Best pesto meatball panini recipe by oh sweet basil (2024)

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3.70 from 20 votes

It’s like a mashup between your favorite meatball sub and that classic chicken panini- the pesto meatball panini and it’s what’s for dinner!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville Italian Sausage. The opinions and text are all mine.

One of the first paninis Cade and I ever enjoyed was a chicken pesto and it was pretty much bomb.com. Since then we’ve posted a few paninisbut they were all from years and years ago, in other words really bad pictures. There’s the chicken pesto, peppered turkey pesto, and prosciutto and pear panini, but everything was pretty much basic. I wanted to have a little fun with friends before baby arrived so back in October we had a panini party and let our friends build killer paninis. It was so much fun and even more delicious! I made this pesto meatball panini and oh my heavens, I may have to ditch my chicken pesto forever. It’s like a mashup between your favorite meatball sub and chicken pesto panini! And it’s taken over our pizza night, now we do build your own panini bar and often invite friends!

Ok, maybe not forever, but why haven’t I tried mashing up more flavors before? Pesto is awesome of course, but just wait until you add some saucy meatballs, gooey cheese, pesto butter and then grill the whole sucker together. You guys, it’s awesome!

We’ve all become obsessed with taking favorite classic recipes and making simple swaps with the meat like we did with our Sausage Alfredo Pasta in our last Johnsonville post.

For this recipe I just grabbed Johnsonville meatballs from our local store’s freezer section and some I left plain while others I tossed in a simple marinara sauce.

Then we stirred together butter and pesto for the outside of the sandwich, added a smear of fresh pesto on the inside, stacked it with cheese and took those saucy meatballs you normally find on a classic meatball sub and put it on our normally chicken pesto panini!

We loved the meatballs instead of chicken and cannot wait to try even more versions like a meatball french dip, meatball noodle soup (back it up chicken, there’s a new guy in town!) and so much more!

What Is a Panini?

A panini is a grilled sandwich made from bread other than sliced bread.

Can Paninis be Grilled in a Skillet Instead of a Panini Press?

Yes, you can use a heavy frying pan or skillet to grill a panini.

Heat grill pan over medium heat; place sandwich in the pan and top with another heavy pan.

How Long Will Pesto Last?

Purchased, unopened Pesto will last 6-8 weeks in the pantry or 6-8 months in the freezer.

If opened, it will last 7-14 days in the refrigerator.

Homemade pesto will last 5-7 days in the refrigerator or 3-4 months in the freezer.

Pesto Meatball Panini

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3.70 from 20 votes

Servings: 3

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Description

It's like a mashup between your favorite meatball sub and that classic chicken panini- the pesto meatball panini and it's what's for dinner!

Ingredients

6 Slices Italian Sourdough Bread
1/2 Cup Pesto
1 Jar Marinara Sauce
1 Teaspoon Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Clove of garlic, minced
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Bag Johnsonville Meatballs
12 Slices Mozzarella Cheese

For the Pesto Butter

1/3 Cup Butter, softened
1/4 Cup Pesto

Instructions

In a deep skillet, over medium heat, add the marinara, fresh basil, garlic and parmesan cheese.
Add the meatballs and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat to low and place a lid on top.
Simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Heat a panini grill or regular pan to medium high.
Spread pesto on the top and bottom layers of bread.
Slice the meatballs in half so they don't roll out of the sandwich.
Place mozzarella cheese on the two slices of pesto bread.
Spoon about 6 meatballs halves and sauce onto the bottom piece of bread and close the lid, pesto side down.
Spread the top and bottom of the sandwich with pesto butter and grill until golden.

For the butter

Mix the pesto and butter until smooth.

Notes

reheat in a toaster oven for 8-10 minutes

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 1794kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 86gFat: 123gSaturated Fat: 52gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 35gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 318mgSodium: 3558mgPotassium: 1577mgFiber: 7gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 3711IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 909mgIron: 10mg