Lauren's Kitchen: Turkey Pesto Paninis

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Turkey Pesto Paninis

I love how my panini press can take a plain old boring sandwich and turn it into something elegant and exciting. I've always thought that having sandwiches for dinner was kind of a cop-out; it was always an act of desperation when my "real" dinner backfired.

But now, I plan for paninis often, and I love experimenting. This might be my new favorite - I never really liked pesto, but it totally rocks in this sandwich. And the melty cheese and the crispy roll... Mmmm. Now if only I could get away with bringing this handy appliance into work so I can have the leftovers for lunch...

Turkey Pesto Paninis
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients

4 sandwich rolls
8 slices of turkey deli meat
8 slices of mozzarella cheese
3 tbsp. pesto
3 tbsp. mayonnaise

Preheat panini press.

In a small bowl, combine the pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix until blended.

Split the buns and layer each sandwich with 2 slices of turkey and 2 slices of cheese. Spread a thin layer of the pesto mayonnaise on the inner side of the top half of each bun. Replace the top bun over the cheese to assemble the sandwiches.

Grill each panini for about 4-5 minutes, until desired crispiness.

1 comment:

AshleyOctober 23, 2010 at 4:57 PM
They look delicious!! I want a panini press!
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Lauren 101

Before my wedding in 2003, my idea of cooking was Kraft mac and cheese. My mother and my mother-in-law even left me several boxes of the blue box on my counter the day we returned from our honeymoon. I believe a few showed up in the wishing well at my bridal shower, too.

Once I became a Mrs, however, I figured I'd need to step it up in the kitchen.

I rarely prepared anything from scratch, though; it was frozen stuff chicken and rice in a pouch all the way.

About a year (and 20lbs) later, I decided that something needed to change in the kitchen. I went on a diet and lost the weight, but knew I needed to lose the habits too.

Armed with Rachael Ray cookbooks and the internet, I slowly began to expand my repertoire. I joined an online cooking forum and subscribed to about eleventy billion cooking blogs.

Cooking remains a challenge, however, as two sweet little boys joined our family over the last few years. Coupled with my full time job, I look for meals that are healthy and easy.

I also discovered a love for photography along the way, and while I'm about as unprofessional behind the camera as they come, I really enjoy honing my skills on my dinner - mainly because it can't run away like my two wild boys can.

I love maintaining this blog, and I hope you like visiting.