It’s not usually my style to wrap up my food in little bows, but today I’m making an exception for a few practical reasons. Not only do these Grilled Ratatouille Panini taste even better once the flavors of the grilled summer vegetables, fresh mozzarella and pesto have had the chance to mix and mingle a bit, but they’re also a little on the tall side and can benefit from some harnessing. All right, they do look a little cuter with the bows too (just this once).
Read on for my Grilled Ratatouille Panini recipe and for a fantastic PESTO GIVEAWAY (seven flavors!) from Bear Pond Farm.
Beyond the fancy wrapping, you might have also noticed that there are grill marks on the inside of these sandwiches. That’s because I put the baguettes on the grill along with the eggplant, zucchini and onions to could get a toasty crunch on the bread without heating up the entire sandwich. The vegetables in a traditional ratatouille are sautéed and baked as a casserole, but for these sandwiches I opted to grill them. Since the panini aren’t served hot, they’d be great to bring for lunch at work or even a picnic.
By the way, the basil pesto I used came from Bear Pond Farm in Glastonbury, Connecticut. The company sent me all seven of their nut-free pesto flavors to try (I happened to already have the basil one in my fridge, from my last trip to Whole Foods). We’ve been having a pesto bonanza for the past week, spreading pesto on sandwiches, wraps, salmon (keep an eye out for the salmon recipe later this week – packet grilling on the panini maker!) and even just dipping it with tortilla chips (specifically, the jalapeño artichoke one).
* * *
Pesto Giveaway! [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED]
The folks at Bear Pond Farm were kind enough to offer one lucky Panini Happy reader their own set of seven pesto flavors:
- Premium basil
- Pepperoni
- Tomato-basil
- Fresh lemony
- Spicy vegan
- Vibrant cilantro
- Jalapeño artichoke
Here are four ways to enter, you can do any or all of them (please leave separate comments for each entry):
- Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite way to cook with pesto (e.g., toss in pasta, as a base for pizza, in scrambled eggs, etc.).
- “Like” Panini Happy on Facebook
- Subscribe to free updates from Panini Happy via e-mail or RSS
- Follow me @paninikathy on Twitter
The giveaway will close on Monday, July 18, 2011 at noon PDT. [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED] I will use random.org to select one winner to receive the Bear Pond Farm pestos and announce the winner in this post. Due to shipping costs, the prize can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.
**UPDATED 7/18/11: Congratulations to our winner, entry #33 – Jacqui!
Thanks to Bear Pond Farm for providing the pestos for this giveaway.
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Grilled Ratatouille Panini
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ Grilled Vegetable Panini recipe on FoodNetwork.com
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 40 min | Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 panini
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 zucchini, sliced crosswise into 1/2″ thick slices
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced crosswise into 1/2″ thick slices
- 1/2 small red onion, sliced crosswise into 1/2″ thick slices
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 French baguette, divided into 4 pieces (or 4 demi-baguettes)
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (either store-bought or homemade)
- 8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat.
- Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, place the vegetables on the grill, seasoned side down. Drizzle more olive oil on top and sprinkle more salt and pepper. Close the lid, with the grates making contact with the vegetables without actually pressing them. Grill the vegetables for 4-6 minutes until they’re tender, with grill marks.
- Split the baguettes in half lengthwise and grill them for about 5 minutes until they’re toasted, with grill marks.
- For each sandwich: Spread each grilled baguette half with pesto. On the bottom half, add eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomato, mozzarella and roasted red peppers. Close the sandwich with the top baguette half.
- You can either serve the panini immediately or, to allow the flavors to meld together more, wrap them up and refrigerate for a few hours.
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Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
My favorite way to cook with pesto is on a grilled cheese sandwich (especially using goat cheese for the cheese part!)
pesto is a vegetarians saving grace, i truly believe. such an easy way to add flavor to sandwiches, quick pastas, whisk it into a dressing, whiz it together with some cream cheese or goat cheese for a spread, into some hummus or white bean dips. i use it so often and i love the variety of flavors here!
also..i’m following you now on Twitter. how have i not been following you on twitter all this time!!?! 🙂
I LOVE pesto!!! It’s my altime favorite sauce. I would have to say I would either use it on sandwiches, or in pasta. Yummy!
