Does anyone else really miss the tomato mozzarella panini from Panera bread? I feel like they replaced the sandwich with an inferior flatbread version and ever since then I’ve been craving it. I decided to make it at home and boy oh boy was this delicious! Dare I say…even better than Panera because you can fill it up with as much as you want. this is a definite must try and it’s such a good sandwich. I wish I had some tomato soup on the side for dipping purposes but it tasted amazing as is.

Ingredients:

• Artisan Bread
• Fresh Mozzarella
• 2 tomatoes on the vine cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• Basil or arugula for topping
• Mayo

Balsamic roasted tomato Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes on the vine cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 black pepper

Sundried tomato Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (they come in a jar packed in oil)
• 1 tbsp sun dried tomato oil
• 1/8 cup Trader Joe’s chili onion crunch
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 large basil leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl make your balsamic glaze by adding oil, balsamic vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
3. Slice 2 tomatoes into 1/4 inch rounds, place on a parchment lined baking tray. Add balsamic glaze over the tomatoes and make sure all the tomatoes are coated.
4. Bake the tomatoes in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
5. In a food processor add 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, 1 tbsp sun dried tomato oil, chili garlic crunch, Parmesan cheese, and basil leaves. Blend until a nice paste forms.
6. Slice 2 tomatoes into 1/4 inch rounds.
7. To assemble, spread some of the sun dried tomato paste on one side of the bread, add roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil or arugula and then top with bread.
8. Spread some mayo lightly on the outside of the sandwich. (We will be using mayo instead of butter to toast the bread.
9. In a frying pan on low heat add the sandwich mayo side down and toast until the bottom is super golden brown and toasty. Add some mayo to the other side of the bread and flip and toast the other side.
10. Enjoy hot!