Writing The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches gave my friend, Susan Russo of Food Blogga, the opportunity to comb the country – even the world – to catalog every sandwich imaginable. The recipes in this cute square-shaped book are alphabetized from A to Z (actually, to W – there doesn’t appear to be any sandwiches in the world that start with the letter Z :-)), with notes on their historical and cultural significance. It covers everything from the tried-and-true lunch box standard Bologna Sandwich to a “designer” Artisanal Grilled Cheese recipe from Chef Mark Peel of LA’s Campanile made with burrata, fried garlic, roasted cherry tomatoes, chick peas, salsa verde and prosciutto. Wow!
In the “P” section of the book, there’s a page dedicated to Prosciutto sandwiches which, of course, caught my attention. Among the variations, Susan suggests to “make a panini by spreading basil pesto on Italian bread and filling it with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella cheese.” That’s the kind of suggestion that sends me right to the grocery store for ingredients.
What can I say – this is a simply great sandwich. It’s a lot like eating a slice of pizza. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve made a pizza with these exact ingredients before. Super savory prosciutto and pesto with stretchy fresh mozzarella – I could eat this sandwich for days (in fact, I did!).
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Prosciutto, Pesto & Fresh Mozzarella Panini
Inspired by the suggestion for panini with prosciutto, pesto and fresh mozzarella in The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches.
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 7 min | Total time: 12 min per sandwich
Yield: 4 panini
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 slices Italian bread
- 4 ounces prepared basil pesto
- 1/4 lb. thinly sliced prosciutto
- 8-12 slices fresh mozzarella
- Olive oil, for brushing
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat.
- For each sandwich: Spread about an ounce of pesto onto one slice of bread. Top with 1/4 of the prosciutto and 1/4 of the mozzarella. Close the sandwich with a second slice of bread.
- Brush a little olive oil over the top slice of bread. Grill for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Serve immediately.
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Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
Yep, I think this will have me running to the store for ingredients, too! It looks fantastic!
Seriously? I think your blog is my new favorite. I find myself wanting hot pressed cheesy sandwiches constantly!!
Aww, Megan – you just made my day! 🙂 I love going over to your blog to see “what you’re making” too!
yum! This looks wonderful. I need to check out her book
Would it be uncouth to want that for breakfast? Because I kinda do.
Not at all. It would be quite full of couth. 🙂
Mmmm…this is literally one of my favorite paninis. Just add a thin slice of tomato or rub the tomato on the inside of the bread for the flavor, and it’s perfect in my book! (I need to check out that encyclopedia!)
so bummed i missed you at the bake sale but am currently on vacation and dropped my goodies off with marie in advance…next time! and we have to keep our san diego blogger community spirit alive and all meet up soon!
We missed you, Averie! Hope you had a terrific time in the tropics. Look forward to finally meeting you soon!
Amber, I’d eat it for breakfast too! I’m so happy you like the book, Kathy. Thanks a bunch for the delicious review! “P” is a tasty letter for sandwiches indeed.
I’m pretty partial to sandwiches (breakfast, lunch or dinner) and am basically having a seriously love affair with prosciutto (well, let’s just say all kinds of cured pork), so this is right up my alley. Is it weird that I love basil but can’t get into pesto though? Anyway – love your site!
The perfect sandwich!
Gorgeous, Kathy! This has many of my favorite flavors in one place. This might become a regular item in our house.
Love this!!! I know what I’m making for dinner tomorrow now 🙂
Kathy — it was lovely sitting next to you at the professional recipe development session at BlogHer Food.
I look forward to all of the wonderful things to come from your kitchen. Congrats on all of your success!!
Best,
Nealey @ Dixie Caviar
Sounds awesome! It’s got all of my favorite flavors.
i love your site. I think i’m going to have to dust of my old panini press. That sandwich looks too good. thanks for the recipe 😉
Mine tasted too salty. Was my cheese too thick? Did I have too much prosciutto? My 18 month old loved it at least.
It all comes down to the ingredients you use, how much you use of them and your own personal taste. Prosciutto is a salty ingredient so next time I’d recommend using a little less if you’d like to cut down on the saltiness.
Proscuitto – at least Italian proscuitto – and pesto IMO are both a lot better if they are *not* heated. I melt the mozzarella in the panini, and then split it open and slather on the pesto and put on the proscuitto.