Grilled Eggplant, Cheese & Roasted Pepper Panini

In Italy, the word PANINO, means a sandwich made from bread other than sliced bread such as ciabatta or baguette. The panino is also filled with deli ingredients such as ham, cheese, salami and other food and served warm after being pressed by a warming grill. In the US. Canada and England, panino got adopted as panini. Here’s a wonderful recipe for a cheese panini with made with yummy Jarlsberg Cheese, grilled eggplant and roasted red peppers that you can serve for lunch or a dinner!

Here are some photos of the grill I use to make panini sandwiches: The Cuisinart® 5 in 1 Griddler®

Grilled Vegetable and Cheese Panini

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: Maryann Ridini Spencer

Recipe type: Panini Sandwich

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 slices, Ciabatta bread (or sliced Ciabatta rolls)
• 1 medium eggplant, sliced into ¼ “ slices (leave purple skin on)
• 1 c. roasted red peppers, sliced
• 16 fresh basil leaves (4 leaves per panini)
• 1 c. Jarlsberg cheese, shredded
• extra virgin olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• garlic salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Pour some olive oil onto a large plate. With a pastry brush, coat both sides of the eggplant slices with oil. Set aside plate.
2. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper over oiled eggplant slices.
3. Place several slices of eggplant on a greased panini (or other type) of grill.
4. Grill eggplant until the eggplant is tender and seared. Once eggplant is cooked, remove from grill and place cooked slices on a plate. (Repeat above procedure with other pieces of eggplant).
5. Take the plate with olive oil and with the pastry brush, gently brush each side of each slice of Ciabatta bread with oil.
6. Place oiled bread slices on the grill. Cook until slightly seared and remove from grill.
7. If needed (bread should be slightly moist with oil), lightly run the pastry brush over each side of the bread once more.
8. Place eggplant slices on both sides of the bread.
9. Add shredded Jarlsberg cheese on top.
10. Place 2 fresh basil leaves on each side of the sandwich.
11. Add sliced fire roasted red peppers on top of each side of the sandwich.
12. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and more shredded cheese over the top of each side of the sandwich.
13. Place 2 sides on top of one another forming a panini sandwich.
14. Place panini on the grill. Cook panini for a few minutes. Cheese will be melted and the bread will be a golden color.
15. Serve immediately with a green salad.

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©2013 – Maryann Ridini Spencer