Today is one of those “too-hot-to-cook-need-something-easy-for-dinner” types of days.
This afternoon I got home after my weekly grocery shopping trip, looked at the kitchen, and felt like lounging around a lot more than I felt like cooking.
And so, I decided that the husband and I would be having these amazingly easy and delicious grilled paninis for dinner. I had just picked up a bunch of Mediterranean ingredients: creamy feta, red onion, red peppers, tomatoes, olives inspired by the weather outside, and I thought it would be perfect to throw into a sandwich.
It’s a much healthier version of the classic panini, thanks to the whole wheat bread, less cheese and the addition of veggies — and if you want even more veggies a light spinach salad would go great with this dinner.
It took only 15 minutes to make – which is exactly the amount of time I wanted to spend in the kitchen today 🙂
The husband loved it, and I know this is going to become a staple in our house in the coming weeks!
The Ingredients
- Whole wheat bread (2 slices per panini) – I like Rudi’s organic flax seed bread
- Feta cheese (2 oz per panini)
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Olives, chopped
- salt, pepper, garlic cloves, oregano, crushed red pepper, or any herbs & spices/seasonings you like
The Directions
Step 1: Chop your veggies, and slice the cheese into approx. 2 oz slices
Step 2: Layer your panini: cheese first, then toppings (as much as you like!). Top with salt/pepper/oregano/crushed red pepper — basically any spices you like.
Step 3: Grill your panini! I used a panini press, but you can also use a grill pan if you don’t have a panini press.
When it’s done it will look like this:
That is it!
Now just plate it…
And eat it 🙂
Each panini has 317 calories, 15g fat, 936mg sodium, 34.8g carbs, 6g fiber, 5g sugar, and 17g protein. The more veggies you add to your panini, the more fiber it will have.
And if you add only 1 oz of cheese to your panini, you will end up with 241 calories per panini, 9.3g fat, 620mg sodium, 33.6g carbs, 6g fiber, 5g sugar, and 13g protein.
Mediterranean Style Paninis
Ingredients
- Whole wheat bread 2 slices per panini - I like Rudi's organic flax seed bread
- Feta cheese 2 oz per panini
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 to mato sliced
- olives chopped (use 3-4 olives per panini)
- salt pepper, garlic cloves, oregano, crushed red pepper, or any herbs & spices/seasonings you like
Instructions
- Chop your veggies, and slice the cheese into approx. 2 oz slices
- Layer your panini: cheese first, then toppings (as much as you like!). Top with salt/pepper/oregano/crushed red pepper -- basically any spices you like.
- Grill your panini! I used a panini press, but you can also use a grill pan if you don't have a panini press.
TAGS: entrees, kid friendly recipes, mediterranean recipes, quick meals, sandwiches, vegetarian
This looks delicious! I found your blog when I searched for healthy eating blogs. I made the yellow tofu curry this weekend and it hit the spot. I love how it’s only a fraction of the normal curry calories. I love your blog + plan on making many of the other recipes soon.
Thank you so much for your kind words Sarah!! It’s so nice to meet you. I’m so happy you liked the curry recipe – I’m a big believer in recreating restaurant favorites for way fewer calories at home – without losing any of the flavor 🙂 You’ll have to let me know which other recipes you end up trying and how they turn out! Thanks again!
yummmmmmmm….. mouth watering sandwich :-)…have to try sometime
hehe thanks Jo! I’m sure you will love it!
This is a fantastic recipe for panini
Thanks Linda! Let me know how it turns out for you!
Anjali, love the panini recipe! It is one of our mainstays at home with the kids! We find it easier to sneak some vegetables into their diet on a warm sandwich with cheese than trying the traditional ways of serving them. Your Mediterranean recipe looks delicious, I’ll be sure to print it out and give it a try!
That is so true Franko! It’s much easier to sneak in some extra veggies under the “disguise” of a sandwich 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how you and your kids like this particular panini – keep me posted on how it goes!
I really enjoyed this post. Nice blog – thanks for sharing! Keep it up!
Thank you so much!
I love paninis! This one looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Karen! I love paninis too 🙂 You’ll have to let me know how this recipe turns out!
I’m a huge fan of red peppers and feta! Gotta ditch the olives though 🙂
Haha! No problem at all – olives aren’t for everyone! 🙂
Hi Anjali. Greetings from South Africa. Just bought a Panini Press yesterday and looking for an easy panini with feta and olives.Found exactly what I was looking for, on your blog after a good few hours of searching.Can’t wait to try it out.
Thanks a mill.
Oh awesome!! I LOVE my panini press — it’s such a great tool to make quick and healthy hot meals. Let me know how this recipe turns out for you!