Fantastic! This looks like lunch today.
I love using pesto on sandwiches and yours look amazing!
I follow you on twitter:-)
Wow, such a great panini and I adore pesto. Love it on top of salmon.
I am a FB fan
I follow your tweets & have forever 🙂
I love pesto is sandwiches! So much flavor punch for a small space!!
I’m a huge fan of pesto on everything, but my favorite way to eat it might be on grilled cheese sandwiches with mozzarella. Yum!
i love pesto on pizza!
I mostly use pesto on my sandwiches. Especially on a grilled chicken panini with chipolte mayo and spinach leaves.
Kathy- these are gorgeous! Like being in the south of France- but on a sandwich 🙂
I love pesto on pasta and pizza. I’m also a facebook fan and get emails.
My daughter often makes dishes for me and is a creative and innovative cook. She often will put pesto in different salads or sandwiches for that extra ping!
I love to add pesto to pasta for my husband!!
My favorite way to cook with pesto is putting it in pizzas! YUM!
I like Panini Happy on Facebook.
I love pesto on my pizza, especially on a whole wheat crust. Yum!
I get your emails!
I subscribe to Panini Happy via e-mail.
And follow you on twitter!
I follow @paninikathy on Twitter.
I’m also a FB fan!
My favorite way to use pesto is on puff pastry with ham and swiss cheese. Roll it up, slice it and bake. YUM!
I like using pesto on pasta. So easy and yummy!
I love pesto all by itself on plain pasta. Simple and uncluttered. This sandwich looks smashing, by the way, and I’m up to my eyeballs in summer veg at the moment. I’ll definitely be giving it a try. Thanks!
I am really new to including pesto in my recipes, but really love it in chicken and pasta.
I use pesto to make a very quick Italian “hummus” – I drain and rinse a can of cannellini or other white beans, then add 1 TBSP. pesto, 2-3 cloves of minced fresh garlic (depending on how garlick-y the pesto is), a couple glugs of good extra virgin olive oil and a little salt (again, to taste). I puree this all together, then top with thin strips of roasted red peppers and serve with crackers, toasted baguette, or crudites.
This recipe works not only with basil pesto but also with tomato, garlic scape, cilantro and other herb pestos. I have also successfully used it in wraps/paninis/sandwiches and as tie-together for the center of an antipasto platter (an antipesto platter?). Thanks for posting!
Seriously they have vegan, nut-free pesto? I’ll have to look into that! We don’t really eat pesto cuz of the nuts and cheese, but I sure do like it.
They’ve got it at Whole Foods!
Oh Gooooooood!!! I am on the lookout then! Thank you 🙂
I love pesto on everything… it is amazing! But my favorite has to be either pizza or pasta!
I already like Panini Happy on FB!
I am also already subscribed to the Panini Happy RSS feed
And I already follow you on Twitter!
i have never had pesto but im sure id love it and hope to win so i can try it out!
i like u on fb
i subscribe via email
following u on twitter- @GiadasMama
OMG>>>>I actually NEED these Bear Pond Pestos!!!! I live in Western Mass and have missed out on this company up until now. I will, BELIEVE ME, try them on anything 😀
Sundried Tomato Pesto on a panini! My absolute favorite!
I subscribe by email 🙂
I like you on FB!
Wow! Those panini sandwiches look fabulous! Grilled veggies are the best this time of year.
My favorite way to use pesto is to give sandwiches a pop of flavor!
wow wonderful sandwich and so many flavors of pesto…yum
I love pesto on a grilled cheese sandwich sooo good!
Like you on facebook
those all look delicious – I liked you on Facebook since I already receive your emails – by the way, your garlic chicken panini is my absolute favorite and we make it weekly! Love it!
