Melty Red Pepper & Chicken Panini
with Sweet Potato Wedges & Pesto Mayo
- Milk
- Soy
- Wheat
- Eggs
When you’re pressed for time, there’s really nothing better than panini sandwiches. This version features double deliciousness with roasted bell pepper and a creamy roasted red pepper spread—but that’s not all! Sautéed zucchini and herbaceous pesto mayo are tucked in too, melded together with mozzarella between golden slices of sourdough. Roasted sweet potato wedges are served on the side with extra pesto mayo, and it all comes together in about 30 minutes. Yay for speedy panini!
Ingredients
1 unit
Red Onion
4 ounce
Roasted Red Pepper Spread
1 unit
Zucchini
2 unit
Sweet Potato
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
4 slice
Sourdough Bread
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
4 tablespoon
Pesto
(Contains: Milk)
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1 unit
Bell Pepper
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
4 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees (top and middle positions for 4 servings). Wash and dry produce. • Cut sweet potatoes into ½-inch-thick wedges. Toss on one half of a baking sheet with a large drizzle of oil, half the Italian Seasoning (all for 4), salt, and pepper. (For 4, spread sweet potatoes out across entire sheet.) • Roast on top rack until lightly browned and tender, 15 minutes (you’ll add more to the sheet then).
• Peel and slice onion into ½-inch-thick rounds. Halve, core, and thinly slice bell pepper into strips. Trim and slice zucchini crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds. • In a medium bowl, toss onion and bell pepper with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. • Once sweet potatoes have roasted 15 minutes, remove sheet from oven. Carefully toss onion and bell pepper on empty side. (For 4 servings, leave sweet potatoes roasting; add veggies to a second sheet and roast on middle rack.) • Return to top rack until sweet potatoes are browned and veggies are tender, 10-15 minutes more.
• Toss zucchini in bowl used for veggies with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini in a single layer; cook until golden brown and slightly tender, 2-4 minutes per side. • Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for zucchini over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Wipe out pan.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and pesto; season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread half the sourdough slices with a thin layer of pesto mayo. Spread remaining sourdough slices with red pepper spread. • Fill with even layers of mozzarella, roasted veggies, and zucchini (we used 4-6 zucchini slices for each sandwich; you may have some left over). Close sandwiches.
Fill sandwiches with chicken.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for zucchini over medium heat. Once hot, add sandwiches; press down with spatula or heavy-bottomed pan. Cook, pressing occasionally, until bread is toasted and cheese melts, 2-4 minutes per side. (For 4 servings, work in batches or use a second pan, adding more oil as necessary.) TIP: Lower heat if sandwiches begin to brown too quickly! • Halve panini on a diagonal and divide between plates. Serve with sweet potato wedges and remaining pesto mayo on the side for dipping. TIP: Serve any remaining zucchini slices on the side!
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many enjoyed the tasty combination of veggies and sauces, though some found the pesto overpowering or clashing with the red pepper spread.
- Ease of prep: Several noted it was labor-intensive with many steps; consider simplifying ingredients for easier assembly.
- Suggestions: Use mozzarella slices instead of shreds to help hold the sandwich together. Consider reducing oil and sauces to prevent sogginess.
- Portions: Some found it very filling, while others wanted more protein to make it more substantial.
- Texture: A few struggled with the sandwich falling apart; try pressing it more firmly or using less filling for easier eating.
Reviews from our home cooks
This is more of a personal preference, but this was super heavy on veggies. I think if we get this again, I will cut the veggies thinner, and only use half of them, saving the rest for a salad or to add to another dish later in the week. Really enjoyed the red pepper sauce, though, and found myself using it as a dip for both the panini and potato wedges.
We like the sweet potato wedges better than regular. My son cooked because I was fresh out of the hospital. It was easy enough for him. Love the pesto mayo. The red pepper spread was too much-very overpowering. Would rather have a thin layer of the red pepper spread and more of the pesto OR just the pesto on the sandwiches.
The recipe itself is wonderful. However, the bread fell apart after we put the pesto on one side and the red pepper sauce on the other. Other than that, the flavor was delicious and everything came together well.
Wow! A favorite that is now in my regular rotation of recipes! If I could give this recipe a 10 out of 5, I would! :)
Great flavor of the sandwich and super filling. Only thing I wish was that you could swap out the sweet potato fries as a side. I don't eat sweet potatoes so I ended up giving those away. Would be nice to have another option!
Really delicious! But can you sub in vegan Mayo to make it a vegan recipe? My husband isn't vegan so he used the Mayo in the box and the sauce that had milk in it and I used my vegan cheese and Mayo but this would be such a great additional vegan option.
Yum! I recommend mozz slices vs. shreds to keep the paninis from collapsing.
The sandwich was actually pretty good and the sweet potato fries I actually made them sweet so it was a delightful meal. Would I order it again? No. But enjoyed it.
Delicious but very labor intensive. I think they could simplify the ingredients. The sourdough bread was not on par with what we get at the market.
Hardly ever eat zucchini in a sandwich. This was surprisingly good
