Panera-Inspired Tomato Mozzarella Panini

This Panera-Inspired Herb Mozzarella Syntactician instruction is my respect to the discontinued bill portion love by me and so umpteen else vegetarians throughout the country.

When Panera stopped giving the Portobello and Mozzarella Panini, I was bummed because it was totally my go-to menu alternative. But then they replaced it with the Herb Mozzarella Syntactician and I rapidly got over my unhappiness because the new vegetarian sandwich was so righteous. You can get a TBM fair around anywhere, but this one was distinguishable! It had a magical combination of caller and roasted tomatoes, along with a sun-dried herb disparity.

After winning the Herb Mozzarella Panini off the card, Panera replaced it with a totally coarse flatbread sandwich that was terminated with a nip of citrus succus which would run all over your hands whenever you picked it up. Nonstandard! It was so subpar that my partner and I retributory stopped effort to Panera nudeness and we had no selection but to get our Herb Mozzarella Grammarian fix at location.


Panera-Inspired Tomato Mozzarella Panini
prep 25 minscook 25 minstotal 50 mins
Missing Panera's Tomato Mozzarella Panini now that it's off the menu? Here's how to make it at home.

Ingredients

• For the Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes:
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon high-quality balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• For the Sun-Dried Tomato Spread:
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes + 1 tablespoon of oil from the jar
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 large basil leaves

For the Panini:

1. 1 large loaf ciabatta bread
2. Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
3. Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes
4. 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
5. 1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
6. 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices
7. Olive oil to brush grill or panini press

Instructions
To make the Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the tomato slices on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and seasoning.
3. Drizzle the tomatoes with the vinegar mixture and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Bake the tomato slices for 15-20 minutes, or until they're softened and beginning to brown. Set aside.

To make the Sun-Dried Tomato Spread:

1. While the tomatoes are roasting, combine all of the spread ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

To assemble the panini:

1. Preheat a panini press or countertop grill to medium-high.
2. Cut the ciabatta bread into 4 equal sections and then cut each section in half lengthwise. Spread the sun-dried tomato mixture onto the bottom of each ciabatta section. Top with the roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella slices.
3. Brush the grill with oil. Place the sandwiches onto the grill, close the top, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the bread is nicely toasted.