Sandwiches make me happy. They make my day actually. I’m a sandwich kind of girl, I could eat them everyday.
I got a panini press a couple years ago for Christmas from my sweet daddy- and you have thought he handed me a thousand dollars. I squealed and screeched when I ripped the holiday paper covering the box- that’s pure joy right there. I have used it just about every week since (I could say daily during that first year of ownership). Simply because, yes, I’m a sandwich kind of girl.
When I was meal planning last week I decided on making it easy on myself and self-hosting a “Panini Night” with my Fireman and me. I wanted to make it ‘special’ since it was sitting in as our usual dinner meal, and my Fireman typically has a heafty appetite after a long day of working his part-time gig.
I decided on chicken for the main protein of this sammy- deli roasted lemon pepper chicken- so good. You could totally use turkey if you wanted.. While I was perusing the deli section for my panini meat selection I thought the lemon pepper chicken would go great with the semi-Italian theme I had going for my dinner sandwich meal.
Homemade roasted tomatoes (SO easy), sun-dried tomato pesto, fresh baby spinach leaves, and mozzarella piled onto sourdough bread. Talk about delectable. I couldn’t wait for this panini to be hot and ready. The sun-dried tomato pesto seeped through the bread during the press process, making it extra flavorful and somewhat crispy.
There are a lot of things that bring joy to my belly- but this was hands down my favorite meal of this week. Who knew something so simple could make such a big impact on my taste buds- especially these newfound picky preggo tastebuds I’ve got some days.
I feel like I should show regular appreciation to the panini sandwich.
Ingredients
- 4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons store bought prepared sundried tomato pesto
- 4 (1/2-ounce) slices part-skim mozzarella cheese (or 1/2 cup shredded)
- 6 ounces deli sliced lemon pepper chicken (such as Boar's Head)
- 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1 (4-ounce) container grape tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper- tossing to coat. Place on a foil lined baking pan and roast for 15-18 minutes, until tomatoes are fragrant and burst. Remove from oven and allow to cool, slightly.
To prepare panini, spread 1/2 tablespoon pesto over each of 2 slices of bread. Top one bread with 1 slice cheese (or 1/4 cup shredded), 3 ounces of lemon pepper chicken, 1/4 cup of baby spinach leaves, 1/2 of the roasted tomatoes, and 1 additional slice of cheese (or 1/4 cup shredded). Top with remaining bread slice. Repeat procedure for remaining sandwich.
Heat your press to medium high heat. Coat grill with cooking spray. Arrange sandwiches under the press for about 4 minutes or until golden and the cheese is melted.
Heat a large grill pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to pan. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten sandwiches. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until bread is toasted (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook).
Slice sandwich in half and serve warm!
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 353; Fat: 17 g; Carbohydrate: 22 g; Fiber: 3 g; Protein: 32 g
I am huge panini fan too-I make them about twice a week. This one looks great!