Turkey, Pear and Brie Paninis with Caramelized Onions + Cranberry Relish

Weeks before Thanksgiving arrived, I had big dreams of using leftover turkey for these paninis. Surprisingly, I have never been a huge fan of the classic turkey, cranberry sauce and mayo day after Thanksgiving sandwich but this panini? This is something I can get behind.

We had these for dinner last night and my sandwich loving husband was especially impressed. Melted brie, crisp pear and cranberry relish make for the perfect pals on this turkey panini. The extra 10 minutes it took to caramelize some onions was SO WORTH IT.

If you are still swimming in Thanksgiving leftovers, grab some good crusty bread and all of this goodness, and make yourself a panini!

Turkey, Pear and Brie Paninis with Caramelized Onions + Cranberry Relish

Turkey
D'Anjou pear, sliced thin
Brie cheese, sliced thin
Cranberry relish
Caramelized onions

Just pile that sandwich high, friends! Brush either side with olive oil and place in a panini press until the brie is nice and melty. If you don't have a panini press, toast the bread before assembling your sandwich and broil it in the oven, open faced.

Cuban Paninis

We take our Friday night meal seriously around here and we rarely deviate from our set plans but sometimes, you have to break out of your shell. Earlier in the week, I made Skinny Slow Cooked Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork) and it was ridiculously good. Since I knew we would have tons of leftovers, I was able to plan another meal using the leftover pulled pork. We skipped our usual Friday night homemade pizza party and swapped it for Cuban Paninis with oven baked fries. Paninis are always a win and these fries took the meal to another level.

It was like a Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives featured Meal.

Only better.

Cuban Paninis

Good, crusty ciabatta rolls
Pulled pork
Black forest ham, thinly sliced
Bread and butter pickles

Provolone cheese
Mustard
Olive oil, for brushing

Preheat panini press and brush lightly with olive oil.

Cut rolls in half horizontally. Spread a very light layer of mustard on the bottom half of the roll. Pile high with ham, pork, pickles, and provolone. Brush the top of the half of the ciabatta roll with oliv oil and sandwich in the goods. Grill in panini press, pressing down to flatten the sandwich. Grill for 8-10 minutes, or until you have nice grill marks and the cheese has melted.