Turkey Panini Recipe with Apple, Cheddar & Arugula | Cookin' Canuck (2024)

This turkey panini recipe is always a favorite in our house. The simple mix of turkey, apple, Cheddar cheese and arugula is delightfully simple and tasty.

Turkey Panini Recipe with Apple, Cheddar & Arugula

This turkey panini recipe is one of my favorite light lunchtime meals. Super quick and easy, with an unexpected flavor combination that was inspired by a sandwich that my husband discovered years ago.

Long before we first hurtled down the luge-like chutes on wheeled carts during the summertime at Snowbird and Park City ski resorts, my husband (Steve) and I knew "alpine slides" as something completely different.

When we lived in New York City years ago, Steve drove out to Danville, New Jersey a few times each week to meet with clients. I remember the day when he came home and said, "I found this great deli today that had the best sandwich. It's called the Alpine Slide."

The Alpine Slide was a simple turkey sandwich on 7-grain bread. What made it special was stone ground mustard with a kick, sharp Cheddar cheese and slices of crisp apple. Ever since those days in New Jersey, we've slipped two or three slices of apple into our turkey sandwiches. The sweet crunch can take a sandwich from good to great.

Ever since my family bought me a panini press for Christmas a few years ago (they know the way to my heart), that appliance has been used at least three or four times per week. Sausages, panini, fish, chicken. You name it, it gets taken for a test drive on the panini press. So naturally, I thought it would be best to give the Alpine Slide a turn on the press. Melted cheese is always a good decision.

I love a good soup and sandwich combo. Try serving it with Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup or Tomato Rice Soup.

If mustard isn't your thing, double down on the apple flavor by replacing the mustard with homemade apple butter.

What if I don't have a panini press?

If you don't have a panini press, no problem. You could use a George Foreman Grill or cook the sandwich in a skillet or grill pan (this is the one I have) with a brick (covered in foil, please!) on top.

How to make a light turkey panini:

• To make these panini a little lighter, I used whole wheat sandwich thins, which can be found at most supermarkets and weigh in at only 100 calories each. For those times when I'm more interested in getting a big bite of filling rather than bread, the sandwich thins are the perfect option.
• Instead of mayonnaise, I swapped in Greek yogurt and mixed it with stone ground mustard.
• If you prefer, use light Cheddar cheese. I am partial to the taste and meltability (that's a word, right?) of the full fat version.

Other healthy apple recipes:

{Cookin' Canuck}
Light Maple Cashew Baked Apples {Cookin' Canuck}
Apple Pistachio Quinoa Salad {Chelsea's Messy Apron}
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats {That Clean Life}

Printable Recipe

The post was originally published on September 25, 2015 and updated on September 9, 2019.

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