Grilled Italian Pesto Panini Recipes

Steps:

• Pound the chicken fillets until thin between two pieces of waxed paper, then marinate in oil, garlic, pepper and Italian seasoning for about 1-1/2 hours.
• Heat a grill pan or sauté pan (the breasts can also be grilled on the BBQ).
• Season the breasts with salt and pepper.
• Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden and cooked through.
• Remove from pan and place on a plate or board.
• Top each fillet with some of the roasted peppers and a slice of cheese.
• Spread BOTH sides of the bread with pesto sauce.
• Place chicken inside the bread and form to a sandwich.
• Brush both sides of the outside of bread with olive oil.
• Heat a grill pan or a 10-inch skillet on medium high heat. Place the panini in the pan (only 2 at a time).
• Weigh the panini down with another heavy skillet and then top with a heavy can (a very large can of tomato juice works great for this!) cook for about 3 minutes, or until bread is toasted.
• Turn the panini, and weigh it down again with a heavy skillet and a can on top, and toast for another 3 minutes.
• Remove from pan and cut in half.

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini, and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the eggplant, zucchini, and onions until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Cool completely.
• Cut each baguette into 6 pieces. Working with one baguette piece at a time, slice in half and spread both sides with the pesto. Working with the bottom slice of the baguette, stack 2 slices of eggplant, 2 slices zucchini, 1 slice onion, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice mozzarella, and 1 slice of roasted pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top half of baguette on top and continue with remaining baguette. (The sandwiches can be made 4 hours ahead. Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup (about) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• In a blender, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running, gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency. Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Season the pesto with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Yield: 1 cup
• Prep Time: 10 minutes

Steps:

• Preheat your George Foreman grill, or panini maker.
• Slice the roll horizontally; spread with pesto.
• When the grill is ready, add the onion and red pepper slices (I didn't think they needed any seasoning, but you could add Italian dressing, or other seasoning to them, before grilling, if desired); grill until tender.
• Layer the grilled veggies, cheese, and lunchmeat.
• Grill until the cheese melts (you'll have to apply some pressure to the top of the grill when you first insert the sandwich, since the sandwich is pretty thick).
• Slice on the diagonal, and enjoy, now or later!

Steps:

• Heat closed contact grill 5 minutes.
• Cut each roll in half horizontally; brush outside of each half with oil. Spread pesto on inside of both halves. Layer each sandwich with cheese and tomato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• When grill is heated, place sandwiches on grill. Close grill; grill 4 minutes or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted. Slice sandwiches on diagonal and serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat a panini grill.
• Slice each quarter of focaccia bread in half horizontally. Spread each half with pesto. Layer bottom halves with equal amounts chicken, bell pepper, onion, and cheese. Top with remaining focaccia halves, forming 4 sandwiches.
• Grill paninis 5 minutes in the preheated grill, or until focaccia bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Steps:

• Spread one side of a slice of bread with butter, and place it, buttered side down, into a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Spread the top of the bread slice in the skillet with half the pesto sauce, and place a slice of provolone cheese, the tomato slices, and the slice of American cheese onto the pesto.
• Spread remaining pesto sauce on one side of the second slice of bread, and place the bread slice, pesto side down, onto the sandwich. Butter the top side of the sandwich.
• Gently fry the sandwich, flipping once, until both sides of the bread are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

Steps:

• Slice the bread in half horizontally and spread the cut-sides with the honey mustard. Build the sandwich by layering the bottom half of the loaf with half of the provolone, followed by the ham, turkey, salami and the remaining provolone (the provolone should be touching the bread on both sides, with the meat sandwiched in between). Cover with the top half of the loaf.
• Spread some of the butter on top of the loaf, then carefully flip over and butter the bottom. Slice into the desired number of sandwiches
• Heat a large two-burner grill pan over medium heat, or heat a panini maker. Add the sandwiches to the pan and cook, pressing down with a spatula, until the undersides are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes (see Cook's Note). Turn the sandwiches and continue to cook, pressing, until golden brown on the reverse side and the cheese is melted, another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer the panini to a cutting board and slice in half. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and pesto; spread over 4 slices of bread. Layer with ham, basil, peppers, tomato and cheese. Top with remaining bread. Spread outsides of sandwiches with butter., Using a large cast-iron skillet or electric griddle, toast sandwiches over medium heat until golden brown and cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes on each side.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Pat dry and brush lightly with olive oil.
• Preheat a panini grill and place the eggplant slices in it in an even layer. Grill 3 minutes, until cooked through and nicely marked by the grill. Remove from the heat.
• Spread a little pesto on the bottom slice of bread. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then a layer of pepper or tomato slices. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Top with the grated cheese and the other slice of bread. Brush the outside of both the bottom and the top pieces of bread with olive oil. Grill 5 minutes, or until nicely toasted and the cheese has melted. Remove from the panini grill and cut into halves or thirds, depending on the size of the bread. Serve hot.