I never thought of ham and pesto as two ingredients that would be good together. You know, in the way that peanut butter and jelly go together... or macaroni and cheese. But I found the combo at a cafe I frequented years ago and was curious (and hungry) enough one day to give it a try. From bite number one I was hooked. So I want to share with you, my simple version of a ham tomato pesto panini.
Olive Oil is the Key to This Ham Pesto Panini
Different sandwiches require different preparation methods. I might use a light coating of butter for something like my taco grilled cheese sandwiches or a combination of olive oil and butter for my raspberry brie grilled cheese. For this ham tomato pesto panini, I went with extra virgin olive oil only which I think pairs best with the ham, swiss and pesto.
I've made a lot of sandwiches in my time and many panini's as well. Certain flavors will taste better with butter and others with olive oil. And if you're worried about the crunch factor - you needn't be. The olive oil will still give you an excellent crunch and when you think of a panini you are, of course, thinking about that crunch, right?
You Don't Need a Panini Press for This One
Consumer-grade panini presses are not that great. Most close like a clam shell and push the ingredients forward. This means the sandwich is a bit of a mess and ingredients start sliding out of the front. Higher-quality (more expensive) panini presses will press from above so it's even and pressing directly down on the sandwich.
But you don't need a panini machine to make this sandwich. We're going to use what you have on hand to press the sandwiches. Here's what you can use:
- Panini press #1 = a heavy cast iron skillet (like I used in the video)
- Panini press #2 = a pan (not teflon) weighted down with a tea kettle with water (about ½ full)
- Panini press #3 = if no tea kettle, just use a large pot with water in it. (about ½ full)
Good Quality Bread for Ham Tomato Pesto Panini
Hi there. You don't know me, but I will warn you: sometimes I get on my high horse when it comes to bread. When you make a panini you need a good, sturdy bread. One that can withstand being pressed. Garden-variety white bread from the grocery store will not work for this.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
You'll also be the first to hear about new recipes in my weekly-ish newsletter! 🙂
Also, this sandwich will taste infinitely better if you use a good, high-quality bread. I'm in New England and the three brands I love using are: When Pigs Fly, Nashoba Brook Bakery and Iggy's. I am not being paid to say this. These are my go-to breads. And When Pigs Fly is my daily choice for my morning toast with avocado slices. I also love large oval loaves whenever I can get them, but you can certainly use square bread for this one too.
For this ham tomato pesto panini, I used When Pigs Fly sourdough which is one of my favorites. With the larger oval bread like this, the sandwiches are huge. You could even serve half of a sandwich with a side salad and that will be plenty for one person.
Easy Steps for Making Ham Tomato Pesto Panini
Let Paninis Rule Your Next Brunch
A hot crunchy sandwich for brunch makes my mouth water. I genuinely love sandwiches... especially hot sandwiches. And paninis have a crispy, crunchy thing going on that is pretty much impossible for me to resist.
I love a great quiche or fritatta for brunch, for sure. And if you have time to check out my roasted tomato, asparagus and gruyere quiche I would highly recommend that. But I absolutely go bonkers for awesome sandwiches and think this panini is a great brunch sandwich you can easily serve with a simple side salad. Plus, if you're using the oval loaf, the sandwiches are slightly bigger than square bread. These are hefty sandwiches so pairing half a sandwich with a salad is a fantastic combo.
Print
Ham Tomato Pesto Panini
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
Description
This crunchy ham tomato pesto panini is easy to make and so delicious. Great option for family dinner or Sunday brunch.
Ingredients
- 20 slices black forest ham
- 8 slices Swiss Cheese (I used the longer Finlandia)
- 4 tablespoons pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 8 tomato slices (2 large tomatoes)
- ⅓ cup olive oil (reg. or extra virgin)
- 8 slices of good sourdough bread - round loaf if you can (see note #1)
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
You'll also be the first to hear about new recipes in my weekly-ish newsletter! 🙂
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes into approximately ¼” rounds and set aside on plate. You don’t want these too thick because it will bulk up the panini too much.
- Brush olive oil on one side of four of the slices of bread and place them oil-side down on your cutting board. I used a round/oval loaf which gives you a slightly larger sandwich. You can use square bread too - don't worry. I put a piece of parchment paper over the cutting board but you can skip that if you don’t have it.
- Plan for five slices of ham per sandwich. I folded the slices in half and placed two folded slices on the top half of the slice of bread and two folded slices on the bottom half of the slice of bread. Place one final slice of folded ham on top.
- Add two tomato slices on top of the ham on each sandwich.
- Using a kitchen tablespoon spoon, spread the pesto across the top slice of bread. You can use more or less pesto if you want. I used enough that there is a thin coating on the top slice of bread.
- I used two slices of the long Finlandia Swiss cheese. I folded both slices in half and placed one folded slice on top half of bread and the other on the bottom half of the slice of bread.
- Flip the slice of bread with the pesto and Swiss cheese onto the bottom slice with the ham and tomato. I used an oval/round loaf of bread, and I like to make sure the rounded slice on the bottom is matched with the round slice on the top so the sandwich is more uniform.
- Brush the olive oil on the top slice of bread and these are ready to be cooked.
- I used my nana’s old countertop griddle which has lasted for decades somehow. If you don’t have a counter griddle, you can use two large pans. I heated the griddle to 325-350. Wait until the griddle (or pan) is heated up before you add the sandwiches.
- Place the sandwiches side by side then place a heavy cast iron skillet on top to press the sandwiches down. My skillet fits over two sandwiches so I alternated the skillet between the sandwiches until the bottom was nice and golden brown (about 4-5 minutes, but take a peek before then too to make sure you don’t burn. All griddles are different.) Read tips in blog post for cast iron skillet alternatives for pressing.
- Once the paninis are cooked on one side, turn them carefully to cook on the other side. Same method with the cast iron skillet.
- Once the paninis are cooked on both sides – serve immediately. These are juicy from the ham and the tomatoes and will get soggy if they sit too long and you want that crunch!! J This sandwich works well with a side salad.
Notes
- This panini will taste infinitely better if you use a high-quality bread. The bread must also be sturdy so it can withstand being pressed by a cast iron skillet.
Leave a Comment