Cheesy Bacon Onion Panini

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.

I feel like I have a problem that I need to admit to y’all. I have an Amazon Prime problem. A big one. I feel like we get an Amazon package every other day. Am I the only one? I just feel like if I don’t have to fight the long lines and traffic, it’s just easier to shop online. And with two-day shipping? You just can’t beat it.

A couple of weeks ago, Amazon had their big Prime Day, and they added in special deals for you to order through the Amazon Echo. For the longest time, I’ve really only used our Echo to play music in the kitchen while cooking, but hey, if I can order something for pretty much half off through Alexa…why not? I ordered some Greenies for the pup, and a new Cuisinart grill/griddle (yay!).

Why buy a grill/griddle when I have 3408934 kitchen appliances/tools (yes, I know I have a problem…)? Well, um…when it comes to summer cooking, I really get annoyed with heating up the entire kitchen when I’m only cooking for two. So, it’s going to be really great to heat up one appliance for cooking, and not make the A/C work overtime to keep the house cool.

I’m also all about quick meals lately, too. So, when the folks at Jarlsberg asked me to incorporate their cheese into a recipe, a panini immediately came to mind. I just love a sandwich full of melty cheese, and I thought that caramelized onions + bacon would be a fantastic addition to the mild, nutty flavor that Jarlsberg has. (I mean, you can’t go wrong with bacon, right?)

This is such a delicious panini. You can make a bunch for a party, and serve it in small triangles, or just simply enjoy it for lunch. 🙂

Cheesy Bacon Onion Panini
Source: a Nifty Foodie original

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin half rings
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 8 slices of thick-cut bacon, cooked and cut in half
• 2 cups grated Jarlsberg cheese
• 8 slices of thick, crusty bread
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

1. Heat the canola oil in a pan, and add in the sliced onions, as well as the salt and pepper. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. Once the onions have cooled, assemble the paninis. Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread, and keep the buttered sides of the bread on the outside of the sandwich (for grilling). On the inside, assemble with 1/2 cup of cheese (divided to where there’s cheese on the inside of each slice of bread), then add 1/4 of the onions and 2 slices of bacon in the middle.
3. Once all paninis are assembled, preheat a grill pan on medium heat. Once the pan is heated, place the paninis, two at a time, in the grill pan. Press with a heavy panini press, checking often to see when the bread is starting to brown. Flip the bread and press again, until the other side is browning. Remove from heat, and repeat for the other two paninis. Enjoy!