These Pulled Pork, Pear, and Gorgonzola Paninis pretty much sum up everything I could ever ask for in a sandwich (unless I’m pregnant, then I crave the most boring of sandwiches). My sandwich wish list includes:
1. Something meaty (but sometimes it doesn’t even have to be meat. Tofu, eggs, or portabella caps will work)
2. Fruit (fresh, dried, or cooked in some way)
3. Leafy greens (hello spinach, radicchio, kale, arugula, etc)
4. Cheese (preferably a soft, tangy cheese)
5. Bread (A good crusty-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside bread)
6. Sauce (A vinaigrette dressing)
Plug in your favorite ingredients in all of the above categories and you will have one flavor explosion of a sandwich. Endless, mouth-watering possibilities I tell you. Let’s take a look at the plug-ins for this sandwich:
1. Something meaty: I used tender pulled pork because I had leftovers from a roast I cooked in the slow cooker. Find the steps to make it here.
2. Fruit: There’s this restaurant called The Roasted Pear in the Twin Cities, and they make the most delectable salad that happens to absolutely dominate in all 6 of the above components, even though it’s a salad! Their fruit addition? Sweet, cinnamon-flavored Roasted pears. Obviously, I had to add it to this sandwich.
3. Leafy greens: my all-time favorite is spicy arugula. In my opinion, these greens carry the most flavor among all the different varieties.
4. Cheese: Gorgonzola is the Italian version of bleu cheese. It perfectly balances with the sweet roasted pears. Feta would have been my second choice.
5. Bread: Ciabatta is airy and forms a nice outside crust when toasted up. Focaccia would be amazing too, but it’s a bit on the oily side and we need these sandwiches to be light and healthy!
6. Sauce: This was a no brainer. My old faithful Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette. I will put this on anything, including cheese pizza.
Now that you know the essential 6 components for a scrumptious sandwich and have one tasty recipe idea with this Pulled Pork, Roasted Pear, and Gorgonzola Panini, what kind of sandwich will YOU be making? Give this one a try as is or adapt it to your liking! Let’s brainstorm more combinations!
- 2 pears, cored and sliced thin
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 14 oz ciabatta bread, cut into 5 equal pieces
- 10 oz pulled pork (find an easy recipe in this post)
- 5 tbs gorgonzola cheese
- 2 ½ cups arugula
- Balsamic Vinaigrette (entire recipe)
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Spread pear slices out on a lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Roast pears for 20-25 minutes, until brown and tender. My pears were not ripe so the cooking time ran a bit long. If you're using a ripe pear, I suspect they'd be done in 15-20 minutes.
- Cut each piece of ciabatta bread in half.
- On one half of the ciabatta, place 2 oz of pulled pork.
- Layer a few roasted pear slices over the pork.
- Top the pork with 1 tbs of gorgonzola cheese and a half cup of arugula.
- Drizzle a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over the bread, but be sure to save a few tablespoons for dipping.
- Place the other half of the ciabatta over the top of the arugula. Press down firmly to close the sandwich.
- Grill each sandwich, using a Panini press or a pan on the stove. If using a Panini press, cook for 3 to 5 minutes. If using the stove, cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Serve each Panini with a side of balsamic vinaigrette for dipping.
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 393 Fat: 10.2g Carb: 50.8g Fiber: 4.9g Protein: 25.1g Sugar 12.3g Sodium: 644mg
Weight Watchers Points (calculated on member website)
WW: 9 Points Plus
Balsamic Vinaigrette: Entire recipe
Nutrition Information from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 76 Fat: 5g Carb: 6g Fiber: 0g Protein: .3g Sugar 4.3g Sodium: 216mg
Weight Watchers Points (calculated on member website)
WW: 3 Points Plus
Soup and Sandwich Recipes:
Tomato, Fennel, and White Bean Soup
Brussels Sprout, Bacon, and Gruyere Quesadillas with Apple Butter
Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup
Steamed Shrimp Po Boys with Cajun Vegetable Quinoa
Chipotle Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Wild Rice Soup
Hi! I'm Krista, a self-proclaimed vegetable lover who likes to put a creative spin on healthy cooking. Here you'll find a variety of lightened up recipes using fresh and wholesome ingredients! 
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