Roasted Red Pepper Paninis {the art of soup and sandwich}

 Thank you to Progresso® Artisan Soups for sponsoring this article. Follow the latest happenings at @ProgressoArtisan on Instagram.

Do you know what the cold, fall-turning-to-winter weather does to me?  It makes me want to skip my early morning workouts and sleep in.  It makes me want to go to bed early.  It makes me want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a book during nap time.  It kicks productivity out the window.  And it really makes me want to eat {which is exactly why I can’t afford to skip those morning workouts!}     

It makes we want to go into hunker-down mode.  And eat-and-drink-all-things-warm mode.  Like soup.  You know I love soup. And I love it even more when paired perfectly with a toasty, cheesy sandwich.  Because really, every good soup needs a good sandwich to go with it, and every good sandwich, a soup.  

When I asked you on facebook what your favorite soup and sandwich combo was, I got a resounding “Tomato soup with grilled cheese!” I get it, I love the classic combination too.  So today you get that classic combo kicked up a few notches.  A few notches of roasted red pepper my friends.  Prepare to fall in love with these Roasted Red Pepper Paninis. 

Before I get to that though, let’s talk about the soup you want with this panini.  Progresso® Artisan’s Creamy Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup is your classic tomato soup infused with fiery roasted red peppers, giving it a little kick and richer flavor.  It’s perfect for this panini.  And it’s just one of the five new Progresso® Artisan Soups flavors. 

The new line includes Creamy Tomato with Roasted Red Pepper, Masala Curry Butternut Squash, Rustic Tomato with Chicken and Dumplings, Creamy Potato with Sausage and Kale, and Smoky White Bean and Winter Vegetables.  All twists on classic soup flavors, using real ingredients (hello, kale!). We had ourselves a little soup tasting party and our favorites were the two tomato soups (call us boring, or typical), with the Creamy Tomato with Roasted Red Pepper trumping ↓↓↓.  

 I wanted to amp up the flavor of the roasted red pepper in the soup, which is exactly why I made these Roasted Red Pepper Paninis.  They may sound simple, but they’re exploding with flavor.  They’re hearty and perfect for the creamy tomato soup.  Remember that Garlic & Basil Whipped Feta I shared last week?   I told ya it was good on sandwiches.  Go whip some up, you need it for these! 

Start with your sourdough bread and pile it all on.  First a layer of garlic & basil whipped feta, then the roasted red peppers, turkey bacon (or the real stuff), slices of mozzarella cheese, topped with caramelized onions and another slice of sourdough.  Build ’em, press ’em and eat ’em. 

Then, warm up a bowl of Progresso® Artisan’s Creamy Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  The beautiful thing is it only takes a few minutes.  Which is lovely after putting little (but not a lot) of labor into the paninis.  

Roasted Red Pepper Paninis

2013-10-10 22:57:04

Serves 4

Roasted red pepper paninis with turkey bacon, caramelized onions and garlic & basil whipped feta. Pairs perfectly with tomato or roasted red pepper soup!

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Ingredients

1. 8 slices sourdough bread
2. 1 (16 oz) jar roasted red peppers, sliced
3. 8 slices turkey bacon, cooked
4. 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
5. 1 large onion
6. 1-2 tablespoons butter or mayo
7. 1/2 cup feta cheese, room temp
8. 2 oz cream cheese, room temp
9. 1/4 tsp minced garlic
10. 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
11. salt and pepper to taste

Caramelize the onion

1. First, peel and slice the onion into thin strips. Heat a saucepan with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Add onion, a pinch of brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Cook onions on low heat until tender and browned.

Whip the feta

1. In a medium bowl whip cream cheese and feta together until smooth, no lumps. Slowly beat in garlic, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper. Beat on high until fluffy. Set aside.

Make the panini

1. Turn on the panini press. Spread butter or mayo on one side of sliced sourdough. Spread a layer of whipped feta on the opposite side. Place buttered side down on the panini, place 1 or 2 sliced roasted red peppers on top of whipped feta. Top with two slices of turkey bacon and mozzarella cheese. Place some caramelized onion on top. Place another slice of sourdough on top, buttered side up. Close the panini press and cook according to panini press directions. (Hot and melty!)
2. Repeat to make remaining paninis.

Kristy Denney https://boysahoy.com/