Roast Beef & Blue Cheese Panini

SERVES: 4

COOK TIME: 15 Min

Get out that Panini grill you got for Christmas 'cause we're about to put it to use! Invite over your friends and neighbors for a Panini party and serve up one of our favorite hot sandwiches with this easy recipe for Roast Beef & Blue Cheese Paninis. We especially love this recipe because it uses that extra special Italian bread, reminding us of the kinds of sandwiches we might order at the local diner.

What You'll Need

1 tablespoon butter
1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 (16-ounce) loaf Italian bread, halved lengthwise (such as ciabatta or other crusty bread)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound deli roast beef, sliced thin
1 cup arugula leaves
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons mayonnaise

What to Do

Preheat Panini grill (see Note). Place butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add onion slices, and cook 10 minutes or until soft and caramelized, stirring often.
Brush outsides of bread with olive oil. Place bottom half of bread on Panini grill. Top evenly with roast beef, onion slices, and arugula.
Combine blue cheese and mayonnaise; spread mixture on cut side of bread top, and place bread over arugula. Cook 5 minutes or until bread is golden. Slice and serve.

Notes

An indoor electric grill with a lid works just as well as a panini press for this sandwich. If you don't have either, cook your sandwich on the cooktop in a large skillet, pressing down on the sandwich with another large heavy skillet as it cooks. You'll get the same results.