Best Grilled Mexican Panini Recipes

BASIC GRILLED PANINI

Steps:

• Drizzle olive oil on 1 side of each bread slice. Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on the other side of each slice. Pile Cheddar cheese, ham, tomato, and onion on top. Top with other bread slice, mayonnaise side down.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; spray lightly with cooking spray. Place sandwich on grill; weigh it down with a heavy pan. Cook until cheese is melted and grill marks appear, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

GRILLED VEGETABLE PANINI

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the oil over the eggplant, zucchini, and onion slices, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the eggplant, zucchini, and onions until they are tender and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. Cool completely.
• Cut each baguette into 6 pieces. Working with one baguette piece at a time, slice in half and spread both sides with the pesto. Working with the bottom slice of the baguette, stack 2 slices of eggplant, 2 slices zucchini, 1 slice onion, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice mozzarella, and 1 slice of roasted pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top half of baguette on top and continue with remaining baguette. (The sandwiches can be made 4 hours ahead. Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup (about) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• In a blender, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running, gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency. Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Season the pesto with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Yield: 1 cup
• Prep Time: 10 minutes

PANINI SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Start heating the grill.
• Place 1 slice of mozzarella on each of 4 slices of bread.
• Place 1 slice of provolone on each of the other 4 slices of bread.
• Top the mozzarella with pepperoni, salami and pepperoncini.
• Top the provolone with turkey, ham and cheddar.
• Place the two halves of the sandwiches together.
• Brush the top of the first sandwich with the melted butter.
• Place the sandwich butter side down on the grill.
• Brush the other side with melted butter.
• Grill till bread is toasted and the cheese has melted.
• Continue with the other sandwiches.
• A George Foreman grill works great with these sandwiches but even a stove top grill would work.

GRILLED PANINI SANDWICH WITHOUT A PANINI MAKER

Steps:

• Spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread slice. Layer ham, provolone cheese, and roasted red bell pepper on the bread; top sandwich with the other bread slice, mayonnaise side down.
• Heat grill pan over medium heat; place sandwich in the pan and top with another heavy pan. Add 2 heavy cans on top; press down on cans to compress the sandwich. Reduce heat to medium; cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip sandwich, replace the pan and cans; cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes more.

GRILLED PANINI SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cut 8 slices of the panini bread.
• Prepare the marinade. Set aside.
• In small bowl prepare the basil dressing or Dijon mustard and mix well. The condiments can be made several hours in advance.
• Slice the vegetables into uniform sizes.
• Marinate the veggies in a shallow pan for an hour. Drain off the marinade and then grill the vegetables on each side for about 4-5 minutes, until tender yet crisp.
• Spread one side of each sandwich slice with your choice of spread. Add the vegetables, next place 1 ounce of cheese and the parsley or lovage. Butter lightly the top and bottom of sandwich. Press down carefully on the sandwich and toast on grilll. Cut in half and serve.