: 41.7mgCalcium: 302mgIron: 5mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

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Comments

4.72 from 14 votes (12 ratings without comment)