How to Make Mouthwatering Italian Panini using Budget-Friendly Aldi Ingredients!
- gailannbrown701
- Apr 6
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Aldi meal ideas have gained popularity on TikTok recently, but many overlook Aldi's high-quality ingredients for making paninis. Traditional sauces, such as pesto, aioli, and balsamic glaze, pair perfectly with fresh mozzarella on a toasted ciabatta roll. Each sandwich can be made for under $2, allowing you to keep the ingredients handy for quick assembly. You can grill one in about five minutes!
Italian Panini with Aldi Ingredients
A trip to Aldi provides everything you need to make delicious paninis for under $2 per serving. Everyone loves a Caprese Panini, featuring fresh basil, mozzarella, and a generous amount of delicious pesto, all on Ciabatta bread. A great vegetarian sandwich, but adding a little sliced turkey and some garlic aioli makes it a healthy alternative with meat. The great part is that all the ingredients in these sandwiches can be found at your local Aldi for a low price. No Aldi in your neighborhood? Not a problem, as most of these ingredients can be found at other discount groceries. I find that Trader Joe's is a great substitute at a slightly higher price point. If you aren't in the U.S., try to find a discount grocery in your community (comment on what that is--we are dying to know what food costs are like in other parts of the world!)
A fresh and delicious Panini can be had in about 5 minutes for around $2.
It's all about the Sauce
A panini differs from a grilled cheese in that it incorporates wet ingredients.
and sauces. But producing these ingredients often involves time and expense. Aldi saves the day by offering bottled sauces that rival fresh.
First, Aldi's Pesto Sauce is brilliant and wonderful at around $2.20 per bottle. The only problem is that it rarely survives very long in my fridge, as it is delicious and versatile. It's great on paninis and delicious on pasta. I've come to believe that cardboard would taste great if smothered in this pesto sauce.
Another great Aldi option is the balsamic glaze. You can make your own balsamic glaze with 2 cups of balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of sugar, cooked until reduced by half. However, at around $2.25 per bottle, Aldi's pre-made version is inexpensive, delicious, and always ready.
If you love Garlic Aioli on your sandwich, Aldi's Burman's brand has several flavors, including garlic and chipotle. These aioli spreads seem to appear and disappear in my Aldi, but at least one flavor is always available for around $2.50.
If you have pesto, balsamic glaze, and mayo or aioli, you have all the sauces you need to make several kinds of panini.
The Bread is Important
When making a panini, the bread is crucial. I get the best results when using
ciabatta or focaccia bread. I like to make focaccia at home, but for every day, I grab a bag of ciabatta rolls at Aldi for about $3.50. I also enjoy using the plain Italian loaf, which yields a wonderful sandwich. Choose any good quality bread that holds up to sauce and toasts well.
Quality Cheese, Tomatoes, Basil, and (if you like) Meat.
To make a first-rate Caprese Panini, you need fresh mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and
fresh basil. However, you can also add other vegetables, such as roasted eggplant or peppers. Aldi sells a very good fresh mozzarella, available in both sliced and unsliced forms, for around $3.50 per 8 ounces. This easily makes 4-6 sandwiches. But you can find fresh mozzarella anywhere.
For tomatoes, I prefer to buy Aldi's Roma tomatoes and let them ripen on my windowsill.
These tomatoes are of exceptionally high quality, and Aldi offers an organic version for those who prefer organic produce. Slice your Roma tomatoes thinly with a very sharp knife.
Even if you have purchased pesto, try to find fresh basil. I sometimes find fresh basil at Aldi, or I keep a nice basil plant in the same kitchen window as the ripening tomatoes. Fresh basil really enhances the dish. Lastly, you can add salami or other deli meats to your panini. Alternatively, you can opt for turkey or ham. Once you have the basic flavors of a Caprese panini- fresh mozzarella, pesto, balsamic glaze, fresh tomatoes, and basil - you can add what you like from there, whether it's vegetables (like peppers) or meat (like salami).
Consider a Good Panini Pan
I purchased the little cast-iron pan pictured above last year. It is a small square cast-iron pan with raised grill lines on the bottom and a press that allows you to press the sandwich while leaving grill marks. To achieve a nice panini, you need a weight to press down on the sandwich. Before I bought the setup I have now, I used a large cast-iron skillet and pressed down with a large can of tomatoes. You can use almost anything heat-resistant and heavy as a weight. Be careful- don't burn those fingers!
Ingredients (for 6 rolls -$10 to $12)
6 Ciabatta Rolls (Aldi, $3.50)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh mozzarella (Aldi, $3.50)
1 jar of Pesto (Aldi, $2.00)
1 fresh Roma Tomato, sliced thin (Aldi, $0.40)
1/4 c. Garlic Aioli (Aldi, $1)
2 T Balsamic glaze (Aldi, $0.50)
Roasted Peppers or Eggplant (optional)
Salami Slices (optional)
Assembly
Put cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
Cut the ciabatta roll in half.
Spread the bread with pesto.
Put fresh mozzarella over the pesto.
Put tomatoes over the mozzarella and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Top with fresh basil, if using.
If using vegetables or meat, put over the pesto. Squirt on aioli.
Assemble the two halves and press them together lightly.
Put olive oil in a hot cast-iron pan and place the sandwich in it. Immediately press down with a sandwich press or other weight.
Brown one side for a couple of minutes, flip over, and brown the other side. Remove to a plate and slice in half.
Enjoy!
Paninis are a hot and delicious lunch, ready in just 5 minutes, using all the ingredients you have in your pantry or fridge. Just perfect!
