Turkey Pesto Sandwich
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This Turkey Pesto Sandwich is my new favorite! I like using leftover turkey for this recipe and then pile it with fresh mozzarella, home-grown tomatoes, spinach and – of course – my homemade pesto!
What You Will ❤️ About this Turkey Pesto Sandwich
- Homemade Pesto – The flavor burst from pesto is the best! The aroma of basil and garlic don’t hurt either! (But you can use store-bought too!)
- Quick to Make! There’s about 5 minutes of prep time and then about 5-7 minutes of cook time for this delicious and hearty sandwich!
- Melty Cheese – I decided to make this a bit of a grilled cheese because there’s nothing I love more than fresh mozzarella when it’s getting melty!
Ingredients for Turkey Pesto Sandwich
This sandwich is great for thanksgiving leftovers! You could even spread some cranberry sauce in there instead of mayo if there’s any of that leftover.
I actually made this with leftover Thanksgiving turkey that I had in my freezer. I took the leftovers and shredded them and frozen them and pull them out whenever I need cooked turkey!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 slices of Sourdough bread – you could also use ciabatta rolls
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1 cup leftover turkey meat
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup spinach leaves
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 tomatoes, thinly slices
- 2 tbsp butter
- Basil Pesto – you can make your own or buy a store-bought pesto. You’ll find the instructions to make your own in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Turkey Pesto Panini Recipe Variations
This sandwich recipe is flexible to what you like – so here’s a few ways you could change it up:
- Serve Cold – you could also serve this sandwich cold – if so you might want to swap with a few slices of provolone cheese or cheddar, havarti or gouda cheese.
- Panini Press – I used a grill pan but if you have a panini press – this is the perfect sandwich to use with that!
- Rotisserie Chicken – I had a bag of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving – so I used that – but this would be just as good with deli turkey or rotisserie chicken.
- Roasted Red Peppers – an alternative to fresh tomatoes would be jarred roasted red peppers
How to make Turkey Pesto Sandwich
This delicious sandwich is filling and ready in just 15 minutes! It’s easy to make and tastes so good when you lightly grill it into a turkey panini!
- If you’re making your own pesto, put all pesto ingredients (olive oil, basil, pistachios, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt, garlic) into blender or food processor and blend until becomes a smooth paste. Spoon out of blender and set aside.
- Coat 2 slices of bread with 2 tablespoons pesto and the other 2 slices with mayonnaise
- Slice mozzarella cheese into thin slices and place half of the cheese on top of the pesto.
- Warm turkey in microwave for 50-60 seconds. Top cheese with turkey meat. Top with 2-3 spinach leaves, tomato slices and remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Place 2nd slice of bread on top of sandwich and press lightly. Butter top side of bread using softened butter and a spatula.
- Turn on non-stick grill pan skillet over medium high heat. Place sandwiches into pan butter side down. Press down with spatula and until bread is lightly toasted and cheese starts to melt – about 2-3 minutes. Butter top side of bread while it’s face up.
- Turn stove down to medium heat and carefully flip sandwiches and toast until cheese melts.
- Remove from pan, slice and serve!
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 325º for 5 minutes or in the oven for 20 minutes.
Well that’s an impossible question to answer! Mayo is necessary for me on any sandwich. Turkey is so mild so I always recommend one strong flavor such as pesto, horseradish mayo, cranberry sauce, etc.
Store in an airtight container and use with pasta, on chicken or even in scrambled eggs! Here’s a couple recipes using pesto that I love:
* Creamy Mushroom Pesto Pasta
* Orzo Pesto Salad
* Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
* Pesto Chicken Pasta
Get Heather’s NEW cookbook – Air Fryer Cooking for One today!
Salads to serve with Turkey Pesto Sandwich
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
Turkey Pesto Sandwich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup leftover turkey meat
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 tomato thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- If you're making your own pesto, put all pesto ingredients (olive oil, basil, pistachios, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt, garlic) into blender or food processor and blend until becomes a smooth paste. Spoon out of blender and set aside.1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup pistachios, 1/2 lemon, 2 tbsp Parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- Coat 2 slices of bread with 2 tablespoons pesto and the other 2 slices with mayonnaise4 slices sourdough bread, 1/4 cup basil pesto, 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Slice mozzarella cheese into thin slices and place half of the cheese on top of the pesto.8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- Warm turkey in microwave for 50-60 seconds. Top cheese with turkey meat. Top with 2-3 spinach leaves, tomato slices and remaining mozzarella cheese.1 cup leftover turkey meat, 1/2 cup spinach, 1 tomato
- Place 2nd slice of bread on top of sandwich and press lightly. Butter top side of bread using softened butter and a spatula.2 tbsp butter
- Turn on non-stick grill pan skillet over medium high heat. Place sandwiches into pan butter side down. Press down with spatula and until bread is lightly toasted and cheese starts to melt – about 2-3 minutes. Butter top side of bread while it's face up.
- Turn stove down to medium heat and carefully flip sandwiches and toast until cheese melts.
- Remove from pan, slice and serve!
