Broccoli Panini with Chickpea Spread & Mozzarella
This vegetarian panini is everything I love in a sandwich. Balsamic broccoli, red pepper chickpea spread, and melted mozzarella make this into a simple, but delicious sandwich. You can add any greens or veg you love to really beef up the nutrients, but it's amazing on its own. If you're looking for an easy lunch or a lazy weekend recipe, this is the perfect panini for it.
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 spider or strainer
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of my whole wheat focaccia recipe
- 1 large head of broccoli
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze plus more as needed
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 lemon for juicing
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano optional, but really delicious
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves optional, but really delicious
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2/3 cup roasted red peppers about 1 large roasted red pepper
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil
- 1 tbsp calabrian chili paste or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cut the broccoli into long, thin pieces, leaving the stem on (it's delicious in this!)
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt liberally.
- When the water is boiling, submerge the broccoli and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and tender. Remove and directly place into an bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
- Chop the blanched broccoli into tiny pieces. Add these to a bowl, and drizzle in the balsamic glaze, the lemon zest, the juice from 1/2 of the lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Season with more balsamic glaze, salt and pepper as you prefer.
- Roughly tear up up the oregano and basil in your hands to release their natural aromatics and add them to the broccoli. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add in the chickpeas, the red peppers, the sun-dried tomatoes, the chili paste, the juice from the other half of the lemon, and a pinch of kosher salt. Food process until very smooth. Add more salt as needed.
- Cut the focaccia bread into quarters, then in half horizontally. Spread a thick layer of the chickpea spread on the bottom slices of bread, then smash a thick layer of the broccoli on top. Add a few pieces of mozzarella and then place the next piece of bread on top.
- Either in a dry pan set to medium heat or in a panini press, grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the cheese is melted. Really press down the bread (either in the panini press or on the pan) to get it nice and thin. This will help hold the ingredients and make the panini really crispy on the edges. Enjoy immediately!