Friday, October 15, 2010

Bacon, Roasted Tomato, and Provolone Panini

You know what I love? Roasted tomatoes. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that before. (Oh. Wait.) I also love sandwiches, specifically the grilled kind, so putting roasted tomatoes on a panini seemed like a natural thing to do.

Frankly, I could have eaten just the roasted tomatoes slapped between two slices of bread, but to make things just a little bit more interesting for the rest of my family, I decided to add some other stuff to the panini too. Namely: bacon, so the sweet tomatoes would have a salty, smoky counterpart; gooey, melty provolone cheese, because every good sandwich needs cheese; and pesto mayonnaise, because I love the stuff and would eat it in just about any application, including directly off of a spoon. I put it all between two slices of hearty 12-grain bread, grilled it until crispy, and devoured it. And then I died from the deliciousness. Then I came back to life and ate another one. Then I died again. Do you see the pattern here?

(This recipe makes four sandwiches.)

Bacon, Roasted Tomato, and Provolone Panini

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup prepared pesto

12 slices bacon
4 slices provolone cheese
8 slices 12-grain or other hearty bread

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl toss the tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with foil and pour the tomatoes onto it. Place in preheated oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tomato skins burst. Remove from oven and gently mash with a potato masher.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; drain on paper towels. Combine mayonnaise and pesto in a small bowl; set aside.

3. To assemble sandwiches, spread each slice of bread with the pesto mayonnaise. Top 4 slices with a piece of cheese, three slices of bacon, a quarter of the roasted tomatoes, and another slice of bread.

4. Cook on a panini press until bread is slightly browned and crisp.

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9 comments:

Deborah said...

I can totally see why you would think this was delicious. There is not one thing in there that I do not love!

Keri said...

These look amazing, Cassie! We've been making a bacon, provolone, and tomato panini lately, but I haven't been roasting the tomatoes. I'm definitely going to try that!!

Donna-FFW said...

I so so so so want this. It looks AMAZINGLY delicious. I am all over it!

Allison said...

Note to self: do not read Cassie's cooking blog while waiting for The Hubby to get home for dinner...

Larissa said...

Yummy! I love roasted tomatoes and bacon together...a great combo!

Julie said...

I need to get a panini press so I can die from deliciousness too!

Faith said...

Omgoodness, this looks sooo good. Mmmm my favorite things!

Cara said...

So delicious, Cassie! Honestly, roasted or cooked tomatoes is the ONLY way I can eat tomoatoes. I really dislike eating them raw. And bacon and provolone? Two of my favorite words!

Monica H said...

This looks and sounds so darn YUMMY! Definitely going to make these but I gotta get some cheese first!