Three Cheese Steak and Mushroom Panini

A very special thank you to San Luis Sourdough® breads for sponsoring this recipe. As always, all opinions are my own!

I never met a grilled cheese I didn’t like. True story. The same is held true for a melt. Or a panini. They are all essentially different types of grilled cheese sandwiches with different types of filling. But bread and cheese with a buttery golden crust. YES. Oh, yes. Definitely. Sign me up!

There’s not much else I love more than a grilled cheese, or a variety of one. Want to know something else I love? Sauteed mushrooms. Mmmm, yes. They are so tasty, and delicious served atop a delicious steak.

So I decided, why not have it all? Grilled cheese? Check. Sauteed mushrooms? Check. Delicious steak? Check.

It’s all here in this tasty and mouthwatering three cheese steak and mushroom panini.

Want to know something else I adore? Simple, easy to find ingredients. I know people love to use fancy cheeses in their sandwiches. But I’m often hurrying about my day, driving to my kids’ schools multiple times a day because they all get out at different times and one has karate class, one has drama practice, one has weight training and/or football practice… I honestly don’t have the time to head to a fancy gourmet store to find fancy cheese. Most of my grocery stores locally do carry some of the fancier cheeses, but often my family like simple. So I try to keep it simple. I chose Swiss, Provolone and Monterey Jack cheese for this panini and they were the perfect choice. They provided just the right amount of melt and taste that pair so well with the steak and mushrooms. As for seasonings, I really only used salt and pepper. Steak is naturally very tasty if you buy a quality cut and mushrooms are so fragrant and delicious on their own, although I did saute them with some onions for additional flavor and depth and I added a few shakes of Sherry wine for fun.

The star of this sandwich, though, is the bread. I chose Sourdough sliced bread because it works so well with the panini press. A little bit of butter and it’s quickly golden and crispy. It’s also strong enough to hold all of the cheese, steak and mushrooms inside without crumbling into a soggy mess. I decided to use the Garlic Sourdough Sliced Bread by San Luis Sourdough® breads because I felt the garlic would add another element to the sandwich. I was not disappointed!

What I love about San Luis Sourdough® bread is that it’s an authentic sourdough, right down to the 30 hour slow bake process. It’s everything you could want in your sourdough bread, right down to the crisp flavor and bubble crust. With natural, unprocessed ingredients that are easy to pronounce and no preservatives, all of the San Luis Sourdough® breads are Non-GMO Project Verified*. Try the Garlic Sourdough Sliced Bread, with it’s deliciously marinated sourdough bread baked with real garlic, or really and of their other products with these delicious paninis!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter (divided)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 3 tablespoons chopped yellow onions
• salt and pepper
• 6 medium baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon sherry cooking wine
• 1 small tri-tip steak, diced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 slices San Luis Sourdough® Garlic Bread
• 2 slices Provolone cheese
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• 2 slices Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped spinach

Directions:

Begin by adding 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and lightly saute until they begin to soften, then add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and allow them to caramelize a bit, stirring every so often. Once they are almost fully cooked through, add a bit of Sherry cooking wine and stir it around a bit. Remove the onions and mushrooms from the pan and set aside, but don’t wash the pan just yet!!

Drizzle the pan with another 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the diced steak meat. Season with just a bit of salt and pepper, and saute until meat has browned.

Now take two slices of the San Luis Garlic Sourdough bread and butter the OUTSIDE with 1 tablespoon of butter that’s softened to room temperature. Add 1 slice of Provolone and 1 slice of Swiss, then add the steak. Top with the Monterey Jack cheese, then sprinkle the spinach on top.

Now add the mushrooms. YUM.

Top with the 2nd slice of Provolone and the 2nd slice of Swiss. Add the top piece of sourdough bread.

Heat up your panini press, and once it’s ready place that baby on top and listen to it sizzle. Close the top of the panini press and allow it to cook for a few minutes, until the cheeses are all melted and the bread is crispy and golden.

I just love how the melted goodness squishes out a bit.

Cut it in half and enjoy!

Which variety would you like to try?

*What does it mean to be Non-GMO Project Verified?
The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only independent verification for products made according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance. For more information, visit  the Non-GMO Project website: nongmoproject.org