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Look…I know it’s not even spring yet but, peaches are showing up in the produce section and that fact has me doing cartwheels! Okay, not really because I’d pull all kinds of muscles in my “not 13 anymore” body! BUT, I still enjoy an easy grilled sandwich just like my mom would make when I WAS a young cartwheelin’ fool! This peach pesto panini will be a favorite to put into your lunchtime menu rotation.
And, you are probably thinking, “this bitch is ALWAYS using pesto in her recipes!” Well…you are correct! Pesto is one thing I cannot get enough of! Sunday is my meal prep day for the week and I usually make a fresh batch to use for sandwich spreads, pasta tosses, and pizza topping. A few spoonfuls are great mixed into a hearty bean soup! My pesto game doesn’t just stop at basil. It continues with carrot tops, arugula (like in this recipe post), parsley, and spinach.
Thanks to a life long friend, Holly, who introduced me to this idea, I especially love making pesto using roasted beets! I switch up my nut choice too. For instance, if I am out of pine nuts, I will sometimes use walnuts, pecans, or pistachios. If I am out of parmesan, I will use Gruyere, a mature fontina, or any other hard cheese I have in the fridge. Playing around with various ingredients is one of the beauties of cooking. It is how I learn. It is how I discover what works and what doesn’t…but mostly, it always leads me to new surprises.
Happy cooking!
-Ruthie
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Spring Peach Pesto Panini
Sweet, salty, crunchy, and creamy are the words to describe this beautifully delicious lunchtime gem. If you don’t have a panini press, you can always make these like a grilled cheese sandwich. It will taste just as delightful!
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
1 medium peach, skin on, sliced thin
4 tbsp arugula pesto, or other store bought variety
2 slices mozzarella cheese
4 slices whole wheat bread
1 tbsp olive oil for drizzle
Instructions
Begin heating panini press. Spread arugula pesto on all four slices of bread. On two slices of bread, layer fresh peach slices on top of the spread pesto then top with 2 slices of cheese. Place the other two slices of bread over the loaded slices. Drizzle olive oil over the sandwich, turn over and repeat on other side of the sandwich.
Place sandwiches onto heated press and close the lid down. Let cook for 5-8 minutes or until bread is toasted and cheese begins to melt. Remove from press, slice, and serve.
Notes
*Prep time does not include making of the pesto
*For a vegan option, just substitute mozzarella with your favorite vegan cheese (I LOVE Chao Cheese) and make your pesto without cheese.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: italian
