Veggie Patty @ Subway

I didn’t realize the Subway restaurant chain offered a hot sandwich option for vegetarians until yesterday, when the lady diligently adding onions, tomatos, peppers and condiments to my cold Veggie Delite pointed it out to me. “I’m not vegetarian, but I think they’re pretty good,” she said, gesturing to the oblong veggie burgers sitting there under the glass, next to all the cold cuts. My interest was definitely piqued.

Subway is often my fast food of choice, especially since one of them opened within walking distance of my office. However, sometimes, I’m just not in the mood for a cold sandwich. Some days, I like it hot! Eating Subway two days in a row wasn’t ideal, but I couldn’t resist going back for another round today, specifically to try the veggie patty.

My understanding is that the veggie patties are not available at all locations. The store I patronize, where the patties are listed under the “local favorites” menu, just recently started carrying them, according to the lady behind the counter, who didn’t know the ingredients of the patty. Therefore, I used the customer service form at Subway’s Web site to inquire about the nutritional/ingredient information. I received a reply from a customer care representative named Peggy within a matter of hours, detailing ingredients and nutritional info on the chain’s Gardenburger and VegiMax menu items.

Gardenburger ingredients: Mushrooms, brown rice, onions, rolled oats, part-skim mozzarella, cottagecheese curd, egg white, cheddar cheese, bulgar wheat, natural seasonings and spices, autolyzed yeast, sea salt, olive oil, tapioca starch, and vegetable gum.

Gardenburger nutritional information: Calories 390, Protein (g) 19, Carbohydrates (g) 66, Sugar 6, Fat (g) 7, Sat. Fat (g) 2.5, Cholesterol (mg) 5, Sodium (mg) 960, Dietary Fiber (g) 9.

VegiMax ingredients: Vegetables (mushroom, water chestnuts, onions, carrots, green and red bell peppers, black olives), textured vegetable protein (soy protein consentrate, wheat gluten), egg whites, cooked brown rice, rolled oats, corn oil, calcium caseinate, soy sauce (water, soybeans, salt,wheat) Contains 2% or less of the following: onion powder, cornstarch, salt, hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat protein, sucrose, soy protein isolate, spices, garlic powder, dextrose, jalapeno pepper powder, celery extract.

VegiMax nutritional information: Calories 390, Protein (g) 24, Carbohydrates (g) 56, Sugar 7, Fat (g) 8, Sat. Fat (g) 1.5, Cholesterol (mg) 10, Sodium (mg) 1030, Dietary Fiber (g) 7.

Additional notes provided by the rep: The above values include wheat or white bread, a 3.0 oz patty, and all the standard vegetables. Cheese or other condiments are not included. The above information is for a 6 inch sub which is a local product. However, the nutrient value may vary depending on the store’s manufacturer.

I haven’t made an additional inquiry yet about the natural seasonings listed in the e-mail, but those who wish to may want to try this form, which is what I used to ask about ingredients.

Overall, I thought the Subway veggie patty was pretty good… but no different in taste than any other veggie patty, really. It’ll cost you more than the Veggie Delite–$1.20 more at my local store. But, I do give Subway some credit for adding another menu option for vegetarians. Even if it is just a standard veggie burger, aside from the funny oblong shape to fit on the 6-inch subs. I hope the veggie patties grow in popularity and become a regular menu item at the chain nationwide.

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NOTE: Last week, I was away on vacation in Michigan’s upper peninsula, which is beautiful overall, but not that big on veggies. I took notes and plan to share my experiences as a vegetarian traveling through meat-loving Yooperville in a future blog post. Look for it soon!