Kale and Caramelized Onion Veggie Panini Recipe
I love sneaking veggies into traditionally “comfort food” type dishes, and this panini is no exception. The fontina cheese oozes out of the sandwich, the bread is warm and crispy, and the sautéed kale and caramelized onions add some much needed lightness to the dish.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 366kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Extra virgin olive oil spray
- 8 oz box baby kale or 8oz of whole kale, chopped thinly
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 clove roasted garlic per sandwich optional
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1 red onion sliced thinly
- 4 oz Fontina cheese 1 oz per sandwich
- 8 slices whole grain panini bread
Instructions
- Sauté the kale with the garlic, crushed red pepper, olive oil, and a dash of salt until it's wilted.
- In 1 tsp olive oil, sauté the onions until they are caramelized and golden brown.
- Assemble your sandwiches! Spread 1 clove of roasted garlic on one side of the sandwich. Top with 1 oz fontina cheese per sandwich, 1/4 of the caramelized onion mixture, 1/4 of the kale, and a dash of salt/pepper to taste.
- Grill in a panini press or a skillet until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy on the outside/soft on the inside.
Notes
Tips for a Perfect Vegetarian Panini Sandwich
- Take the time to roast your veggies if you can. The roasted garlic really kicks this veggie panini up a notch.
- I’ve found that vegetarian panini recipes pair well with pesto. Honestly, I haven’t had a sandwich yet that wasn’t improved with pesto! And it’s a quick and easy way to make your panini Italian-style.
- If your goal is to make a copycat version of a veggie panini from Panera, use tomato basil bread. Seriously, you’ll thank me later.
- If you have problems with the bread sticking, you might want to butter your panini press (if you’re using one).
- If you have kids, this is a great way to sneak in some extra veggies into their diet without them noticing. For especially picky kids, try chopping up the kale super small and cooking it down completely before mixing with the cheese and other ingredients in the sandwich. You can also leave off the roasted garlic if it's too strong for your kids!
Nutrition
Serving: 1panini | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.7g | Protein: 18.4g | Fat: 13.3g | Sodium: 540.1mg | Fiber: 7.2g | Sugar: 9.2g