This grilled zucchini panini gets smoky flavor from charred veggies and a smoked paprika spiked pesto. It’s a simple and satisfying vegetarian sandwich recipe!

When I was in high school, my friends and I used to sneak out at lunch and go to Bagel Bakery, a bagel and sandwich shop just down the road. My friends would order a plain bagel, because at the time, they were following 'the bagel diet.' Yes, you heard me right. In the height of the Atkins craze, they came up with a bagel diet. I’m sure you can imagine how that one went.

Me, I was too cool for the bagel diet. And by too cool I mean I had unearned thin privilege therefore didn’t feel pressure to diet and also had what I now know is sensory seeking ADHD so a plain bagel wasn’t going to cut it. Instead, my go-to skipping school to go out to lunch order was a grilled veggie panini, which was not only delicious but made me feel infinitely more sophisticated than my dieting friends.

I still have a soft spot for vegetarian paninis. With the melty cheese, crunchy, toasty bread, and lightly charred veggies, it’s always an meal that satisfies. It’s also a meal I love to make at home, especially this grilled zucchini panini, filled with grilled zucchini, melted gruyere cheese, piquillo peppers, and a pesto spiked with smoked paprika.

How to Make a Grilled Zucchini Panini

This grilled zucchini panini recipe couldn’t be any simpler! To start, fire up the grill to cook the zucchini. I season planks of zucchini simply with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat and cook it on the grill until the zucchini is grill marked and lightly charred. Be sure the cut the zucchini into planks of equal thickness so it cooks evenly.

While cooking the zucchini, mix the smoky pesto by combining hot smoked paprika with store bought pesto sauce. The smoked paprika ups the smoky flavor of the charred veggies in this zucchini panini.

After assembling the sandwiches, you’ve got a few different options for how to cook your zucchini panini. Since the grill is presumably already hot (unless you cooked the zucchini in advance) you could place the paninis on the grill, weight it down with a cast iron skillet or something similar, then flip sides after a couple minutes. You could also use a panini press or George Foreman grill or similar. Another option is to cook the panini in a skillet, grilled cheese style, pressing it down with another heavy skillet or can. My personal favorite is on the grill, but if you have a panini press I feel like you got to pull it out so you can justify having spent $80 on it however many years ago :)

Grilled Zucchini Panini Serving Suggestions

The following would be perfect for pairing with this grilled zucchini panini recipe:

Try a pureed soup, like classic tomato-basil, my spinach apple soup, or sweet potato cauliflower soup.
A simple side salad, like my spring salad with sauteed peas, crispy prosciutto and cherry salad, or my classic chopped side salad.
Potato chips are a simple, no-prep side! I love this with truffle flavored chips!
Fruit salad is a refreshing side. Keep it simple with some mixed berries, or try my melon, mint and pistachio salad.

If you like this grilled zucchini panini recipe, follow my vegetarian sandwich recipes Pinterest board for more cooking inspiration.

This grilled zucchini panini recipe was originally published April 2014. Recipe, images and text have been updated to give you the best possible content.

Grilled Zucchini Panini with Smoky Pesto Recipe

Makes 4

Adapted from Food & WIne Magazine

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick lengthwise slices
Olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup pesto
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
Gruyere cheese, grated
4 jarred piquillo peppers, sliced
8 slices sourdough bread
Olive oil

Instructions

Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Grill until tender and lightly charred on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
While zucchini is grilling, mix pesto and smoked paprika until combined
Arrange sandwiches with a mound of grated gruyere topped with zucchini and piquillo peppers, and spread the other four slices of bread with pesto.
Drizzle/brush the paninis with a bit of olive oil and either place back on the grill, weighing down with a cast iron skillet, and cook for a couple minutes per side, or cook in a panini press until crispy and melted. Serve immediately.