Italian Panini

Italian Panini is an easy, gourmet grilled cheese sandwich full of delicious ingredients! It's packed with prosciutto, mozzarella, marinated artichokes, and arugula. Serve this Italian Panini with marinara for dipping and it's the perfect quick dinner.  

 

This fantastic recipe came from my friend, Michelle, the blogger behind A Dish of Daily Life.  Michelle specializes in fabulous—but easy-to-make!—healthy recipes, helpful how-to’s, travel adventures, and glimpses of her family’s daily life. She is a busy wife and mom, as well as an avid runner and sports fan.
 
Michelle recently had to undergo a major surgery, and she will be recuperating for a while. For a blogger who blogs as a source of income for her family, time off from work means loss of traffic (and income).  So, a bunch of her blogger friends decided that we wanted to help her keep up her traffic while getting the rest she needs. We would love for our readers to head over to Michelle's blog and check out all her delicious recipes—like this Italian Panini!

I adapted Michelle's recipe ever so slightly, just to suit my personal tastes. In my version, I used a little less prosciutto and I added some drained, marinated artichoke hearts. Whether you follow my recipe or the original, I'm sure you will dig this fabulous sandwich.

Ingredients
makes one sandwich
 
Olive oil mixture

• 2T extra virgin olive oil 
• dash of red pepper flakes
• dash of dried basil
• dash of dried oregano

Sandwich

• 2 slices Tuscan or peasant-style bread
• 5 thin slices of fresh mozzarella
• 2-3 slices of prosciutto
• generous handful of arugula
• about 4 quartered, marinated artichoke hearts (drained)
• marinara sauce for dipping   

Combine herbs with olive oil. Brush outside of bread slices with olive oil mixture.

Place three slices of mozzarella on one of the bread slices. Top with prosciutto, arugula, and marinated artichokes. Top with two more slices of mozzarella, then top with second slice of bread.

Cook on panini maker until bread turns golden and cheese melts. If you're like me and don't have a panini maker, just use a stove-top grill pan and press it down with a heavy pan while it's cooking.

Warm the sauce while the sandwich cooks.
 
Serve the sandwich immediately after cooking, with warm marinara on the side for dipping.

This was a big, rich, satisfying sandwich! I actually ate one half, then saved the second half to warm up and eat the next day. It's super delicious and very filling!

I'm not the only blogger making a recipe from Michelle’s collection—here are all the participants:

December Recipes

• Easy Crab Dip Recipe made by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Seafood Bisque made by An Affair from the Heart
• Marinated Olives made by Take Two Tapas
• Refried Beans made by Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish
• Lemon Herb Chicken with Roasted Potatoes made by Hostess At Heart
• Red Quinoa & Butternut Squash salad made by My Life Cookbook
• Italian Panini made by Full Belly Sisters
• Rigatoni Salsiccia e Rapini made by LeMoine Family Kitchen
• Thai Chicken Noodle Soup made by Love Bakes Good Cakes
• Italian Bowtie Pasta made by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pink Vodka Sauce made by Lady Behind The Curtain
• Crab Imperial made by Life Currents
• Homemade Taco Seasoning made by Bowl Me Over
• Southwestern Bean Dip made by Aunt Bee’s Recipes

January Recipes

• Homemade Enchilada Sauce made by The Foodie Affair
• White Bean and Mint Hummus made by Take Two Tapas
• Spicy Carrot Refrigerator Pickles, Mexican Style made by Lady Behind The Curtain
• Chicken Pesto Pasta with Artichokes made by Love Bakes Good Cakes
• Reuben Sliders made by Bowl Me Over

 
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