Caprese Panini – A Delicious Summer Meal

We love Caprese Paninis! Although it is a hot meal, it is a great summer meal even when the weather is hot because you don’t have to use the oven. We have a Cuisinart Griddler that we love using for Panini night! And, check out the ingredient list below for some of our new favorites when Caprese sandwiches are on our meal list!

These paninis are best served hot right off the panini press dipped into our balsamic vinegar dressing.

Ingredients
4 large ciabata style rolls **

12 ¼ inch slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 roasted red pepper, saute with McCormick Italian Seasoning
8 basil leaves chopped into small pieces
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 tomatoes sliced (8-10 slices)
Homemade balsamic vinegar dressing see recipe below

**(We love the Trader Joe’s Half Baked Panini Rustic Rolls – when using these, we like to microwave the roll and cheese for about 1 1/2-2 min to melt the cheese without over crisping the bread; These rolls are smaller so the ingredient amounts may differ when using these)

Cut Ciabata bread in half lengthwise. Open up and layer on bottom half-cheese, tomato slices, red pepper,spinach and basil. Press two halves together and put into a panini press. Let sandwich heat until cheese is melted and top and bottom of the ciabata is crispy.

Homemade Balsamic Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (Our favorite is McCormick Italian Seasoning for this too)
2 teaspoons honey

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing emulsifier and mix until well blended.

Italian Caprese Panini

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Do you ever have a craving for a delicious Italian dinner but do not have the time to make homemade pizza and it is too hot to stand over a hot pot of pasta boiling on the stove. Try these amazing Italian caprese panini. We did not actually have a panini maker but we improvised with an old school waffle maker that had a double sided grill. (You can also use a pan on the stove top with another heavy pan on top and then flip the sandwich over halfway through baking.)The result is a crispy outside, cheesy gooey and delicious inside filled with mozzarella, roasted red peppers, red onion, garlic, basil, sliced tomato and spinach. It is best served hot right off the panini press dipped into a balsamic vinegar dressing.

Author: Bekah

Recipe type: Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 4 large ciabata style rolls (crunchy outside and soft inside)
• 12 ¼ inch slices fresh mozzarella cheese
• 2-3 fresh garlic cloves smashed
• 3-4 slices red onion
• 1 roasted red pepper You can sauté in a pan or roast in the oven)
• 8 basil leaves chopped into small pieces
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 2 tomatoes sliced (8-10 slices)
• homemade balsamic vinegar dressing see recipe below

Instructions

1. Cut Ciabata bread in half lengthwise.
2. Open up and layer on bottom half-cheese, tomato slices, red onion, red pepper,spinach and basil. Spread the smashed garlic on the other side.
3. Press two halves together and put into a panini press.
4. Let sandwich heat until cheese is melted and top and bottom of the ciabata is crispy.
5. Cut in half and serve with Balsamic vinaigrette for dipping sauce.

3.2.2925

What are your favorite summer meals?