Ham and Pesto Panini

Submitted by Penny Stettinius

"This is what I created with leftover basil pesto, Italian bread, some Parmesan, ham and Mozzarella... Let me just say, there were no leftovers of this! Wow, melted cheese, pesto, olive oil...so good. If your pesto is oily you won't need the extra olive oil and also if you make your pesto with lots of Parmesan you may not need the additional cheese. My pesto is a little dry with not that much Parmesan because I like to add it later. And, a good substitute for the ham would be turkey or chicken."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1⁄2 loaf Italian bread
• 1⁄4 cup pesto sauce
• 2 -3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 6 -8 slices black forest ham
• 1⁄2 cup mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. Slice the bread in half, vertically.
2. If your pesto is dry, drizzle the olive oil all over the bread (insides as well as out) and then spread the pesto all over the soft insides of the bread pieces. If your pesto is oily there's no need to add oil on the insides.
3. Then place the tomato slices on top of the pesto, and season with the salt and pepper.
4. Layer on the remaining ingredients and top with the top bread piece.
5. Heat your panini grill or frying pan and add the sandwich. If you're using a frying pan, use something weighted down to smush the sandwich while it heats.
6. Turn when the bread starts to turn a golden brown and cook until the cheeses are melted.
7. Remove from the heat and slice into sandwich sizes of your choice.