I don’t think it can get any colder or snowier. As you may have guessed, I live in New England, and right now it’s absolutely brutal outside. Newscasters are rightfully calling it the Snowmegeddon!! Despite this, we make sure to go outside and do fun things like make snow angels and go snow tubing 🙂 It’s important to enjoy it, otherwise it’s going to be a long and miserable winter here in the Northeast! 

Along with that fun comes a fair share of comfort foods that you can enjoy after some outdoor activities. But you have to be careful and not go overboard, since these foods they tend to be high in sugar and fat! I think a good balance is having a large bowl of filling soup and a warm sandwich.

One of our favorite snowy night weekend meals is something warm and gooey, something old and something new 🙂 I usually make these warm Panini’s and take out some leftover soup which I almost always have during the winter. For instance, today, I had some roasted pepper-tomato soup left in the fridge (I will post that recipe soon!). This soup-sandwich combination is quick, warm, gooey, filling, kid friendly and nutritious. Can’t beat that!

Ingredients:

European sandwich rolls – 4 or any sandwich bread which is crusty from out yet soft on inside (try not to use regular thin bread slices, it should be a slightly sturdy bread)

Large Mozzarella ball – 1 to 2

Basil Pesto – 2 to 3 Tbs

Tomato slices – 1 to 2 per sandwich, optional

Onion slices – few, optional

Directions:

• Heat up the indoor grill or Panini press or a cast iron pan.
• Meanwhile assemble the sandwiches.
• Split open the rolls. Spread about 1 tsp of the pesto on each inner sides of the roll. You can increase or decrease the pesto based on your taste.
• Add a medium thick layer of mozzarella.
• Add a 1-2 slices of tomato and some onion slices if you like it.

• Cover it with the other side of the roll.

• Put the assembled sandwich in the heated grill/press. If using cast iron pan, keep another smaller clean cast iron pan on top of sandwich to keep it pressed. There is absolutely no need to use any butter or oil to get the sandwich nice & crispy!

• Keep for about 5-6 minutes. If cheese has melted for a bit then you can take it out.

• Sandwich is ready! Enjoy with a slice of pickle and a warm bowl of Minestrone Soup or Black Bean Soup or Pasta Fagioli Soup or Tomato soup or whatever soup you might have 🙂

 Total Servings: 4 sandwiches

Nutrition info will vary based on the bread you choose, how much pesto you apply and how thick is your cheese slice.