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Vegetarian Recipes

Crispy Cauliflower Po’ Boy Sandwich

https://www.loveandlemons.com/po-boy-sandwich/

Happy (almost) Labor Day weekend! If you’re still looking for a really fun, delicious, and healthy(-ish!) main dish for your cookouts this weekend, this Cauliflower Po’ Boy Sandwich is just the thing for you!

What is a po boy?

A traditional sandwich from New Orleans, a po’ boy is typically served on French bread and stuffed with roast beef or fried seafood, oftentimes shrimp. A slather of creamy remoulade sauce ties the whole thing together.

While I may not be making a roast beef po’ boy anytime soon, this crispy cauliflower po’ boy has been on repeat around here for the last few weeks. The crisp-tender cauliflower reminds me of the texture of fried shrimp, and I toss it in a lemony, Creole-spiced panko coating for a boost of flavor. Finished with juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and a creamy/tangy/smoky sauce, it’s a delectable way to celebrate the end of summer!


Po' Boy Sandwich Recipe


My Po’ Boy Recipe Ingredients

I’ve experimented with veggie po’ boys before, but this time I streamlined the recipe. I skip the cornmeal in the crispy coating, using a mix of panko, Creole seasoning, and lemon zest to coat the cauliflower. A lightly beaten egg binds it to the veggies.

Then, I make an easy homemade remoulade sauce with 5 simple ingredients:

  • Mayo is the creamy base.
  • Garlic adds depth of flavor.
  • Hot sauce spices it up.
  • Paprika gives it a smoky kick.
  • And Dijon mustard adds a tangy finish.

Just grab tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and soft baguette or French rolls to complete the sandwiches, and you’re good to go!

How to Make a Po’ Boy Sandwich

Once your ingredients are prepped, these sandwiches are easy to put together. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Mix together the panko, Creole seasoning, and lemon zest. Dip each cauliflower floret in the egg wash, and then toss it in the panko mixture until it’s fully coated.
  2. Spread the breaded cauliflower florets on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and roast them in a 400-degree oven until they’re crispy and golden, about 20 minutes. (If you have one, an air-fryer works here too!)
  3. While the cauliflower cooks, stir together the remoulade sauce.
  4. Finally, load up the sandwiches with the breaded & baked cauliflower, the sauce, and all the fixings! Enjoy!

 

Po’ Boy Sandwich Serving Suggestions

I like to serve my po’ boys with a big squeeze of lemon and extra sauce on the side. If you need ideas for what to pair them with, try any classic picnic fare. As you can see in the photos, we like them with potato chips, but sweet potato fries with chipotle sauce or any of these summer salads would be great choices too:

Happy picnicking!

Crispy Cauliflower Po Boy Sandwich

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Main dish

  • ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1½ tablespoon Creole Seasoning
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • heaping 2 cups small cauliflower florets (1-inch pieces)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • 4 soft baguette pieces, lightly toasted
  • Lettuce, tomatoes & pickles
  • Chives
  • Lemon wedges
  • ½ cup mayo
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. On a rimmed tray, mix together the panko, seasoning, and lemon zest. Place the egg in a small bowl nearby. Dip each cauliflower floret into the egg, coat with the panko mixture, then place onto the baking sheet Repeat with remaining cauliflower. Drizzle the coated cauliflower with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, mustard, garlic, paprika, and hot sauce.
  4. Assemble the sandwiches with a generous slather of the remoulade, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cauliflower. Squeeze lemon over the cauliflower, top with chives, and serve with remaining remoulade sauce on the side.

 

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Vegetarian Recipes

Homemade Pop Tarts

Nothing screams nostalgia more than a Pop Tart. In reality, it’s a dessert disguised as breakfast, but I’m here for it. These easy Homemade Pop Tarts are free of all those mysterious, hard-to-pronounce ingredients (and no high fructose corn syrup!) and utilize pantry staples you probably already have on hand! For me, it required zero trips to the store and resulted in a super cute, budget-friendly treat my family loves. I couldn’t decide on just one flavor, so I made two different fillings, and I’m sharing both here with you today!

Overhead view of homemade pop tarts next to a bowl of sprinkles.

