Description
This Easy Turkey Basil Pesto Panini is a delicious and satisfying sandwich featuring layers of savory turkey, melted fontina cheese, fresh Roma tomatoes, and vibrant basil pesto on crusty sourdough bread. Grilled to golden perfection and brushed with olive oil, this panini is a perfect quick lunch or casual dinner option.
Ingredients
Scale
Sandwich Ingredients
- 8 pieces sourdough bread
- 1 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 pound fontina cheese, sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds turkey, sliced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
- Olive oil, for brushing
Instructions
- Prepare the bread and spread pesto: Lay the 8 slices of sourdough bread on a flat surface. Evenly spread basil pesto over each slice, ensuring good coverage for flavor.
- Add the cheese: Divide the sliced fontina cheese among the bread slices, placing it on top of the pesto. Set aside 4 slices with cheese for assembling sandwiches.
- Layer the turkey: Distribute the sliced turkey evenly over the 4 cheese-covered slices of bread.
- Add tomato slices: Place the sliced Roma tomatoes evenly on top of the turkey layers.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Top each prepared slice with the remaining pesto and cheese-covered bread slices, pressing lightly to secure.
- Brush with olive oil: Lightly brush both sides of each sandwich with olive oil to achieve a golden crust when grilled.
- Grill the paninis: Place sandwiches on a grill or panini press over medium-high heat. Grill until the bread is golden brown and crispy and the cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes per side if using a grill pan.
- Serve: Remove sandwiches from heat and slice each panini in half diagonally before serving warm.
Notes
- Use day-old sourdough bread for best grilling results as it will crisp up nicely without becoming soggy.
- Fontina cheese melts beautifully but feel free to substitute with mozzarella or provolone if preferred.
- For a spicier kick, add a few red pepper flakes to the pesto before spreading.
- Leftover sandwiches can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat in a toaster oven for best results.
- For gluten-free option, substitute sourdough with gluten-free bread.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
Keywords: turkey panini, basil pesto sandwich, grilled turkey sandwich, fontina cheese panini, easy panini recipe
