Spinach & Pesto Panini (with Tempeh and Smoked Mozzarella)
vegan ~ dairy-free
Serves: 2 Sandwiches
Total Time: 20-25 minutes (includes prep)
Difficulty: Easy
Author: Vegan Rescue/Jessica Williams
It’s that time of year when I focus on quick and easy meals. It is just the two of us, so I tend to make on rice/beans, pastas, soups, and sandwiches as simple staple meals. Last week, I made pasta with an alfredo sauce (I’ll post this later this week). Today, I made a similar pasta dish, swapped the broccoli with spinach, and used a store-bought pesto. Finding some vegan store-bought sauces is essential for those quick dinner meal nights. Speaking of store-bought, a few months ago, we found Legh’s Soup at our local whole food store and their brand is so good. Whenever we pick up some of their vegan soups, I always feel the urge to make either a big salad or sandwich with it. For today’s recipe, I made this Pesto Panini Sandwich, using some of the same elements of the pesto pasta.
This sandwich is bursting with flavor – enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 Slices of Thick Bread (I used Merzbach’s 3-Penny Loaf)
2 Tbsp Seggiano Fresh Basil Pesto (store-bought/freshly prepared works too)
2 Tbsp Vegenaise
2 Cups Fresh Organic Spinach
1 (6oz) Pkg Tempeh (I used LightLife Smoky Bacon)
1-3oz Miyoko’s Smoked Vegan Mozzarella (portion depends on preference)
2 Heirloom Tomatoes, sliced
Vegan Butter for grilling
Directions:
-Pre-heat panini pan or grill to warm. Pre-cook tempeh according to package instructions, or in a lightly oiled pan, heat for 2-3 minutes on each side.
-While the tempeh is cooking– spread vegan butter/Earth Balance on the back of each of the four slices of bread.
-On the opposite side (inside slice) – spread one side with pesto sauce and the other with Vegenaise.
-Top with spinach, tempeh, mozzarella, tomatoes.
-Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side if using a pan-style. If using a panini press, I typically will cook until the “ready setting” activates, typically about the same time (3-5 minutes).
-Enjoy!
The soup!
[…] form as pictured below. Or you can use jarred pesto as you would use for pasta. Check out this Spinach & Pesto Panini recipe link to see what I mean by the jarred variation. I bring it up often, but pesto is not […]