Although not one of their new sandwiches, I haven’t had the Panera Mediterranean Veggie sandwich before. Wanted to try this vegetarian option.

Panera describes it as having “zesty sweet Peppadew™ piquant peppers, feta, cucumbers, emerald greens, vine-ripened tomatoes, red onions, hummus, salt and pepper on Tomato Basil”. After eating so many heavy sandwiches previously, I wanted to pick something that wasn’t a calorie bomb. The half size of this was only 270 calories. So it’s a great choice that pairs well with a soup or salad.

I’m in love with the Tomato Basil bread. It makes everything taste lovely. I remember really enjoying how fresh everything tasted. The feta came through strong, but I didn’t taste too much of the red onion. Raw onions can be too overpowering to me sometimes. My husband usually doesn’t like foods that have a strong feta flavor, so he wasn’t a huge fan.

I was also going to write a review about their Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup (spoiler: I didn’t like it). Noticed later that I already reviewed it in the past and forgot! Turns out it isn’t so new after all. It’s described as “Zesty roasted tomato and chili broth with slow-simmered chicken, masa, corn, poblano peppers, black beans, and hominy, with lime and cilantro. Garnished with masa crisps.” So slightly different than the previous one I reviewed, but pretty close to the same. The corn had char on it, and there were pieces of pulled chicken. Slightly spicy. 150 calories for the half size. I’ll try not to order it again, if I can remember.