Love that you love the garlic chicken, Laura!
follow you on twitter @cherylcasperson
EAT IT WITH A SPOON!!! or on anything. mmm, pesto….
I love pesto with chicken and pasta.. in a casserole with cheese.. yummy!
I love grilled veggie sandwhiches! I’d say my favorite way to eat pesto is in pasta.
That sandwich looks delicious! And what a great giveaway, I love using pesto as a base for pizza. So yummy!
I’ve used pesto on pizza, and in salad dressings; my kids love it with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella sandwiches.
the other night, we made grilled cheese with pesto (and artichokes & roasted red pepper)… and it was delicious!
I love having pesto on pizza. It’s the best!
I like to add pesto to minestrone soup.
i like it drizzled on cheese pizza!! or tossed in pasta…
i “liked” you on facebook!
I use mix it with pasta when hot. Then chill in the fridge and eat it as pasta salad the next day for lunch with green peppers and olives. yum.
Pesto is one of my favorites. I like it as a sauce for pizza, on pasta (esp. with cream) and, of course, on panini.
I can think of no better use than to spread a delicious layer of pesto on a nice, simple sandwich before I throw it in my panini press. Now, if only I could afford such luxuries more often (since I am a college student with minimal cooking skill and tastes which stretch my budget)…
I love pesto on pasta and as a base for pizza.
I love using pesto with pasta and chicken sausage with grilled veggies!!
Oh my gosh- what on earth did you do with all of that pesto??
I love to toss pesto into pasta… and use it as a spread for grilled cheese sandwiches.
Still working through it! Last night I tossed tortellini with the pepperoni pesto and added some scallions, red peppers and green beans (basically cleaned out the crisper) for an impromptu pasta salad.
I love pesto with chicken thighs and homemade pasta.
On chicken or turkey sandwiches, anything that would be bland all by itself but delicious with pesto!
I love to use pesto on a Turkey and Mozarella panini….and I also love it on pasta!
I like you on Facebook.
I’m an RSS subscriber via Goggle Reader/NetNewsWire.
I’m now following you on Twitter.
I once had a pesto pizza that was phenomenal! I’d love to try and duplicate it.
I now follow you on twitter (cmouse01)
My favorite way to “cook” with pesto is to use it in a sandwich with buffalo mozzarella and artichoke hearts!
what a beautiful sandwich!!! I like to use pesto on my
homemade focaccia 🙂 and thank you for the give away.
what a great way to enjoy vegetables! 🙂
Love this! Such a hearty lunch
My new favorite pesto is made with arugula from my garden and I just made a panini using Ciabatta bread with arugula pesto, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, left over salmon from yesterdays lunch at Whole Foods and topped with roasted red pepper and garlic mayo. Yeah Baby!!!
I love it with fresh pasta and nothing else…maybe a parm. Yum!
Definitely toss it with fresh pasta.
I’m actually a fan of spreading pesto onto my scrambled eggs!
I can’t think of any way that I *don’t* like to use pesto sauce…..
on hot pasta…as a spread for paninis on chicken or shrimp….
I like pesto in scrambled eggs and with plain noodles. I’m not a very adventuresome cook, although I’d like to be.
I subscribe to your blog via email.
I like you on Facebook.
I now follow you on Twitter as well.
I love pesto pizza and on sandwiches, as well as tossed with spaghetti.
I love to make paninis with sliced chicken breast, pesto, mozzarella cheese, and tomato.
I subscribe to Panini Happy via email.
I loooove pesto as a sandwich spread!
I follow you on Twitter!
i like to use it as a sauce for pizza topped with lots of mozzarella and some fresh tomatoes. caprese pizza? yes, yes indeed. 🙂
I love to make bruschetta with pesto – it’s a summertime favorite of mine!
I “like” you on Facebook :).
Mmmm pesto. Gotta be a panini!
Liked you on facebook!
Following on twitter!
Also signed up for email. Can you tell that I really like pesto 🙂