This Fried Egg Panini is a sexy springtime sandwich made with grilled asparagus, taleggio cheese, and buttery toasted bread. It is topped with an oozing fried egg and a drizzle of marinade, sprinkled with herbs.
This is a delicious spring brunch menu item. Made with fresh asparagus, grilled with the marinated mint oil brightening up your sandwich even more. A comfort food recipe that your family will be sure to request often.
This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing Company in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
A review of The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini
Cara Mangini's cookbook, The Vegetable Butcher, is a beautiful hardcover book full of gorgeous photos and step by step instructions on how to prepare your vegetables.
In this cookbook, Cara shares with us, her tips and tricks tailored to each vegetable, showing you along the way how easy it is to prepare and breakdown your vegetables.
What I love about this Grilled Asparagus, Taleggio, and Fried Egg Panini
I just am not a huge fan of eggs. While I do eat them, for the most part I leave them alone. However, when I saw this particular recipe in Cara's cookbook, I immediately knew I had to try it. This is one instance where I absolutely will eat every last bite of an egg!
I love how the buttered toasted bread came out crisp and the creamy taleggio cheese in the sandwich complimented the buttery toasted bread. It's ripe flavor melded well with the grilled asparagus. And, the fried egg with runny yolk combined with the buttery toasted bread was incredible!
Panini FAQ's
A panini is a sandwich made with a small sturdy roll or bread. It is a hot sandwich that is either grilled or pressed on a panini griddle.
I highly recommend a tuscan pane bread. It is sturdy and delicious and makes a perfect grilled sandwich. It absorbs the butter and gets all toasty and delicious! You can also use ciabatta or crusty Italian rolls.
Any cheese that will melt easily. Softer cheeses such as brie and talligo are great and add a buttery flavor. Thinly sliced Provolone, Mozzarella, and Cheddar are good choices also.
Mastering asparagus for your Fried Egg Panini
- Get rid of the tough ends
- Holding the asparagus halfway down the spear and bend the stalk until it snaps.
- For thicker stalks you can cut them with a knife.
- Bonus: you can use the tough ends in a stock as a base for soup!
How to make a Fried Egg Panini
Steps in making your sexiest most delicious fried egg sandwich ever!
Make your dressing and marinade the asparagus.
Butter one side of your bread for toasting. Then, cook your eggs to desired doneness.
Line up the remaining ingredients: Taleggio Cheese, Asparagus, and Arugula.
Melt butter in skillet and lay bread down over top of bubbly butter. Dot the top layer of bread slices with cheese and cook until cheese begins to melt and bread is toasty.
Add remaining ingredients to one slice of bread on top of melted cheese: asparagus, fried egg, and arugula.
Place 2nd slice of toasted bread (cheese side down) on top of egg layer and press slightly. Drizzle with leftover marinade.
The Vegetable Butcher Cookbook
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I highly recommend Cara's cookbook the Vegetable Butcher. With gorgeous illustrated gorgeous images, it has detailed information on how to prepare and use your vegetables. And, the recipes are delicious!
📖 Recipe
Grilled Asparagus, Taleggio, and Fried Egg Panini
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt plus extra as needed
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus extra as needed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves
- 8 small to medium asparagus spears see notes, trimmed
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 slices ½ inch each pain au levain or sourdough bread (or a crusty boule with a thick, dense crumb)
- 4 ounces Taleggio cheese
- 1 cup baby arugula
Instructions
- Heat a grill pan (or a large skillet) over medium-high heat.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice and zest, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ⅛ teaspoon of pepper, olive oil, chives, and mint in a large bowl. Add the asparagus and toss until the spears are evenly coated.
- Use tongs to lift the asparagus spears from the marinade and transfer them to the hot grill pan. Grill the spears, turning as needed to ensure they cook evenly, until they become golden on the outside and tender through the center, but still slightly crisp. 2 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Pull the asparagus from the pan and toss them back in the marinade. Let them stand at room temperature. (Alternatively, store cooled asparagus and marinate in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom and crack the eggs into the skillet one at a time (you can crack them into small bowls first if you prefer). Season the eggs lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 2 minutes. For a slightly firmer yolks, carefully flip the eggs with a spatula and let them cook to your liking. Transfer the eggs to a plate and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the same nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom with the butter and any remaining oil and place the bread in the skillet. Pull apart the Taleggio and dot each piece of bread with 3 to 4 small pieces, making sure to spread them out. Cook, uncovered, until the cheese melts, 3 to 4 minutes.
- To assemble the sandwiches, divide the asparagus spears, fried eggs, and arugula between 2 pieces of the bread. Drizzle the other 2 pieces of bread with any remaining marinade and herbs, and use them to top the stacked pieces, cheese side down. Gently press the sandwiches together with an offset spatula. Cut the sandwiches in half with a sharp chef's knife or serrated knife, and transfer them to individual serving plates immediately.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Actually, asparagus was on my list to find out a little bit more about. Great tip on holding it and snapping it off! I have a straw ready to drink up the marinade, if you left me any.
Denise Wright says
This looks so yummy! I really want a copy of this cookbook, so if I don't win it, I'm buying it.
Melissa @My Wife Can Cook says
Sounds like a cookbook I would love! That sandwich looks amazing! I love spring because of the fresh asparagus and fresh herbs.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
Taleggio is one of my favourite cheeses!!! It just melts so wonderfully.
This sandwich looks sensational!!! A egg, asparagus and cheese. What a winning combination!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says
Oh wow! I'm a little bit obsessed with asparagus at the moment (I just cooked white asparagus for the first time ever), and this sounds amazing! Anything on a sandwich with a runny egg and cheese is pretty awesome
Fareeha says
I often think about ideas to make healthy .... looks like my Grilled Asparagus is gonna be ready in another couple of minutes.
Sylvie says
Sounds like a great book, I'm always up for more vegetable recipes!
Renee @ReneesKitchenAdventures says
This looks wonderful! I finally found taleggio cheese at my grocery store too!
Jeffrey says
I'd like to learn more about and how to cook beets. As a runner I've seen many publications of the health benefits attributed to beets.
Nettie Moore says
Looks incredible, I love Tallegio! Nettie
Carly Williams says
I want to learn how to prepare artichokes!
Renee says
My stomach just growled when I was looking at the photos. Oh my heavens I want to eat one right now.
cathy branciaroli says
I mostly cook with vegetables and swiss chard is my favorite. I sautee it with cannellini beans and serve over ditalini pasta.