Easy Recipe for Homemade Pop Tarts

I threw this recipe together one weekend morning when I was craving something special but didn’t want to leave the house. I discovered a box of pie crusts left over from the holidays in my freezer. Then, I raided the refrigerator and found blueberry jam at the back…and this copycat homemade Pop Tart recipe was born! Let me tell you, my daughter was thrilled with these! We also ended up making a batch for her babysitter’s family. Huge hit.

Budget Saving Tip

In retrospect, you could easily keep the circular pie shape and cut it into pie-like slices or cut your rectangular dough shapes into smaller squares to get more servings for your money. However, I was going for maximum nostalgia and wanted to make it look as close to the real thing as possible. But, you do you! (And share your favorite flavors and shapes in the comments below!)

A homemade blueberry pop tart on a plate.

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Homemade Pop Tarts

These easy Homemade Pop Tarts are made with pie crust and simple pantry ingredients (no corn syrup or preservatives). Includes two nostalgic filling flavors!
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Total Cost $5.98 recipe / $1.49 serving
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 tarts
Calories 837kcal
Author Jess Rice

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients

Brown Sugar Filling:

  • ¼ cup brown sugar $0.13
  • 1 tsp flour $0.01
  • 1 tsp cinnamon $0.08
  • 1 Tbsp salted butter, melted $0.12
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract $0.16

Blueberry Jam Filling:

  • ¼ cup blueberry jam* $0.44
  • 1 tsp corn starch $0.02

Homemade Pop Tarts:

  • 1 package of pre-made pie crusts** $2.77
  • 1 egg, beaten (optional)*** $0.49

Cinnamon Frosting:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar $0.55
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream $0.20
  • 1 tsp cinnamon $0.08

Berry Frosting:

  • remnants of juice from the jam-filling process $0.00
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream $0.20
  • 1 cup powdered sugar $0.55
  • ½ Tbsp sprinkles $0.18

Instructions

  • Gather ingredients and preheat oven to 400℉.
  • Make cinnamon sugar filling: Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, melted salted butter, and vanilla extract in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Set aside.
  • Make berry jam filling: Combine blueberry jam and corn starch. Set aside.
  • Flour a large work surface and roll out pie crusts, one at a time, to be even thickness. I like to make my pie crusts fairly thin so I get another serving out of this recipe, but the trick is to cut one rectangle in whatever size you prefer and then use that one as your guide to cut the rest, making them all the same size.
  • Add 1-2 Tbsp of prepared filling to one prepared rectangular crust at a time, reserving a rectangle of crust for each to place over the top. Do not overfill your tarts.
  • Place reserved rectangle crusts over the top of each filled side and prick once or twice with a fork or toothpick (to help some air escape during baking), then seal each tart by gently pressing the crusts together with a fork.
  • Optional: Beat one egg and brush each tart to give it a nice shine.
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes on parchment-lined baking sheets until top crusts are golden brown. If you experience a blow out, don’t worry! Once they cool and it comes time to frost them, it won’t be an issue.
  • While they’re cooling, make the brown sugar frosting and the berry frosting. To make the brown sugar frosting, simply combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp heavy cream, and cinnamon in a bowl, whisking until smooth. To make the berry frosting, I like to use up any leftover juice from the jam that’s still in my mixing bowl (for color!) along with the remaining 2 Tbsp cream and the remaining cup of powdered sugar.
  • Once they’re completely cooled, frost each Pop Tart generously. Top the berry tarts with sprinkles. Decorate the berry tarts with sprinkles before serving. Enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*You can use any flavor of berry jam that you already have on hand. You can even combine jars of jam if you’re short on one flavor.

**I used a package of two 9-inch pie crusts. You can also try making a homemade double pie crust if you have the time!

***This price is based on Walmart prices on March 17th, 2025. This is optional…with the price of eggs these days, you may want to skip this step. I do find it helps with frosting them nicely and smoothly, but you can totally skip it, and they’ll still come out perfect.😊

Nutrition

Serving: 1tart | Calories: 837kcal | Carbohydrates: 133g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Sodium: 402mg | Fiber: 3g

how to make Homemade Pop Tarts step-by-step photos

The ingredients to make homemade pop tarts.

