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The Ultimate Italian Panini Recipe

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Confession: I don’t have any Italian in me.

The Hubby is German. 

This sandwich, packed with pesto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers, makes for The Ultimate Italian Panini.

Which is no way stopped me from naming this sandwich The Ultimate Italian Panini. I’ve got it from a good source it totally fits the bill and by good source, I mean me. I promise to be impartial (cough, cough).

This is quite simply yet another submission in my summer quest for Sandwich Porn. 

It’s possible this bohemian badass just may take the cake though. In fact, it’s so damn good, I should declare myself the winner, tap out now and retire with my crown still intact.

This sandwich, packed with pesto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers, makes for The Ultimate Italian Panini.

Then again, I do like my summer sandwiches, especially when all I have to do is fire up the Panini maker. Translation: plug it in. High tech thingamabobs are my specialty. 

So are sandwiches, partially because they give me an easy excuse to ingest more grains. The Breadsmith, being mere miles away, doesn’t hurt either. There are days I can and have lived off their transcendental loaves of love. Take their Tuscan Herb bread for example; it’s like manna from heaven. Chock full of Italian herbs, it’s magic all on its own and equally as tantalizing when used in a sandwich, like this one.

This sandwich, packed with pesto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers, makes for The Ultimate Italian Panini.

Bread aside, let’s talk about the ingredients inside this Italian Panini. To start, there’s only a handful, which I love. They also complement one another so wonderfully you think they’ve been together forever.

We have a dollop of pesto as our base, store bought or homemade; it makes no difference, although since I’ve made pesto the last three out of four weekends, you can bet that’s the route I’m going. My basil plants are busting out right now. Remember what I said about your chives. Well, the same is true of basil and most herbs really. Essentially, if you eat them, they will prosper.       

This sandwich, packed with pesto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers, makes for The Ultimate Italian Panini.

Aside from the most fantastic pesto, these sandwiches contain a healthy dose of mozzarella cheese, roasted red bell peppers, quartered artichoke hearts and sweet red onions. Also known as everything your veggie loving soul could desire between two slices of herby baked bread. Roasting the red peppers takes this sandwich to the next level, and it even made the Hubby utter curse words of delight. The man doesn’t even like artichokes; yet he went back for seconds of this. 

In my not so humble opinion, this Ultimate Italian Panini is epic.  

This sandwich, packed with pesto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers, makes for The Ultimate Italian Panini.

It’s also damn good for you too. Artichokes are pretty much a super food in their own right. In fact, I’m just waiting for science to catch up with my hypothesis. They’re packed with antioxidants, vitamin C and potassium. They’re great for aiding in digestion, boosting immunity, and they’re fraught with fiber, and we all know fiber is our friend. The rest of the ingredients garner a good does of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, calcium and protein, because protein bro.

Be still my souped up, pimped out veggie loving heart.

The Ultimate Italian Panini
Serves 1
This sandwich, packed with pesto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers, makes for The Ultimate Italian Panini.
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Prep Time
8 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
13 min
Prep Time
8 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
13 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 slices good quality bread, I used Tuscan Herb
  2. 1/2 Roasted Red Bell Pepper*
  3. 1 Tbsp. Pesto
  4. Mozzarella, several slices, enough to cover the bread.
  5. 5 quartered Artichokes, drained.**
  6. 1/4 of a Red Onion, sliced in rings.
  7. Olive Oil or shortening agent of your choice.
Instructions
  1. Turn on your Panini maker.***
  2. Spread pesto on one slice of bread. Top with mozzarella cheese slices, roasted red pepper slices, quartered artichokes, and sliced red onion. Finish with the other piece of bread. Spread a touch of olive oil onto the bottom of Panini maker and also the top slice of bread.
  3. Place sandwich on Panini maker, with the unoiled slice of bread on the bottom. Close lid and let grill for five minutes, until the sandwich is golden brown on the outside and warm on the inside.
  4. Remove from Panini maker and let sit for two minutes, allowing the cheese to firm up slightly.
Notes
  1. *You can buy roasted red bell peppers or make your own. I made my own a day ahead of time, using this recipe: http://www.marinmamacooks.com/2013/09/how-to-roast-red-peppers/
  2. **I like using the artichokes marinated in olive oil, although the ones marinated in water work too.
  3. **If you don't have a Panini maker, you can make this on a skillet on your stovetop, no problem. Be sure to oil both outside slices of bread and flip the sandwich halfway through cooking. Cook on both sides until golden brown on the outside and warm on the inside.
Clean Eats, Fast Feets http://cleaneatsfastfeets.com/
This sandwich, packed with pesto, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, red onion, and roasted red bell peppers, makes for The Ultimate Italian Panini. Looking for other amazing sandwich recipes? Try one of these.

