Looking to upgrade your lunch sandwich? Look no further than a panini! We think a hot, melty sandwich trumps a cold one any day. We’ve got a few tips and tricks to making them here, as well as 20 recipes to get you inspired with what to stuff them with. No more boring sandwiches, huzzah!
Hey, we’ve got a secret: you don’t need a panini press to make a panini. While we’re all about kitchen gadgets, the panini press just never made it to our must-have list. To make our paninis, we just use a grill pan and another heavy skillet to press down the sandwich. You could use two grill pans too—no one said a panini has to have grill marks. You could even use your waffle iron (we know, we know, it’s a one hit wonder appliance, but we just love waffles). If your panini is extra chock full of cheesy goodness, try our hack of wrapping it in foil before grilling it—it’ll be easier to flip and get both sides extra toasty without losing any of the filling.
Another secret? Paninis are pretty much just stuffed grilled cheeses. We’ve highlighted a few of our faves here, like our Greek or antipasto grilled cheeses, but you could press really any of our grilled cheeses to great success. There’s also a number of sauces that take extremely well to a little heat, like pesto or chipotle mayo— try them out to improve even the most boring of sandwiches. You could even go sweet, like in our s’mores grilled cheese, or layer some brie and homemade jam together for an upscale breakfast on the go.
For more sandwich inspiration, check out our faves for lunch and dinner.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
This is our absolute fave panini combo (pesto on everything, please!), but feel free to change it up for whatever sauce youve got kicking around.
ingredients8 slices sourdough bread (or other round loaf bread)4 slices mozzarella cheese.4 slices provolone cheese.4 slices cheddar cheese.1⁄2 lb deli turkey.1⁄2 lb deli ham.1⁄2 lb sandwich pepperoni.1⁄2 lb genoa salami.
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8 slices sourdough bread (or other round loaf bread)
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4 slices mozzarella cheese.
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4 slices provolone cheese.
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4 slices cheddar cheese.
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1⁄2 lb deli turkey.
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1⁄2 lb deli ham.
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1⁄2 lb sandwich pepperoni.
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1⁄2 lb genoa salami.
Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese
Truly what is a waffle iron but a funny-shaped panini press? If you love the crispy cheesy bits of grilled cheeses (and who doesnt?!) you gotta try this genius waffle iron hack.
Get the Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese recipe.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
A patty melt is basically a better version of the humble burger. Ground beed gets shaped to fit the rye bread, then it gets topped with plenty of Swiss cheese and caramelized onions. Yum!
Get the Perfect Patty Melts recipe.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Turkey, Mozzarella, and Kale Pesto Panini
Kale takes pesto to a whole new level, making this panini insanely delicious (and extra stuffed!).
Our Cuban sandwich is of the South Floridian variety, without salami. But we dont need it in this case: along with layers of ham, Swiss, pickles, and mustard, theres also the super juicy slow-roasted pork loin that we marinate for 2 hours in a citrus blend.
Get the Cuban Sandwich recipe.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Cooking & Culinary Tips : How to Use a Panini Press
FAQ
What can I use if I don’t have a panini press?
What kind of bread is good for paninis?
What do you use for a panini press?
What makes a sandwich a panini?
Which bread is best for Panini?
Rye bread is another fantastic panini bread. It’s dark, dense, tasty, and brings robust flavor to any sandwich. Thanks to its hearty nature, rye withstands grilling and pressing like a pro, making it ideal for paninis. It’s richer in iron, calcium, zinc, and potassium. So it’s not just taste, but a nutritional edge too.
What can you do with a panini press?
From dinner to dessert, on busy weeknights or when it’s too cold to grill outdoors, here are ten more uses for a panini press: • 1. Vegetables: Use the panini press as a mini grill to make sweet, smoky asparagus, eggplant, sweet potato slices, kale — you name it.
What to top a panini with?
Typically you want to top your panini with fresh slices of mozzarella but you can also use fontina, Gorgonzola, and provolone cheese. What’s the Difference Between a Panini and a Grilled Sandwich?
What goes well with a panini sandwich?
Vegetarian Apple Cheddar Panini Sandwich Crisp apples and mature cheddar are a match made in meal-time heaven. This panini recipe makes the most of that tasty, tart pairing. Cheese, apple, honey mustard, and bread – this simple but delicious panini proves you don’t have to overthink your sandwiches.