Make the fillings: Gather all your ingredients and preheat the oven to 400℉. Now, make the cinnamon sugar filling by combining ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 Tbsp melted salted butter, and ¼ tsp vanilla extract in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, bake the berry jam filling by combining ¼ cup blueberry jam and 1 tsp corn starch. Set both fillings aside for now.

Hands using a rolling pin to roll out a pie crust.

Shape the pie dough: Sprinkle a little all-purpose flour onto your work surface and roll out each pie crust (one at a time) to an even thickness. To get the most out of the pie dough, I like to make them fairly thin.

A pie crust cut into 8 rectangles.

Now cut out one rectangle from your rolled-out dough in whatever size you prefer, and use that one as your guide to cut the rest. You need eight rectangles total to make 4 homemade Pop Tarts.

Brown sugar filling added to two pie crust rectangles and blueberry jam filling added to 2 pie crust rectangles.

Fill the tarts: Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of prepared filling into one prepared rectangular crust at a time, reserving a rectangle of crust for each to place over the top. Be careful not to overfill your tarts.

Hands adding the top crust to a homemade pop tart.

Seal the tarts: Place the reserved rectangle crusts over the top of each filled side. Now, carefully prick the top of each tart once or twice with a fork (or toothpick. This will allow air and steam to escape while baking).

A fork crimping the edges of a homemade pop tart.

Use a fork to seal the edges of each tart by pressing the crusts together, as shown here.

A basting brush topping four unbaked copycat pop tarts with egg wash.

(Optional) Add an egg wash: Brush an egg wash made from one beaten egg over the top of each tart. This will give it a nice shine once baked, but it is entirely optional.

Four freshly baked pop tarts on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake: Place each tart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the crusts are golden brown. Don’t worry if any of the filling spills out during baking! Let them cool while you make the frosting.

Berry frosting in a bowl and cinnamon sugar frosting in a bowl.

Make the frostings: Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp heavy cream, and 1 tsp cinnamon in a bowl until smooth to make the brown sugar frosting. To make the berry frosting, I like to use up any leftover juice from the jam that’s still in my mixing bowl (for color!) along with the remaining 2 Tbsp cream and the remaining cup of powdered sugar.

Two finished homemade pop tarts.

Frost and serve: Once cooled, top your homemade brown sugar Pop Tarts and your homemade blueberry Pop Tarts with the corresponding frosting. Add a few sprinkles to the berry-flavored tarts, and serve!

Overhead view of three blueberry and three brown sugar homemade pop tarts.

Recipe Success Tips & Suggestions

  1. Don’t overfill! I stick to 1-2 tablespoons of filling per homemade Pop Tart. Any more than that, and it gets tricky to close them up properly. Too much filling can also squeeze out the sides during baking or cause the top crust to tear while sealing.
  2. Leave a gap around the edges. Be sure to leave a little border when adding your filling. Then, gently pierce the tops with a fork or toothpick before baking. This helps release steam and keeps the crust from getting soggy.
  3. Crimp the wedges well. Use a fork to seal the edges all the way around. If a little filling spills out during baking, don’t stress! That’s exactly why we line the baking sheet. Once cooled, any overflow will separate easily from the tarts, and the parchment paper will make it simple to clean up!
  4. Use up any pie crust scraps. If you’ve got any little off-cuts from shaping the dough, don’t toss them! Cut them into shapes or strips and bake them into quick pie crust cookies. I’d sprinkle them with some cinnamon and brown sugar before baking or drizzle over leftover frosting once they’ve cooled for an easy bonus treat.

Flavor Variations to Try!

You can use just about any flavored jam to fill these easy homemade Pop Tarts! Use ¼ cup of jam as listed in the recipe card above. I’d also add 1 teaspoon of corn starch if the jam is quite runny, just to thicken it up some. Here are some other ideas I think would work well (you want about ¼ cup of filling per flavor variation):

Storage & Reheating

You can keep unfrosted homemade Pop Tarts covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. If your kitchen runs warm or you’re storing frosted pies, it’s best to keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2–3 months. I recommend freezing them unfrosted for the best results since the frosting can get a little sticky or runny when thawed. Let them thaw in the fridge, then reheat in the toaster oven, air fryer, oven at 350°F, or microwave if desired.

More Easy Copycat Recipes

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