Ham Pita Pockets with Homemade Veggie Cream Cheese

Brighten up your lunch routine with this delicious ham pita pocket sandwich made with homemade veggie cream cheese!

I'm quite the fan of cream cheese. I love to eat it slathered on bagels or spread on crackers, and I love to cook with it too. Really I'm a lover of all cheeses, but I really like the creaminess and versatility of cream cheese. I often buy the flavored versions as my kids love to put different ones on their bagels, so I recently decided to make my own. 

We all love the veggie cream cheese, so that's what I started with. I'll tell you right now, it's way easier to make than you think. I added light cream cheese and lots of chopped vegetables to my food processor, whipped it up until it was nice and smooth and BOOM. It was done. And oh so delicious, I might add. What's great is that you can tailor it to your liking. Don't like onions? Don't add them in. Want more peppers? Throw an extra handful in. You can do whatever you like, this recipe is just a guide!

Once you've made a batch of the veggie cream cheese, you can use it as a spread, as a dip, or any other way you like it. I will say that I highly recommend making this delicious pita sandwich first! Spread the inside of a pita pocket with the cream cheese, then layer thinly sliced ham, sliced cucumbers, and shredded lettuce inside. It's perfect for the kids' lunchboxes and easy to take to work. In a hurry? This handheld sandwich is perfect for an on-the-go lunch and also wraps up perfectly for picnics. What more can you ask for?

Ham Pita Pockets with Homemade Veggie Cream Cheese
Author: Sarah Bates | The Chef Next Door
Makes 1 sandwich
Print this recipe 

Ingredients:

For the Vegetable Cream Cheese:
Two - 8 oz. packages light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped tri-color bell peppers
Salt and pepper

For the Pita Sandwich:
1 whole pita round, cut in half down the middle
4 slices deli ham
8 cucumber slices
2 Tbsp vegetable cream cheese
Shredded lettuce

First, make the vegetable cream cheese. Add the cream cheese and all the vegetables to the bowl of a food processor. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn the machine on low and run until the mixture is completely combined and the vegetable pieces are small. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a container and store, covered, in the refrigerator. 

To make the sandwich, carefully spread about a tablespoon of the veggie cream cheese inside each of the pita halves. To each half, layer two pieces of ham, four sliced cucumbers and a bit of shredded lettuce. 

Bon Appetit!

I'm excited to continue my partnership with the United Dairy Industry of Michigan in 2015 and I thank them for sponsoring this post! I was compensated for developing a "Lunch Box Redux” recipe using Michigan dairy products. As always, all opinions are my own. UDIM, branded as Milk Means More, is the umbrella organization for the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council of Michigan. Their goal is to promote Michigan’s locally produced dairy products and reconnect consumers with the people behind their food.

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