Turkey and Bacon Panini Sandwich

You’re going to love this delicious grilled sandwich. It’s such a simple recipe for an easy lunch or dinner. You use similar ingredients to a turkey club sandwich except there’s no lettuce and it’s grilled. This skinny recipe has 376 calories, 14 grams of fat and 9 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. A regular Turkey and Bacon Panini has an astounding 1019 calories and 73 grams of fat.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5-6 minutes

Instructions

6 slices Oscar Mayer Center Cut Bacon, or turkey bacon – whatever your preference – see shopping tip

4 slices Whole Grain Honey White Bread (Eating Right brand) or your favorite whole grain bread – see shopping tip

4 teaspoons reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Heart Light

2 teaspoon spicy or yellow mustard

2 teaspoon Nancy’s Skinny Ranch Dressing or reduced-fat mayonnaise

4 ounces sliced turkey breast, cooked and thinly sliced

4 thin slices fresh tomato

2 slices reduced-fat cheese such as Havarti, Swiss, or mozzarella

Instructions

1. To cook the bacon: place on a microwave-safe plate two sheets of paper towels. Spread 6 slices of bacon on top of the paper towels in a single layer. Lay another sheet of paper towel on top of the bacon. Cook in microwave until crisp (about 4-5 minutes).

2. Spread 4 slices of bread with 1 teaspoon each of butter, flip over and spread 2 inside slices with mustard and the other 2 inside slices with ranch or mayo.

3. With the butter side on the outside, top the ranch side with the sliced turkey, tomato, bacon, and cheese.

4. Put the remaining slices of bread on top of the cheese, with the mustard side in.

5. Coat a nonstick pan with cooking spray. Place the sandwiches in the pan and grill on med/high heat until golden brown (approx. 3 minutes). Flip sandwiches over and cook about 2 more minutes until golden brown. If you have a Panini maker cook the sandwiches for only 3-4 minutes until golden. The Panini maker cooks both sides at the same time.

6. Remove from heat, cut each sandwich in half. Serve with carrot sticks and a fruit cup.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Food Fact
Panini has been the trendy sandwich of this day and age. It’s simply a grilled sandwich stuffed with lots of cured meats and cheeses. You could use a Panini maker (a two sided electric grill) to cook and press the sandwich. They cut the grilling time in half because they cook both sides at once, but you definitely don’t need one of those fancy appliances to create this delicious sandwich.

Healthy Benefit
Cooking bacon in the microwave instead of a pan trims lots of fat and calories. Using paper towel helps collect the fat and grease, and almost all of the it remains in the towel rather than the bacon – therefore avoiding your stomach!

Shopping Tips
I used a bread called Eating Right Whole Grain Honey White Bread. For those of you who love the flavor of white bread you are going to love this brand. It’s only 130 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 3 grams of fiber for 2 slices. Most major supermarkets carry it, but if you can’t find it, substitute a whole wheat, whole grain, or sourdough bread.

Trader Joes carries a great selection of reduced-fat sliced cheeses. I love the lite Havarti, Swiss or Provolone. If you can’t find these types of cheese, use any reduced- fat mozzarella.

I also love using Oscar Mayer Center Cut Bacon. It’s much lower in fat and calories than most bacon. Three slices have only 70 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. You could also opt for your favorite turkey bacon for a different flavor.

Weight Watchers (old points) 8
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 9

SKINNY FACTS: for one serving of Panini
376 cal, 14g fat, 35g protein, 27g carbs, 3g fiber, 778mg sodium, 7g sugar

FAT FACTS: for one regular Turkey & Bacon Panini
1019 cal, 73g fat, 61g protein, 27g carbs, 2g fiber, 1504mg sodium, 2g sugar

You can find this and more amazing recipes from Nancy at SkinnyKitchen.com.