Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Panini

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 garlic clove, minced

salt

freshly-ground black pepper

4 ounces sliced prosciutto

5 ounces mozzarella cheese (thin slices)

3 tomato slices

3 large fresh basil leaves

ciabatta bread slices

Directions

1. Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat panini grill to medium heat. Layer mozzarella slices, tomato slices, prosciutto slices and basil on the ciabatta base. Drizzle with olive oil-vinegar dressing and top with bread half.

3. Grill sandwiches until cheese melts and bread is golden-brown, approximately 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Vegetable-Mozzarella Panini Easy Panini Recipe

1 sweet red pepper, halved, seeded and sliced into strips

1 medium zucchini, halved vertically and sliced into strips

1 eggplant, halved vertically and sliced into strips

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 French baguette, halved horizontally

3 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare grill; heat to medium heat. Brush vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and allow to cool.

2. Brush insides of bread with remaining olive oil. Place cheese atop base. Place vegetables atop cheese, and basil leaves atop the vegetables.

3. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Place top panino half on top of filling.

4. Slice panino into desired number of sections. Toast in panini press for 4-5 minutes or until cheese melts and bread is golden-brown. Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Panini Recipes

You know that vegetables are good for you, but if you’re like most people, you might find it hard to eat enough vegetables on a daily basis, or even in an overall sense. Vegetarian panini recipes are a great way to get the daily dose of fiber, vitamins and nutrients that only vegetables can give you. Here are two of our favorites.

You can try a combination of basil, tomato and mozzarella cheese – a classic combination that works really well when served on top of pasta, but which works equally nicely in ciabatta, sourdough or just about any sort of bread you want to use. Pick your bread first and prepare it – if you want to make two people this panini, you’ll need enough bread to make four good-sized slices. Slice your bread and pour a little olive oil or butter inside all the slices. While that absorbs, preheat your double-sided grill to medium heat, spraying nonstick cooking spray inside it. Return to your panini; select five or six of the freshest basil leaves you can find, and tear them up roughly. Divide them equally between two of your bread slices. Slice up a ripe tomato and divide the slices between the panini too. Season them to your liking with salt and pepper. Lastly, top your two panini off with as much mozzarella cheese as you like, and cover them with the remaining two bread slices. If your grill is ready, place your panini inside them and swing the upper half down on them. Grill just long enough for your mozzarella cheese to melt and your bread to grill nicely.

Another option is to add mushrooms and two kinds of cheese to your vegetarian panini recipes for added interest (not to mention protein). Again, preheat your grill to medium, and grease it up a bit with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Slice a white or red onion into small slivers and sauté them in a little olive oil until golden – make sure not to overcook them. Place the onions on a small plate and set them aside. Next, slice button or shiitake mushrooms (or any mushrooms of your choice) thinly and sauté them in a little olive oil too for a few minutes. Once they’re done, set them aside too. Dice a ripe tomato and set the pieces aside. Prepare as much bread as you need by preparing enough portions to serve as your panini halves. Spoon the onions, mushrooms and tomato pieces into the bottom halves. Top these halves with shredded jack and mozzarella cheese, and then with the last slices of bread. Grill in your two-sided grille until nice and golden-brown and until the jack and mozzarella cheese melt.