Heavenly Caprese with Pesto Panini
This heavenly panini is the perfect combination of my favorite go-tos: ripe, heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, with my homemade Genovese pesto, grilled between two slices of sourdough bread. I first experimented with this panini, using a ciabatta roll, but it was too much bread for my liking. Although breaking with Italian tradition, I introduced San Francisco sourdough bread, and it was a huge success, so I never went back. I’m becoming an advocate of recipes featuring only a handful of fresh ingredients, like this panini which calls for only four perfectly paired ingredients. And if you’re in a time crunch and need to put dinner on the table, you can whip up this recipe in just 10 minutes per panini.
Ingredients
- 3 T. pesto, try my Genovese pesto under Mediterranean or any store-bought pesto like Whole Food’s Genovese pesto found in the deli section.
- 2 slices sourdough bread, 6” x 3 ½” per slice
- ½ x 3 ¾” heirloom tomato
- 2 x 1 ½” fresh mozzarella balls
Directions
- Step 1 Take your sourdough bread and spread 1 ½ T. of pesto on one side of each piece of bread. Leave the pesto sides facing up. Then, cut a half of tomato in two slices and lay each slice on one piece of the sourdough bread, with the pesto side up. Next, cut your mozzarella in ½” slices and place on top of the tomatoes. Last, take the free piece of bread, without the mozzarella and tomatoes, and place it pesto side down over the tomatoes and mozzarella to form a sandwich.
- Step 2 Place the sandwich on a panini press if you have one. I use a Cuisinart Griddler® and set my grill to 350° F with the grill function to high. Grill for about 7 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tomatoes have begun to soften. Serve hot and enjoy!
This Heavenly Caprese with Pesto Panini is so blissful that it transports you out of this world. Truly, nothing can beat the perfect flavor equation of Genovese pesto, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and sourdough bread. With only 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make, this panini will be a crowd favorite!
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serving size: 1 panini, servings per recipe: 1, calories: 644, total fat: 37.5 g., saturated fat: 13.8 g., cholesterol: 71 mg., sodium: 848 mg., total carbohydrate: 42.8 g., dietary fiber: 3,2 g., total sugars: 4.6 g., protein: 32.7 g., calcium: 382 mg., iron: 3 mg., potassium: 260 mg., vitamin D: 0 IU.