Recipes for Making Paninis from Leftovers
Make Paninis out of your Leftover Turkey, Ham, Corned Beef, Hard Boiled Eggs and Lamb
Have plans yet for your leftover turkey? Here are some delicious panini recipe ideas to use up those leftovers from Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and St. Patrick's Day, - just about any holiday feast. Turkey and ham are traditional panini stuffers. Add gravy, cranberry sauce, cheeseballs and stuffing, and you have the perfect ingredients for a scrumptuous post-holiday panini feast. Lamb, corned beef and hard boiled eggs make fabulous paninis too! How about a dessert panini from chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks?
You can make these recipes fast and easy without a lot of extra prep of ingredients. The variations are bound only by your imagination. Create your own variations of the recipes below by adding one or two of your own family's favorite holiday leftovers.
Image courtesy of Vegan Feast Catering hosted on Flickr.com under CC BY 2.0.
Turkey Cranberry Panini Sandwich
This recipe will rival your Thanksgiving feast
Ingredients:
Turkey cut into bite-size pieces
Cranberry sauce
Cold leftover gravy
Sage or poultry seasoning
Salt & pepper
Softened butter or substitute spread
Ciabatta bread or leftover rolls
Preheat panini press, medium heat. Spread a thin layer of gravy on each piece of ciabatta. Layer one piece with turkey and cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with sage or poultry herb seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Put sandwich together and butter outside. (Easiest to butter one side, place buttered side on the press, then butter the side.) Cook until browned.
Other tasty leftover additions include dressing or stuffing, spinach or lettuce leaves, cheese, and apple pie filling. Yes, you can use up leftover dessert too!
Turkey, Apple and Cheddar Panini
Great with turkey cooked on a grill
Ingredients:
Whole wheat bread or Texas slice (thick) bread
Turkey cut into bite size pieces
Apple pie filling (or thinly sliced applies slices)
Leftover cheddar cheese sliced, or cheeseball spread
Salt and pepper
Romaine or spinach leaves
Softened butter or spread substitute
Preheat panini press. Layer one pieces of bread with cheddar cheese slice or spread, romaine or spinach leaves, turkey, salt and pepper to taste, then apple pie filling or slices. Finish with another slice of cheese or spreadmore cheeseball on the remaining slice. Butter one side of sandwich and place on panini press. Butter the other side. Cook until golden brown and cheese has melted.
The smokiness of leftover turkey that was cooked on the grill adds terrific flavor. Try pear slices instead of apple, or brie instead of cheddar cheese. Also good to make with leftover croissants.
Photo courtesy of Adesso Bistro
Low-tech Panini Grills - Buy one of these if you're pressed for money and space
Ham and Cheese on English Muffin
A tasty breakfast panini sandwich recipe
Ingredients:
English muffin, split
Sliced ham
Sliced cheese assortment or cheeseball spread
Spoonful of cold green bean casserole (even better with onion topping!)
Salt and pepper
Softened butter or substitute spread
Preheat the panini press. Spread green bean casserole on the bottom of the muffin, add ham, season with salt and pepper to taste, top with cheese or cheeseball spread.
A sweet and spicy mustard sauce provides a different twist on this panini. Try leftover broccoli or brussel sprouts instead of green bean casserole. Also good with croissant instead of English muffin
Ham and Sweet Potato Panini
This ham and yam recipe appeals to those with a sweet tooth
Ingredients:
Italian or other plain bread
Ham thinly sliced or cut into bite-size pieces
Leftover sweet potato casserole or mashed sweet potatoes
Cinnamon
Leftover mustard sauce from ham or spicy mustard
Softened butter or substitute spread
Preheat panini press or pan. Spread a thin layer of mustard sauce on each piece of bread. Add mashed sweet potatoes, sprinkle with cinnamon, top with ham and another layer of sweet potatoes. Butter top of sandwich, place in press buttered side down, then butter the other side. Cook until golden brown.
Another tasty addition would be grilled pineapple - grill it on the press before you make your sandwich. Or use thinly sliced grilled pears or applies.
