Craving a bistro-quality sandwich that you can make in your own kitchen? This Turkey & Apple Panini is about as good as good gets! With well-balanced flavors, it’s a hearty sandwich that’s tasty, moist, and filled with textures, colors, and flavors! Hungry? Read on and I, Chef Jenn, will show you how to make amazing panini recipes at home!
This post may contain affiliate link(s). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See Disclosure.
Turkey, sage, and apple go sooo well together, and this amazing Turkey & Apple Panini is hot, hearty, and the perfect turkey sandwich recipe to enjoy along with a brimming bowlful of soup. It’s not hard to make, and you can scale this recipe to make as many as you need.
What You Need To Make Turkey & Apple Panini
- Panini press – see the notes below
- Sliced bread – see my notes below
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Sliced deli turkey or leftover turkey breast
- Apple – I like a green apple in this recipe
- Apple butter
- Fresh sage
- Butter – salted or unsalted is fine
What’s a Panini Press?
Panini sandwiches are grilled sandwiches, but unlike regular grilled sammiches, panini are pressed to compact all the flavors in them. And, with signature griddle grooves, panini sandwiches offer buttery and toasty flavor through and through.
You could just griddle this sandwich in a skillet or on a Blackstone Griddle, but to make it a toasty panini, you need a special panini press.
I love this Cuisinart model – it folds wide open to act as a griddle, or it closes up like a clamshell to press the panini sandwiches making them hot and fabulous through and through. I won’t ever buy a device that only does one thing – and the Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler is used sooo often in my house!
What Kind of Bread Do you Use to Make Panini Sandwiches?
The short answer is that any bread will work. However, to get the full panini sandwich experience and to put this Turkey & Apple Panini over the top, use a good-quality bakery bread and cut it a little thicker than normal sandwich slices. You’ll need a total of 4 slices of bread. My favorites include:
- Sourdough
- Rustic French bread
- Ciabatta
- Multigrain
- Whole-grain bread
Recommended
How to Make Turkey & Apple Panini
It’s easy to make this turkey and apple sandwich, and once you’ve got everything sliced and ready to go, you can toast them in just a few minutes.
- Pre-heat your panini press as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread. Don’t skimp on the butter, but don’t spread it on too thick, either. A nice even coat from edge to edge is perfect.
- Place the bread, butter side down, and add a nice layer of apple butter to the unbuttered side of the bread.
- Layer the cheese, apple, turkey, and sage onto the bread.
- Top the fillings with a slice of buttered bread, buttered side facing out.
- Place the sandwiches on a panini press and press the lid down firmly but not so hard as to squish everything out of the sandwich.
- Cook the paninis for 3-5 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is ooey and gooey melted.
- Dig in!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- This is a hearty sandwich so make sure you use hearty bread to hold up to all the fillings!
- Sage can have a strong flavor. If you don’t like the fresh leaves, just sprinkle on a wee bit of dried sage. A little goes a long way, but the flavor combination really is terrific so don’t skip the sage unless you must.
- You can leave the apple peel on, but thinly slice the cored apple. Thick slices will take too long to heat through. They should be about 1/8-inch thick or so.
- Make your own apple butter or use your favorite store brand. No apple butter? Try maple mayonnaise for a touch of sweetness that’ll pair nicely if you use roasted turkey.
- I love this sandwich with leftover roasted turkey making this an amazing leftover turkey sandwich. Deli-sliced turkey will work, too.
- No turkey? Try this amazing apple sandwich with chicken!
What To Serve With Turkey & Apple Panini
Soup and sandwich are a perfect combination, and boy have I got some tasty soup recipe for you! This Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Soup is creamy and the flavors will really complement the turkey sandwich, or try a brothy soup like this Tortellini Soup with Kale & Chicken or stovetop chicken noodle soup. If you’re making these paninis around the holidays, finish your meal with a bite of Christmas Fudge!
Frequently Asked Questions
I love a good, sharp cheddar with the flavors of apple and turkey, but brie would be lovely, too. Most cheeses would work in this apple sandwich recipe, but stay away from funky bleu cheeses.
Unfortunately, this sandwich won’t freeze well. However, you can keep leftovers tightly wrapped in the fridge for a day or so. Or, get everything ready ahead of time and assemble and press the sandwiches just before you’re ready to eat.
I love the tart crispness of Granny Smith apples in this recipe, but any apple would work. For the best flavors, I’d stick with an apple that’s a bit tarter. Red or Golden Delicious would be too sweet.
Step By Step Process
Turkey & Apple Panini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices bread
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons apple butter
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced turkey
- 1 apple cored and thinly sliced
- 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese thinly sliced
- 8 sage leaves fresh
Instructions
- Pre-heat your panini press as per the manufacturer's instructions.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread with about 1 tablespoon of butter. Don't skimp on the butter, but don't spread it on too thick, either. A nice even coat from edge to edge is perfect.
- Place the bread, butter side down on a clean work surface, and add a nice layer of apple butter to the unbuttered side of the bread.
- Layer the cheese, apple, turkey, and sage onto the bread.
- Top the fillings with a slice of buttered bread, buttered side facing out, to make a sandwich.
- Place the sandwiches on a panini press and press the lid down firmly but not so hard as to squish everything out of the sandwich.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is ooey and gooey melted. Cut in half and enjoy!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