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Avocado Cheese Panini - the sandwich which combines creamy avocado, sun-ripened tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and pesto.

Blackberry Peach Grilled Goat Cheese

Blackberry Peach Grilled Cheese

Blueberry Brie Grilled Cheese

Grilled Cheese with Blueberry Sauce, Brie and Walnuts on Cinnamon Raisin Bread

The Ultimate #Italian #Panini: #pesto #mozzarella #artichokehearts #redonion and #roastedredpeppers.

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What’s your favorite summer sandwich combination? Do you have a special source for your bread?  

 

Comments

  1. Humbleness is overrated! Really! It’s shit people teach little girls. And then they wonder why men are paid better and have more success. Rant over – women working in gender mainstreaming speaking here.
    But seriously, I am so gonna roast some peppers tonight! THIS LOOKS EPIC! Another badass sandwich to kick some (taste) buds 😉
    I seriously LOVE the sandwichporn quest 😀

    And the hubby is German?
    Juli @1000lovelythings recently posted…Catching up Monday #27 – Juliland ShenanigansMy Profile

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  6. Great veggie-and-cheese loving minds think alike. I’ve been making a pasta salad this summer with artichokes, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and homemade pesto that has been a huuuge hit. Stuffing it all between two slices of amazing bread sounds even better.

    I missed your Blackberry Peach Grilled Cheese the first time around, but I must say that it’s speaking to me now.

    Reply

  7. okay firstly, I can totally see a whole series of skits based on your recipes – the intros that is – they deserve their own skit.. I can see a waiter coming over to a table and breaking into song as he/she describes the dish that is about to be presented. it’s very theatrical, dramatic, and entertaining. that’s how I feel when i’m reading your recipe intros, like i’m being serenaded by some gastronomic poet! we should collaborate one day, I suspect we could take over the world. I don’t know what I would do, but I sure as shit wanna be there when you dominate #vanillagorilladomination
    how could anyone not want this? it has roasted bell peppers – check. artichokes – check. pesto – check. all kinds of other amazing shit – check. flavor explosions to the max. OMG gimme gimme gimme.
    danielle saucy smith recently posted…sweaty runny storyMy Profile

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  15. Those ARTICHOKES! This is freaking gorgeous, I want to eat every last bite. You know that’s saying a lot coming from me. I am in fact part Italian, perhaps that’s why.
    Brittany recently posted…Rock My WorldMy Profile

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  17. Promise to feed this (and every other one of your sandwiches) to me when I come visit, because daaaaaang do you ever come up with some killer combos. Me? I’m not that creative with my sandwiches. Wraps I can do better, but sandwiches usually just end up being almond butter and jelly/banana — it’s that sweet tooth coming out in me 😛 And artichokes scare me — I’ll let you handle those too.
    Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…. currently – july 2015 .My Profile

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    • I’m out of artichokes too and those little Pita crackers and since we’re in the heart of Fattoush Dip season, we better get cracking!!

      Reply

  27. I made this Ultimate Italian Panini today, with a few minor variations– while oven roasting my red bell peppers, I thinly sliced up some red tomatoes,. I seasoned some olive oil with a little Himalayan pink salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and a little cayenne, lightly dipped the bell pepper and tomatoes in the seasoned oil, and roasted them. I had some really good multi grain bread, and Gouda cheese. I spread the pesto on the bread and followed the instructions, adding the cheese, red onion, artichoke, roasted bell pepper, and roasted tomatoes, put he sandwich in the panini maker and oh my goodness, need I say more…it was totally AWESOME!!! I absolutely LOVED it. I made a bit of vegetarian potato salad, and I was in veggie heaven. Recipes like this one helps me to appreciate my plant-based diet more and more. Thank you for posting and sharing such a healthy awesome sandwich.

    Reply

    • I love your variations and I’m sure adding and roasting some seasoned tomatoes only amped this panini up. Multigrain bread and gouda cheese would have been the icing on the cake. Thanks for sharing your tweaks and your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback, and I’m tickled pink you enjoyed the sandwich. 🙂

      Reply

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