Good morning friends! Today, I am bringing you yet another installment of my breakfast sandwich series and you are going to love this one!
What you have here is a breakfast panini with crumbled Italian sausage, cheesy scrambled eggs and some baby arugula pressed between two pieces of buttery, crisp schiacciata. The flavor, the texture… all of it is just delicious and these paninis chill and reheat really well too, so they are perfect for meal prepping or taking breakfast to the beach.
If you love breakfast sandwiches then you should definitely give this one a try.
Let’s get started…
If you are a “bake your own bread” kind of person then we need to start by baking some schiacciata. This tuscan flatbread is like a thinner version of focaccia with the same wide open crumb, but a slightly more dense and chewy texture and buttery crisp edges. This bread is perfect for paninis or any other kind of sandwiches for that matter, but if you would prefer to not bake your own bread, feel free to grab any chewy flatbread, ciabatta or thin focaccia at your local grocery store or bakery.
If you do want to make some schiacciata then check out my full recipe here.
Once you have the bread situation covered, there are essentially just 2 fillings to make – crumbled Italian sausage and scrambled eggs.
To make the Italian sausage, crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium to medium high heat and cook until it is cooked through and beginning to caramelize and crisp up a bit. Transfer the sausage onto a paper towel lined plate and set it aside for now.
To make the scrambled eggs, discard the grease from the sausage and place the skillet back over medium heat. Whisk your eggs in the skillet, season with salt and black pepper and cook until you have a soft scramble consistency. Add some shredded cheese and cook until the eggs are cooked through, but transfer off of the heat soon after to prevent them from drying out.
Note: When it comes to the amount of sausage and eggs that you cook, this depends on how many paninis you are planning to make and just how full you want your paninis to be. I recommend about 2 ounces of ground sausage and 2 eggs per person/panini.
Now that the filling is cooked, grab some baby arugula (or your favorite tender greens) and a little more shredded cheese and let’s start assembling these paninis.
Begin by slicing your schiacciata (or whatever bread you end up using here) in half lengthwise. If the bread you choose is fairly thick, I suggest pulling some of the “guts” out to reduce the overall thickness of your panini.
Start by layering some cheese on the bottom slice, add a layer of scrambled eggs and then your crumbled sausage.
Try to spread the layers from edge to edge and make your layers as even as possible.
Add some baby arugula and a little more sprinkled cheese and then add your top layer of bread.
Note: If you are thinking to yourself, “why so much cheese?”, it is the glue that keeps our paninis together and it is delicious, so add your cheese with a generous hand and you will not be disappointed that you did.
Do I need a panini press to make paninis?
Nope! You definitely do not need a panini press! Today, I am using my trusty old George Foreman grill (with a knife block for added weight), but you can also grill your paninis on a grill pan or cast iron skillet with a weighted meat press on top.
Don’t have a meat press? You can simply place a small baking sheet or even a cake pan over the panini and place a heavy pot in it for added weight.
Grill your panini until it is smooshed down, all crusty and the cheese inside is nice and melty and then transfer it onto a cutting board.
If you grilled up a large panini, use a serrated knife to slice it into individual servings and either enjoy now or let them cool, wrap them in parchment paper, place them in an airtight container or plastic bag and chill until you are ready to enjoy!
These paninis are amazing! First, the schiacciata is wonderful. Crunchy, buttery and so flavorful. The Italian sausage is meaty, caramelized and filling. The eggs are cheesy and creamy and the baby arugula adds a fresh, peppery note that brings everything together in a fabulous way.
And just in case you are concerned, I went a little heavy on the cheese and did not regret it one bit, so add cheese with confidence…
Buon appetito!
Italian Sausage Breakfast Panini
Ingredients
- ground Italian sausage
- eggs
- shredded cheese
- baby arugula
- a small loaf of schiacciata or your favorite panini bread
Instructions
- Make a small loaf of schiacciata or grab your favorite store bought panini bread.
- Place a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Crumble your Italian sausage into the skillet and cook until it is cooked through, slightly crisp and beginning to caramelize. Transfer the sausage onto a paper towel lined plate and set aside for now.
- Discard the grease from the skillet and return it to medium heat. Whisk your eggs into the skillet, season with salt and black pepper and cook until they are soft scrambled. Add some shredded cheese and cook until fully set. Transfer off the heat and set aside for now.
- Slice your loaf lengthwise and add a layer of cheese over the bottom slice.
- Top with a layer of scrambled eggs, a layer of ground Italian sausage, some baby arugula and more shredded cheese.
- Add the top layer of bread and grill in a panini press or on a grill pan or cast iron skillet with a weighted meat press over top.
- Slice into individual portions and enjoy warm or let cool and wrap in parchment paper and chill in an airtight container until ready to enjoy.
- Reheat in a microwave or oven until warmed through.
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