What is the best type of bread to use for panini?

Use Half-Inch Thick Bread To Make A Panini These include ciabatta, focaccia, rye, French, and sourdough. But no matter which bread you use, your slices should always be about a ½-inch thick. If you use slices that are thicker than that, you'll taste way too much bread when you bite into your panini.

Should I butter bread before panini press?

Want to give your bread a nice, crisp crunch? Brush a little olive oil or melted butter on the outsides before grilling . Experiment with your favorite flavors. Re-create your favorite classic sandwiches or invent entirely new combinations.

What cheese is best for panini?

8 Best Cheeses for Melting in Pastas, Paninis, Omelets, Casseroles, and More Fontina. Fontina can be buttery and a bit fruity; Fontina Val d'Aosta, from Italy's Aosta Valley, is firmer, more pungent, and nuttier (and always made of raw milk). ... Gouda. ... Asiago. ... Taleggio. ... Reblochon. ... Provolone. ... Mozzarella. ... Gruyère. Oct 18, 2023

What is the name of the bread used in paninis?

In Italy, a Panino is a grilled sandwich that is made from any bread other than standard sliced bread. One of the most popular bread types used for a Panino is Ciabatta. Outside of Italy, toasted Ciabatta sandwiches are known as Panini (the plural of Panino).

What is the key to a good panini?

8 Tips for Making Great Panini Choose your grilling method wisely. ... Experiment with a variety of breads and fillings. ... Go for the crunch. ... Be careful with “wet” ingredients. ... Keep round tops turned in. ... Cut with a straight-edged knife. ... Greens go last.

Can you use regular bread in a panini press?

While you can use any bread for a panini sandwich, Ciabatta bread is the best choice to make the best-grilled sandwich.

Best pesto meatball panini recipe by oh sweet basil (2024)

Home Recipes Dinner Beef Ground Beef

3.70 from 20 votes

It’s like a mashup between your favorite meatball sub and that classic chicken panini- the pesto meatball panini and it’s what’s for dinner!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville Italian Sausage. The opinions and text are all mine.

One of the first paninis Cade and I ever enjoyed was a chicken pesto and it was pretty much bomb.com. Since then we’ve posted a few paninisbut they were all from years and years ago, in other words really bad pictures. There’s the chicken pesto, peppered turkey pesto, and prosciutto and pear panini, but everything was pretty much basic. I wanted to have a little fun with friends before baby arrived so back in October we had a panini party and let our friends build killer paninis. It was so much fun and even more delicious! I made this pesto meatball panini and oh my heavens, I may have to ditch my chicken pesto forever. It’s like a mashup between your favorite meatball sub and chicken pesto panini! And it’s taken over our pizza night, now we do build your own panini bar and often invite friends!

Ok, maybe not forever, but why haven’t I tried mashing up more flavors before? Pesto is awesome of course, but just wait until you add some saucy meatballs, gooey cheese, pesto butter and then grill the whole sucker together. You guys, it’s awesome!

We’ve all become obsessed with taking favorite classic recipes and making simple swaps with the meat like we did with our Sausage Alfredo Pasta in our last Johnsonville post.

For this recipe I just grabbed Johnsonville meatballs from our local store’s freezer section and some I left plain while others I tossed in a simple marinara sauce.

Then we stirred together butter and pesto for the outside of the sandwich, added a smear of fresh pesto on the inside, stacked it with cheese and took those saucy meatballs you normally find on a classic meatball sub and put it on our normally chicken pesto panini!

We loved the meatballs instead of chicken and cannot wait to try even more versions like a meatball french dip, meatball noodle soup (back it up chicken, there’s a new guy in town!) and so much more!

What Is a Panini?

A panini is a grilled sandwich made from bread other than sliced bread.

Can Paninis be Grilled in a Skillet Instead of a Panini Press?

Yes, you can use a heavy frying pan or skillet to grill a panini.

Heat grill pan over medium heat; place sandwich in the pan and top with another heavy pan.

How Long Will Pesto Last?

Purchased, unopened Pesto will last 6-8 weeks in the pantry or 6-8 months in the freezer.

If opened, it will last 7-14 days in the refrigerator.

Homemade pesto will last 5-7 days in the refrigerator or 3-4 months in the freezer.

Pesto Meatball Panini

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3.70 from 20 votes

Servings: 3

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Description

It's like a mashup between your favorite meatball sub and that classic chicken panini- the pesto meatball panini and it's what's for dinner!

Ingredients

6 Slices Italian Sourdough Bread
1/2 Cup Pesto
1 Jar Marinara Sauce
1 Teaspoon Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Clove of garlic, minced
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Bag Johnsonville Meatballs
12 Slices Mozzarella Cheese

For the Pesto Butter

1/3 Cup Butter, softened
1/4 Cup Pesto

Instructions

In a deep skillet, over medium heat, add the marinara, fresh basil, garlic and parmesan cheese.
Add the meatballs and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to low and place a lid on top.
Simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Heat a panini grill or regular pan to medium high.
Spread pesto on the top and bottom layers of bread.
Slice the meatballs in half so they don't roll out of the sandwich.
Place mozzarella cheese on the two slices of pesto bread.
Spoon about 6 meatballs halves and sauce onto the bottom piece of bread and close the lid, pesto side down.
Spread the top and bottom of the sandwich with pesto butter and grill until golden.

For the butter

Mix the pesto and butter until smooth.

Notes

reheat in a toaster oven for 8-10 minutes

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 1794kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 86gFat: 123gSaturated Fat: 52gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 35gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 318mgSodium: 3558mgPotassium: 1577mgFiber: 7gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 3711IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 909mgIron: 10mg