This Grilled Veggie Panini with Vegan Balsamic Mayo was created as a result of grill season and me not having an alternative to bring to cook outs. I created this panini when I transitioned to a vegetarian lifestyle several years ago. During this time there were not many plant based burger or sausage alternatives like there are now so I didn’t have that many options. All I knew was that I wanted something that I had a little more control over in terms of ingredients and a grilled panini was the perfect solution.
For some reason I compare paninis to smoothies because similar to smoothies you can pack them with so many veggies but instead of a delicious drink you have a delicious sandwich.
Now the beauty of this grilled veggie panini with balsamic mayo is that it does not have to be grilled. The veggies can still be sautéd indoors in a pan or grilled with an indoor griddle. But if it’s that time of year or you are a bold winter grill master I highly recommend preparing this panini on the grill!
What sets this Grilled Veggie Panini Apart?
Two ingredients set this panini apart from others and that is the balsamic vinegar and red bell peppers.
Marinating the red bell peppers in the balsamic vinegar is kind of a show stopper in my opinion. With every bite you get the acidity from the balsamic vinegar and sweetness from the bell pepper which is just a perfect flavor combination.
Now I’m kind of obsessed with balsamic vinegar so I needed to find more ways to incorporate it into this panini while also being able to enhance the balsamic flavor in the already marinated bell peppers. I decided to make a very easy and simple vegan balsamic mayo by simply adding balsamic vinegar to vegan mayonnaise. Oh, and that wasn’t enough for me either. I also finish it off by adding a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to the veggies before assembling the panini.
Alternative Veggies:
The super convenient aspect to this panini is that you can swap out and even add more veggies that are in season or that you simply just like. The possibilities are kind of endless. Here are a few examples:
- Summer squash
- Tomato and Basil ( If you want more of a caprese style panini)
- Eggplant
- Spinach
Grilled Veggie Panini with Vegan Balsamic Mayo
Equipment
- 1 Griddle or Panini Press Optional
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf Sourdough Bread (or bread of choice)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Zucchini
- Baby Arugula
- 1/3 Cup Vegan Mayo
- 1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Vegan Butter
- Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Instructions
- Start by rinsing and washing your veggies.
- Cut zucchini into thick ribbons and bell pepper into strips (julienned).
- In a small shallow dish marinate the red bell pepper in 1/4c of balsamic vinegar.
- Note: Marinate peppers for 1 hour or longer (can be done the night before, the longer the better)
- In a nonstick pan, griddle, or grill add olive oil and cook your zucchini on each side as well as the marinated bell peppers until nicely browned.
- To a small dish add the Vegan Mayo and Balsamic Vinegar and mix and set aside.
- Before you begin to prepare your panini warm up a pan to medium low heat, or begin to warm you griddle.
- To assemble your panini, add some balsamic mayo to both pieces of bread, and layer the vegan mozarella cheese, zucchini ribbons, red bell peppers, and arugula. Top with the other slice of bread, mayo side down to complete the panini assembly.
- Butter the top slice of bread, and place butter side down on warm pan or griddle and cover with a lid.
- Grill or pan fry your sandwich on each side until golden brown and toasted.
Notes:
I cut and cook all veggies so they are prepared for the week. So when you are ready to make a panini all you have to do is grab the veggies from the fridge, assemble, and grill your panini. As your panini cooks the veggies will also warm up in the center so need to microwave them before you assemble.
Plant Based Cheese Melting Hack:
If you are grilling your panini on a pan and notice your vegan mozzarella cheese is not melting very well, a simple hack to get that melty cheese we all love is to add just a little water to your pan and cover with a lid. This will create some steam inside the pan allowing that vegan mozzarella to get nice and melty!