Holiday Ham and Cheese Panini Recipe
Garlic gives this one its twist
Ingredients:
French, Italian or ciabatta bread
Thinly slice ham or ham cut into bite-size pieces
Mustard sauce or spicy mustard
Cheese of any variety - don't forget to use up the cheeseball!
Roasted peppers, tampanade, sun dried tomatoes, or any other appetizer spread
Olive oil
One clove raw garlic, slightly pressed
Preheat panini press. On one slice of bread, spread the mustard. Layer on the cheese and ham. Top with the roasted red peppers or appetizer spread. Finish with top slice of bread. Brush olive oil on top, place on panini press oiled side down, and brush oil on other side of sandwich. Cook until golden brown.
Remove from press and while the sandwich is still hot, rub garlic on one or both sides. Super yummy! If you can't handle the raw garlic taste, put the clove in the press next to the sandwich. Keep an eye on it and take it out before it turns brown. The cooked garlic has a mellower taste.
Image courtesy of Chefvet hosting on Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Easter Smore Panini
Even the leftovers from your child's Easter basket can make a mouth-watering panini
The key ingredients for this tasty dessert include those leftover marshmallow chicks and half-eaten chocolate bunnies. Here's my take on this campfire favorite.
Cinnamon swirl bread
Broken pieces of chocolate
2-3 Marshmallow bunnies or chicks
Preheat panini press. On one slice of bread, place the marshmallows and chocolate pieces. Top with the other piece of bread and butter or spray outside of sandwich. Place on panini press and cook until melted, about 1 minute each side.
My favorite additions include peanut butter and slices of banana. I like to combine milk chocolate and dark chocolate if I have it. Graham crackers or plain bread work as well as cinnamon swirl. Hollow chocolate bunnies or eggs are best for this. If you have solid chocolate, use a potator peeler to shave thin slices so it will spread and melt easily.
Image by author
Easter Egg Panini
The perfect breakfast sandwich using those leftover hard boiled eggs
Ingredients:
English muffin or bagel
Sliced hard-boiled egg
Mayo
Sharp cheddar cheese
Roasted asparagus
Olive oil
Preheat panini press. On one slice of muffin, spread the mayo. Layer on the cheese and egg slices. Top with the roasted asparagus. Finish with top slice of muffin. Brush olive oil on top, place on panini press oiled side down, and brush oil on other side of sandwich. Cook until golden brown.
Eggs-ellent. Try leftover hollandaise sauce instead of mayo. Use a fried egg instead of hardboiled. Add ham or bacon slices.
To roast asparagus, place trimmed spears in a single layer on a baking sheet, season with salt, pepper and a little bit of olive oil. Roast in preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Image by author
Easter Lamb Panini
Lamb and mint sauce with a twist
Ingredients:
Ciabatta roll
Mint-mustard sauce
Slices of rare to medium-rare lamb
Thinly sliced cucumber
Edam or other mild cheese
Olive oil
Preheat panini press. Prepare mint-mustard sauce by combining tablespoon of mint sauce with tablespoon dijon mustard. On one slice of ciabatta bread, spread the mint-mustard sauce. Layer on the lamb and cucumbers. Top with the Edam cheese. Finish with top slice of ciabatta bread. Brush olive oil on top, place on panini press oiled side down, and brush oil on other side of sandwich. Cook until golden brown.
Try mint-yoghurt sauce instead. Combine tablespoon of mint sauce with tablespoon of greek yoghurt. Or pesto yoghurt sauce made the same way.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Panini
This reuben wannabe makes the day after St. Patricks Day special
Ingredients:
Rye bread
Corned beef cut into bite-size pieces
Thousand Island dressing
Swiss cheese or smoke gouda
Leftover roasted cabbage
Olive oil
Preheat panini press. On one slice of bread, spread the thousand island dressing. Layer on the cheese and corned beef. Top with the roasted cabbage. Finish with top slice of bread. Brush olive oil on top, place on panini press oiled side down, and brush oil on other side of sandwich. Cook until golden brown.
De-lish! Try dijon mustard instead of thousand island dressing. Experiment with your favorite smoked cheese. The smokiness of the cheese with the saltiness of the corned beef and sweetness of the thousand island dressing will make you think you're in an Irish deli.
