Make use of store bought pesto to create these luscious Turkey Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Leftover turkey never tasted so good!
When it comes to finding ways to use my leftover turkey, I like to take a complete departure from the flavors of Thanksgiving and create a whole new turkey experience. Well, my friends, this turkey experience should not be missed. This grilled sandwich is insanely good.
I pick up these great big jars of pesto at Costco so since I’ve usually got it on hand, I’ve found lots of delicious ways to incorporate pesto into recipes. Combined with slices of ripe tomato and fresh mozzarella, it takes leftover turkey to a whole new place.
It’s important to use a substantial sliced bread for this very substantial sandwich. That Boudin bag up there holds something very special. Do you have a Boudin near you? I think it’s just a California thing but I hope for your sake, they decide to expand to the rest of the country. They feature sandwiches made on their San Francisco style sourdough breads, salads, and to die for soups. One recently opened a quick 10 minute drive from my house and I’m afraid that any chance of a carb free diet in my future has now been dashed. There’s no other way to say this – I’m a huge fiend for sourdough bread and I’ve been stopping over their almost weekly to buy their loaves all nicely sliced and ready to go. Their multi-grain is perfect for this meaty grilled cheese sandwich but you can use any sliced bread that is substantial enough to hold up to the meaty ingredients.
It’s easiest to put this together on a cutting board. Spread two slices of bread with a couple of tablespoons of softened butter or butter spread.
Flip one of the buttered slices over. A little butter will get on the cutting board but it’s going to be okay. I promise.
Spread a couple of tablespoons of pesto over the un-buttered side of the bread.
Add a couple of slices of red, ripe tomato.
Next comes the turkey. I would have put more but we have to grill this thing!
Top it off with as many slices of fresh mozzarella as needed to cover the turkey.
Place the other buttered piece of bread on top, buttered side up. We want both buttered sides facing out so they hit the pan and help the bread get a nice grill going.
Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place it over medium heat. Carefully transfer your beast of a sandwich to the pan and let it cook for a few minutes, till it’s nicely golden brown on one side.
Here’s where it gets a bit tricky. Use a spatula and your other hand to carefully lift up the sandwich, turn it over, and guide it back into the pan. If some of the ingredients spill out, just place them back inside.
If you’ve got a panini press it would work great for this sandwich but a skillet is just fine.
So much better than your typical, tired leftover turkey sandwich. Let there be leftovers!
Turkey Pesto Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 slices sturdy sandwich bread, sourdough or multigrain work well
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 4 tablespoons pesto
- 1 cup cooked chopped turkey
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
Instructions
- Place 2 slices of bread on a cutting board and spread each slice with about 1 tablespoon of softened butter. Flip one of the pieces of bread over and top it with 2 tablespoons of pesto, spreading it out evenly over the surface of the bread. Top the pesto with half of the chopped turkey, a couple of slices of tomato, and finally, half the sliced mozzarella. Place the other slice of bread on the top, butter side up.
- Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients to assemble a second sandwich.
- Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place it over MEDIUM heat. Carefully place the sandwiches in the pan and allow them to cook until nicely browned on one side. Use a spatula to carefully lift up the sandwich and guide it with your other hand back into the pan to cook on the other side. If some of the ingredients fall out, just place them back inside. Cook until browned and the cheese has melted.
- Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and slice them in half before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This sandwich sounds delicious! I love pesto and noticed you said you have lots of recipes that you incorporate pesto, do you have a page with all of your pesto recipes?! I’d love to read it!
Hi Brandi. Just type “pesto” into the search bar and all my recipes that include pesto should pop up for you.
THIS IS THE EXACT THING I would wanna do with my leftover turkey!!!
Absolutely fantastic idea and next time I’ll need some turkey meat to make this amazing sandwich for sure! Love this!!