Tonight’s dinner? Holeeeeee…
I’d been thinking of tonight’s meal ever since last night when Jay and I actually made a half-assed attempt at a meal plan for the week. Yeah, we’ll see how that pans out…but for now, we’ve already got one solid meal in the books!
I knew I wanted to use some of the bread that I picked up from the Farmers Market on Saturday, and I also wanted to use some of the fresh basil I have coming out of my garden (squeal!). Pair that with some chicken that we had in the fridge, a ball of fresh mozzarella, and some sundried tomatoes, and I had the beginnings of a killer panini.
Jay and I haven’t had panini sandwiches here since October, so I’d say we were definitely long overdue!
While Jay cooked up the marinated chicken, I sliced the fresh mozzarella and whipped up a quick and delicious pesto, which we really need to talk about. The pesto was not only delicious, but it’s even lightened up quite a bit – only 2 teaspoons of olive oil in the whole batch. How’s that for a win-win?!? Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe!
Once our paninis were assembled, I brushed them with a little bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of seasonings, then placed them on the panini maker and let them do their thing. The end result? Incredible.
The mozzarella was gooey, the chicken was cooked to perfection, and the pesto was out of this world.
Jay and I may both have cuts on the roofs of our mouths, but we both agreed it was totally worth it.
We had some yummy corn on the cob along with our paninis and enjoyed them out on the patio amongst quite a few “oh my god these are so awesome” comments.
Definitely gotta have these again sometime soon…especially since I’ve got some more pesto leftover! Speaking of which…
Lightened Up Pesto
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place basil leaves, olive oil, water, almonds, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add cottage cheese and parmesan cheese and process until smooth. Enjoy!
*****
Give it a try – it’s awesome! 
I just bookmarked this post – mozzarella cheese, pesto, chicken & sun-dried tomato sandwiches are probably my favorite thing in the world. The bread you used looked perfect for a hearty sandwich like that :) delicous.
looks awesome! we’ve been loving panini sandwiches the last few months. they’re SO easy to put together and are just delicious. there’s so many different combos you can do too!
Yesss I love pesto but I go overboard when I’m around it… So this is perfect! And congrats on growing your own basil! I kill every kind of plant I go near :(
That’s a dinner I want!
looks amazing and reminds me of my favorite bountiful bread sandwich!
Wow those do look absolutely amazing, so yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us. I will HAVE to try it sometime.
It’s like the holy grail of dinners! I just finished eating mine and it is PATHETIC compared to that panini! You can bet that’s jumping onto my meal menu for next week :)
Mmm, these look awesome!
Omg – I have been toying with buying a panini maker for my apartment when I go back to college in the fall and NOW I am convinced! I cannot wait to try this – thanks another awesome recipe and for making my mouth totally water!
Fresh bail is my love…. seriously it is probably my favorite thing ever! (which is saying something because I love me some chocolate and fro yo!)
I would flip over these panini sandwiches! Mmmmmm!
those paninis look SO delicious!!! i love the chicken and pesto combo so i’m definitely gonna have to make these soon!
I love making paninis, and yours look super yummy! I’ll definitely work this recipe into my repertoire :)
Sounds awesome!
Seriously, that looks like one of the most delicious sandwiches ever! Mozzarella and pesto together? Tasty!
I really need to invest in a food processor. lol! These look great! Maybe once I get a food processor and a panini press (or maybe go the ghetto route and use my George Foreman grill. haha) I’ll definitely have to try these.
It’s awesome you’re using basil right from your garden! I might need to tell my boyfriend we need to plant some fresh herbs along with our veggies!
Sounds delicious! I’m feeling the need to go out and get a panini press now!
It looks like now is the time to invest in a panini maker!! Your sandwich looks SOOOO good!!! Non, nom!!!!
Yummy! The hubby and I adore pesto, especially if it’s with fresh basil. What is better than that in the summer?!
Yum! Those looks great! Panini’s are really underrated. I always forget about my panini maker, I need to bring that thing out more often! ;-)
I have been craving pesto lately! I’ve never made it homemade though, I will have to try your recipe out!
Anndd bookmarked- YUM! I recently made a killer omelet which you’d love: mozzarella & basil topped with tomato coulis (chopped tomato, black pepper & balsamic…ie the caprese omelet :)
Oh my word! That pesto sounds so yummy. I’ve been wanting a good pesto recipe because my basil plant outside is growing like crazy. Thanks so much; I will try this tomorrow. Yum!
Oh my gosh so yummy. It makes me hungry. It is time for me to take a snack. I really need to take a snack. I feel very hungry on your foods.
Holy yum, that looks delicious! I love crusty, crunchy sandwiches but they always cut the top of my mouth. Haha.. totally worth it, like you said. :)
Love it!! I’ve made a similar panini before, and it was delicious!! Pesto + melted mozzarella + chicken is always a winner! And I love the idea for the lightened up pesto … I need to try that!
We received a food processor and panini maker as wedding gifts and we have yet to use them. I am totally going to try this recipe! It looks phenomenal! :)
So delicious! I need to put paninis in my rotation
Those panini’s look sooo goood!
That looks delicious!! I’ve been thinking about registering for a panini maker and I think you just sold me on it :)
Love the pesto recipe. We make a sundried tomato pasta and ideally we’d add pesto in there but don’t because of the calories/fat etc. This lightened up version would be great.
Oh wow. How could you go wrong with that mix of ingredients? I want to recreate your panini so bad! I’ll take the cuts on the roof of my mouth too!
You had me at pesto, chicken and panini! :)
I made these for my fiance and I last night – holy yum! These are SO delicious. Thanks for the great recipes, Courtney!
What kind of bread did you use? Looks awesome! I am going to save this recipe right now!
I believe it was just a multigrain bread I picked up from a local bakery. I find that denser breads work much better for panini sandwiches! :)
Where is the recipe for the marinated chicken?
There actually really isn’t a recipe – we usually just let it marinate in a little Italian dressing for a while before grilling! :)