Grilled Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Panini

As a cook-from-scratch kind of gal and stay-at-home mom of four kids, I spend an average of two to three hours per day preparing meals.

But to be honest, there are days where four o’clock comes around and I just don’t have it in me to spend too much time getting supper ready.

So it helps to have a few recipes in my repertoire that are both tasty and quick to make!

These goat cheese paninis definitely fit the bill as far as flavor is concerned. And if you have a large family like we do—or you're making two and just want to save some time—you can even set up an “assembly line” and prepare several of them at once!

About this Recipe

This dish requires ingredients that can be a little pricey if you don’t know where to buy them.

So if you happen to have a Costco membership, be sure to look there first! We get all the ingredients for this dish from Costco and they cost us so much less than they would at the grocery store.

As for the basil, it can sometimes be difficult to find during the winter if you live in a colder climate. We live in Canada, but we do a whole lot of cooking and we like having fresh herbs on hand. So we use an AeroGarden to grow them year-round! (We loved ours so much that we even bought a second one.)

We love being able to use the herbs we grow even when there’s snow outside—and basil happens to grow particularly well indoors!

Required Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious grilled goat cheese sandwich at home:

• Ciabatta roll
• Goat cheese
• Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• Fresh tomato
• Fresh basil
• Salt
• Pepper

As mentioned above, we buy almost all the required ingredients at our local Costco and end up paying way less per item as a result!

Required Equipment

In order to make this grilled sandwich, we like to use a sandwich maker or panini press similar to the one below.

If you don’t happen to own a panini press, you can just use whatever other method you usually use to make grilled sandwiches. For instance, a cast-iron skillet paired with a handheld bacon press would probably work just fine!

How to Make a Grilled Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Panini (Step-by-Step)

1. Spread Goat Cheese on Bread

Start by slicing your ciabatta roll horizontally (if it didn’t come pre-sliced) and spreading some goat cheese on both sides.

We buy 300-gram rolls of goat cheese at Costco and typically use about ¼ of the roll for each sandwich—about 75 grams total divided evenly between both slices.

2. Add Fresh Tomatoes

Slice up a tomato and cover one side of the bread with tomato slices.

3. Add Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Cover the fresh tomato slices with pieces of sun-dried tomato. This should require about 6 to 8 tomatoes depending on their size.

Tip: Because sun-dried tomatoes are tougher than regular tomatoes, I recommend slicing them into pieces to make cutting (and eating) the sandwich a little easier.

4. Add Salt & Pepper

Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add Basil

Cover the sun-dried tomatoes with fresh basil leaves.

6. Grill Until Golden

Close the sandwich and place it in your panini press, applying pressure as needed. If you’re cooking for multiple people and your sandwich press is large enough, you can even grill several at once!

Because the ciabatta rolls are pretty thick, I usually turn my sandwich around (not upside-down) about halfway through so that both sides cook evenly.

Once the sandwich is done grilling, just give it a couple minutes to cool off and enjoy! The ciabatta should be golden and crispy, while the goat cheese should be warm and melted.

So delicious! I even occasionally make it for breakfast when I'm looking to eat something more filling.

Related Healthy Recipes

Looking to pair your sandwich with a delicious, healthy salad? Check out these articles:

• 5-Minute Parmesan-Arugula Salad
• Easy Caprese Salad (with Fresh Basil Leaves!)