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    Home » Easter/Spring Recipes

    Crispy Tomato, Pesto & Mozzarella Panini

    Published: Mar 20, 2019 · Modified: Mar 8, 2022 by Marcie Groller · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Creamy Tomato, Pesto & Mozarella PaniniOur family loves tomatoes. It's our kids' very favorite vegetable (or technically, fruit!). We've been on a bit of a sandwich kick these past few weeks; so we decided to try a sandwich that incorporates our beloved tomatoes...with cheese, of course. Hence, our Crispy Tomato, Pesto & Mozzarella Panini 🙂

    Person holding large red tomato

    Like our Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes, these paninis are super easy to make. We even made our own pesto using a Vitamix, and it took like no time at all.

    • blending pesto ingredients in blender

    If you don't have a panini press, this sandwich can easily be made in a pan or skillet stovetop. Simply use a lid from a pan to press the sandwich down firmly.

    • hand with black nail polish slicing mozzarella cheese on manila cutting board
    • three pesto paninis toasting in pan with spatula about to flip one over

    We recommend using a multigrain bread or bread sturdy enough to hold in the melting cheese. But ciabatta rolls can be great for this recipe too!

    🌈 Kidify the Meal 🌈

    Have picky eaters? Read More...

      🍅Omit the pesto. If your kids aren't fans of pesto, just leave it out. It'll be more like a grilled cheese with tomatoes and greens.

      🍅Switch the greens. If your kids don't like arugula, consider spinach, basil or mixed greens instead. The sandwich is pretty versatile.

      🍅Let kids dress their sandwich! Let the kids control how much tomato and cheese they want on their sandwich.

      🍅Serve tomatoes on the side. If your kids don't like "warm" tomatoes, serve the raw tomato slices on the side.


    🍴 Modify the Meal🍴

    Make the meal fit your dietary lifestyle!

      🍅Make it Vegan! Pesto: replace the parmesan cheese with 2 T nutritional yeast. Panini: replace butter with Earth Balance OR instead of buttering the bread, put 1-2 T olive oil in pan. Replace mozzarella with Violife vegan mozzarella.

      🍅Make it Gluten Free! You have three options here. (1) Make these paninis with your fave gluten free bread. (2) Make this a cold salad. Cut the mozzarella into smaller pieces and use cherry tomatoes. Then toss the cheese, tomatoes and arugula with pesto. (3) Make open faced rice cake sandwiches. Assemble the sandwich ingredients on a rice cake (just don't close the sandwich) and pop in the microwave. Yummmmm.

      🍅Make it Dairy Free! See the vegan modification above.


    Note: This post contains affiliate links.

    Tomato Pesto Mozarella Panini cut in half
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    Crispy Tomato, Pesto & Mozzarella Panini

    Author: Marcie & Julie
    We put a twist on the standard caprese panini and the result is delish! Just add arugula & homemade pesto, and your belly will thank you.
    Total Time28 mins
    Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Americanized Italian
    Servings: 6

    Ingredients

    Pesto

    • ½ cup spinach packed firmly
    • ½ cup fresh basil leaves packed firmly
    • ½ cup fresh parsley de-stemmed
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese finely grated
    • ¼ cup pine nuts
    • 1 clove garlic quartered
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅓ - ½ cup olive oil

    Panini

    • 16 ounce package fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 12 slices multigrain bread
    • 4 Tablespoon butter ½ a stick
    • 2-6 cups arugula
    • 2-3 medium or large tomatoes thinly sliced

    Instructions

    Pesto

    • Combine all pesto ingredients (except olive oil) into a Vitamix or blender. Turn machine on and off several times, scraping sides with spatula in between. Turn machine on low and slowly add in olive oil, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. 

    Panini

    • Spread slices of mozzarella cheese onto a large plate. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
    • Meanwhile, to assemble a panini, spread butter on the outside of 2 slices of bread (the sides that will touch the pan). Just use enough butter to prevent from sticking to pan. Spread a spoonful of pesto on the inside of each slice. Then on one slice, add a slice of cheese, a handful of arugula, 2-3 tomato slices, and a second slice of cheese. Close sandwich. 
    • Heat a medium/large pan on medium. Place sandwich on pan and grill for 3-5 minutes on each side. Use a smaller pan’s lid to firmly press sandwich down as it cooks. Alternatively, use a panini press to toast sandwich. Serve once panini is crispy on the outside and the cheese is gooey 🙂
      NOTE: I was able to get 3 sandwiches on my pan (so I made 2 batches of paninis), but it all depends on the size of your pan. 
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    Notes

    Serve paninis with potatoes, chips or salad. For kids, the paninis might need a couple mins to cool before eating.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 625kcal (31%)Carbohydrates: 28g (9%)Protein: 29g (58%)Fat: 45g (69%)Saturated Fat: 19g (119%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 87mg (29%)Sodium: 1291mg (56%)Potassium: 423mg (12%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 2210IU (44%)Vitamin C: 15mg (18%)Calcium: 566mg (57%)Iron: 3mg (17%)

    *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a WordPress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @Platein28 or tag #platein28!

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    We are two sisters with young kids who want to help simplify mealtime for busy families! Platein28 is our family’s unofficial guide to wading through mealtime chaos. Here you will find quality recipes that take 28 minutes or less, with activities to occupy your kids so you can actually cook.

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