The other day I was walking down the bread aisle (a dangerous place for me to be) when I spotted ready-made panini bread. And I remembered a recent visit with some friends in North Wales, whose fabulous mum made us panini for lunch before we hit the road to drive home. At the time I thought how much I love panini and wondered why I’d banished our grill to the back of the gadget graveyard cupboard. What on earth had I been thinking? Surrendering to the force of suggestion, I grabbed a pack of panini bread and dropped it into the shopping cart.
Back at home, I again wondered what on earth I’d been thinking. I had bought the bread but nothing to put inside it! By now I was desperate to get that grill going, so I raided the fridge and, luckily, came up trumps. Bell peppers, feta cheese, olives… yes, you see where I’m going with this. I also had a bit of shredded mozzarella left, which would make a nice ‘glue’ to hold it all together.
And that’s it. With panini, there’s no need to overdo it. Decide on a theme and keep it simple. My Greek theme was predictable enough – I always have bell peppers, feta and olives lying around – so now I’m wondering how I can mix things up a bit. Because, now that my grill is back on the countertop, it’s not going anywhere! 
Greek Panini
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Greek-inspired panini combines the tangy flavors of feta cheese, bell peppers, and Kalamata olives, all melted together with mozzarella in a crispy grilled sandwich.
Ingredients
- 4 ready-made panini rolls
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) mozzarella, grated or sliced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) feta cheese, sliced or crumbled
- 1/2 bell pepper (1/4 orange and 1/4 yellow), sliced
- Handful (8-12) Kalamata olives, pitted
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat your panini grill according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Split each panini roll in half lengthwise.
- Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese evenly over the bottom halves of the rolls.
- Layer the feta cheese on top of the mozzarella.
- Add the sliced bell peppers and Kalamata olives over the feta cheese.
- Sprinkle with dried oregano for added flavor.
- Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Place the top halves of the rolls over the fillings to close the sandwiches.
- Grill the panini for 5-7 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the grill, slice, and serve warm.
Notes
- Tomatoes can be added, but they retain heat and may be too hot for children.
- If you don’t have Kalamata olives, any other type of olives can be used.
- The panini grill can be replaced with a stovetop grill pan or a regular skillet, pressing the sandwich with a heavy pan.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Sandwich
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 panini
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 750
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 35
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the recipe include both mozzarella and feta rather than one or the other?
The article explains this directly: the shredded mozzarella acts as “glue” to hold the filling together when pressed and melted, while the feta provides the salty, crumbly Greek flavor. Neither cheese alone does both jobs.
What if I don’t have a panini grill?
The notes say you can use a stovetop grill pan or a regular skillet, pressing the sandwich down with a heavy pan on top to mimic the grill’s pressure. Grill for the same 5–7 minutes until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted.
Should I skip the tomatoes for kids?
The notes specifically flag this: tomatoes can be added but they retain heat and may be too hot for young children to bite into right away. Leave them out or let the panini cool for a minute longer before serving to kids.
