A lot of my family’s favorite recipes are born out of necessity, when I’m simply forced to pull something together from whatever I can scavenge in the fridge and pantry when groceries are running low. And many of the very best recipes are most simple ones! I made homemade pizzas for my kids last week so I had half a jar of sauce left and some turkey pepperoni in my fridge. I wasn’t in the mood to do pizza all over again, but I did have a good loaf of bread in the pantry so I came up with these Grilled Pizza Sandwiches. It’s like a little pizza, smashed between two pieces of buttery garlic bread. Paired along side a simple green salad, this is a great (and quick) weeknight meal that both kiddos and grown ups will love. I think these would even be great on baguette slices as a party appetizer too!
Start with a good loaf of rustic style bread. The bakery section of the grocery store should have plenty of options, but it’s important for a sandwich like this, you don’t whip out something like Wonder Bread. Get something with a little more oomph that will hold up to the fillings and grilling.
Lightly butter each slice on one side, making sure to cover all the way to the edges. You could also brush lightly with olive oil if you prefer. (Our garlic oil would be amazing here.) Then sprinkle on some garlic bread seasoning. If you’ve never tried our homemade seasoning, it takes just seconds to whip up and I swear to you it is better than anything I have ever purchased in a jar. (Click here for the Our Best Bites Garlic Bread Seasoning Recipe.)
Gently pat the seasoning down with clean hands so it sticks to the butter, then flip each piece of bread over.
Next you’ll need a little pizza sauce. This is a great recipe to make when you have half a jar left in your fridge, or even spaghetti sauce would work here. I just used some store-bought pizza sauce from a jar that I happened to have on hand, but if you want to try making your own, our recipe for homemade Pizza Sauce is super easy and so, so good. (Click here for the Our Best Bites Pizza Sauce Recipe.)
I’m pretty generous with the sauce because it starts to soak into the bread. I also like my pizza practically oozing with sauce, so just put on as much as you like.
Now, we can’t have a hot grilled sandwich without ooey-gooey melty cheese. Grate or slice some quality mozzarella
and sprinkle it on both slices of the sandwich.
Then layer on some pepperoni slices on one of the halves. I use turkey pepperoni; it actually tastes great and is pretty low calorie. And even if you’re not a pepperoni pizza fan, the pepperoni here adds great flavor, so give it a shot.
Now put the two sides of your sandwich together
And you can either cook them on a panini grill, like I’m doing, or in a skillet (flip after one side browns) or to make a bunch at a time, put them on a baking sheet and broil until the tops are golden brown and the insides are cooked through.
I use my panini press, and I set the height up a little so they don’t get totally smashed. I set it so the top just barely rests on the top of the sandwich.
Then just cook them until the garlicky bread is golden brown and toasted
and the cheese is oozing out.
Let them cool for of couple minutes, or chances are, they’ll fall apart on you when you start to cut them! Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice in half and then eat up.
Be sure to use our pizza sauce & garlic bread seasoning recipes – you won’t be disappointed!
Cheesy Grilled Pizza Sandwich
Ingredients
- Rustic style sandwich bread
- Butter or olive oil
- Pizza sauce
- Garlic bread seasoning
- Pepperoni or turkey pepperoni
- Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread, or brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic bread seasoning on each slice and gently pat on with clean hands.
- Turn slices of bread over. Spread pizza sauce on each slice and sprinkle with cheese. Place pepperoni slices on one of the sandwich halves and then place the two pieces of bread together.
- Grill on a panini press or hot skillet, or place under a broiler in the oven, flipping once, until both sides of bread are toasted and golden brown and cheese is melted.
- Cool for 3-5 minutes before slicing in half and serve.
Questions & Reviews
I followed the link and voted for your blog. However, after clicking on each and every other canidate, I have to say that I think you should have been nominated in several of the catagories. It’s not that I don”t like your photos – they are beautiful – it’s just that your blog is so much more than just photos. Most of the other entries in this catagory, were just photo journals. I very much enjoy your blog. Thanks Andrea
hahaha, I totally made the exact same thing last week when the hubby was at scouts, and thought, I should just post this. Way to move on it faster than me! 😉
Those look amazing! I recently did the same with a tortilla- viola! the Pizzadilla! My kids ask for it about every other day now. I go light on the sauce or the crisp quesadilla won’t be quite strong enough to hold all the yummy goodness. I’ll be trying this version very soon! And, with my waffle maker! Thanks for the recipe OBB and thanks for the tips fellow readers.
I saw this recipe on the way to the grocery store, so I picked up a loaf of Three Cheese Semolina bread and some ground beef. I used Swiss cheese instead of mozzarella and made some very thin burgers instead of the pepperoni. They were totally over the moon delicious!! I just used my George Foreman grill and it worked perfectly.
I have been wanting to buy a panini pan, and I think your post pushed me over the edge. I looked at the Williams Sonoma one you have, and although pricey, I’d still get it. My question is this: is it easy to clean? I only buy things that are easy to clean! And, besides paninis, what else do you cook on it?
I have to add that turkey pepperoni is the best! It has great flavor and like 1/3 of the calories. My kids can’t even tell the difference.
Yeah, it’s really easy to clean. The grills have a super nice non-stick finish, so most of the time I can honestly just wipe it out with a hot cloth, but when it’s pretty dirty, I just hold it on the edge of my sink and wash it with hot soapy water and a scrub brush. We have grilled sandwiches a LOT at my house, so I mostly use it for that, but I’ve used it for steak and chicken before too, and flat breads.
Thanks goodness because I never know what to do with that leftover-too-much-to-throw-out spaghetti sauce! BTW, bacon bouquet was a hit for my husband for Valentines Day. I got dressed up all hot, wrapped the bouquet in cello paper lined with a white paper towel and took it to him at work. He was shocked and amazed and dragged me all over the office to show off his gift. Pics on my FB page.
You two make me look so smart. Love!
Haha, awesome!
These look great! This looks like the Kneaders bread we love. We call it bunny bread, cause that’s what the slices look like. Bunny bread makes killer grilled cheese!
You are making me want to buy a panini press, but I bet I can just use a cast iron griddle.
Yep, cast iron griddle would work great. (But if you’d like some peer pressure to push you into buying another appliance, I’d be more than happy to help, just say the word! 😉 )
Yum! I’ll have to try these. I’ve also had great luck with grilling sandwiches in a waffle maker..mine is Belgian style. The sandwiches don’t turn out as pretty as with a panini press, but they sure are good.
Good to know!
What type of panini pan do you use?
Laurie, I have this Breville:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/2268175/
It’s definitely one of the pricier panini presses (I received it as a gift!) but it’s sure held up beautifully over the years and I’ve been really happy with it.