Roasted Vegetable Panini with Herb Aioli

A vegetable sandwich on focaccia bread is cut in half and secured with a toothpick, with layers of lettuce, grilled vegetables, and burrata.

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Roasted Vegetable Panini with Herb Aioli

Roasted Vegetable Panini with Herb Aioli is an easy lunch made on focaccia with lettuce, roasted veggies, burrata, and balsamic glaze. Note: Half a sandwich is one serving.

Prep Time25

Baking Time30

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: half sandwiches

Author: Nisha Kapur

Ingredients

For Roasted Vegies

1 eggplant sliced into 1/4" thick slices
3 tbsp olive oil brush over eggplant - front & back
2 red bell peppers sliced
2 zucchini sliced lengthwise
2 tbsp olive oil divided, 1 for red peppers & 1 for zucchini

For Herb Aioli

3/4 cup roasted garlic aioli I used Stonewall Kitchen brand
3 tbsp fresh basil chopped
1 1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
to taste black pepper

For Grilled Focaccia Bread

1 pieces foccacia bread grilled on stove, See Note 1 below.
2 tsp olive oil spread over foccacia bread

To Assemble Sandwich (1 sandwich yields 2 servings)

1/3 piece grilled focaccia bread
2 spoonfuls herb aioli spread on 1 side for both slices of focaccia
3 large leaves butter lettuce
4 tomato slices
drizzle of balsamic glaze I used Trader Joe's
1/2 ball of burrata cheese
4-6 slices of roasted eggplant
3-4 strips of roasted zucchini
handful of roasted peppers
4-5 fresh basil leaves
freshly grinded himalayan pink salt or regular salt
freshly grinded black pepper

Instructions

Preheat Oven, Slice & Roast Veggies. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. You'll need 2 bell peppers, 2 zucchinis, and 1 eggplant. Slice the eggplant horizontally into 1/8" thickness, slice the zucchini vertically into 1/8" thickness, and slice the red bell peppers vertically, and then in half. Grease each baking tray with avocado oil. Brush both sides of the eggplant with olive oil - you'll need 3 tablespoons total. Also, season the eggplant with salt. Toss the bell peppers in 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon for the zucchini as well. Don't season the bell peppers and zucchini with salt. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Turn off the stove and leave the veggies in there for another 20-30 minutes. Here is the result.
Prepare Herb Aioli. Use store-bought aioli, and fresh basil and tarragon. Add aioli to a bowl along with chopped basil and tarragon. Also, add black pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.
Heat the Focaccia Bread. Drizzle a little olive oil over sliced focaccia. Heat the bread on a pan for a few minutes on each side. Flip and warm up the bread on the other side too.
Assemble Panini. Spread a generous amount of aioli on both sides of the bread. Top with 3 leaves of butter lettuce, 4-5 slices of tomato, freshly ground salt & black pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Then, top with burrata cheese along with salt and black pepper. Next, top with roasted veggies - 4 slices of eggplant, zucchini, and roasted peppers. Finish with 5-6 fresh basil leaves. Close the sandwich and slice in half. Enjoy.

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