Roast Beef Grilled Cheese (Panini)

This roast beef grilled cheese sandwich is delicious & super easy to make. It is made with simple ingredients such as butter, bread, mayo, cheese and roast beef. Then you just grill the sandwich on a griddle or panini press/grill. Grilled cheese is so much better than a boring cold sandwich!

You can also turn this grilled cheese sandwich into a hot & toasty BLT-type sandwich by adding some lettuce & tomato.

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

My roast beef grilled cheese sandwich recipe is based on using a two-sided griddle or panini press/grill (with top & bottom grilling units) and not a frying pan.

Sliced Roast Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon – Butter (melted) – To brush on exterior of bread slices
• 2 Slices – Your Favorite Bread – Generally works better with “harder” breads versus very soft white breads
• 2 Tablespoons – Mayonnaise
• 2-4 Slices – Your Favorite Cheese – Mine is pepper jack cheese. The amount of cheese depends on the size of the bread and how much you like cheese.
• 4 Slices – Roast Beef (thinly sliced) – Add more if the roast beef slices are small or you really love roast beef!!
• Optional (but Recommended) – Add some wasabi or horse radish paste. Spread the paste on the mayonnaise as it adds a nice “bite” to the sandwich.
• Optional – Lettuce & tomatoes. Add some lettuce & tomatoes in order to make a nice & toasty roast beef BLT-type sandwich (without the bacon of course!)

FYI – You can easily double the ingredients above to make 2 grilled cheese sandwiches.

Be aware that the amount of ingredients (e.g. number of cheese slices) will vary based on the size of the bread slice used. For example, a sandwich made with large bread slices from a 2 lb loaf will require more interior ingredients than a sandwich made with slices from a smaller 1 lb loaf.

Servings – 1 Sandwich

Equipment Needed – Serrated knife, cutting board, pastry brush, oven gloves, wide heat-resistant non-scratch spatulas, cooling rack and panini press or griddle.

Sandwich Before Grilling

Instructions

• Preheat your panini press or griddle. Set the temperature to 325 F (or to medium heat if you can not set the temperature on your panini press) and turn on the panini press or griddle.
• Melt the butter in your microwave.
• Brush the exterior of each slice with a thin layer of melted butter. FYI – I use a pastry brush to “brush” on the melted butter.
• Place both halves of the bread on a plate or cutting board. FYI – Do not place any ingredients on the panini grill until the sandwich has been fully assembled.
• Spread the mayonnaise on the interior of both bread slices.
• Optional – Spread a little wasabi or horseradish paste onto the mayonnaise.
• Add 1 or 2 cheese slices on top of the mayonnaise on the bottom half of the bread.
• Place the roast beef slices on top of the cheese.
• Optional – Add some lettuce & thinly sliced tomatoes.
• Add the final 1 or 2 cheese slices on top of the roast beef (or the lettuce & tomatoes if you added these optional ingredients).
• Finally, place the top slice of bread on the cheese (to complete the structure of the sandwich).
• Use two wide non-scratch spatulas to scoop up the panini and transfer the assembled panini to the hot panini press. Wear oven gloves. FYI – I like to place one large spatula under the bottom of the panini and another large spatula on top in order to hold the panini together when moving the panini to the press/grill.
• Gently lower the griddle top or panini press/grill lid on top of the sandwich. FYI – Be careful lowering the top of the panini press/grill, you don’t want to accidentally push off the top of your panini.
• Grill for about 3-4 minutes. You should check every couple of minutes to see if the panini has finished (as panini press/grill temperatures can vary by machine) and to avoid over-grilling & burning the sandwich. Grilling time length can also vary due to the type of bread used. FYI – I always check at the 3 minute mark to see if it needs extra grilling or not.
• Turn off the grill. FYI – Be careful as panini presses/grills can stay hot for a long time.
• Use the two spatulas to remove the finished sandwich from the panini press/griddle. Wear oven gloves.
• Since the panini/griddle is very hot, you should place the panini on a wire cooling and let it cool for 1-2 minutes. FYI – A wire cooling rack helps to prevent a soggy bottom (versus allowing the sandwich to cool on a plate). The cooling rack lets moisture out versus being trapped by a plate.
• Serve the sandwich while it is still warm. Cut the sandwich in half if desired.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid griddle/panini press problems.

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Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help griddle & panini “novices”. Experienced griddle & panini machine users probably know most of these tips already.
• Click on this “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include this recipe’s tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This recipe is one of Bread Dad’s easy Grilled Cheese & Panini Recipes such as grilled cheese paninis, ham & cheese paninis and caprese paninis.

• The roast beef grilled cheese sandwich in the pictures above is made with my Bread Machine Cracked Wheat Bread recipe. A nice & crunchy bread!
• Optional – Many people love to make their roast beef grilled cheese sandwiches with sourdough bread. If you want to make your own sourdough bread, check out my easy Bread Machine Sourdough Bread Recipe.
• Optional – I like to add some wasabi paste to may roast beef sandwiches to add a little extra bit to my sandwiches. However, you can also use horseradish paste.
• Optional – You can turn this grilled cheese recipe into a BLT-like sandwich by adding some lettuce and thinly sliced tomatoes. However, since you are using roast beef instead of bacon, you are making a “RBLT”!
• Visitors – What extra ingredients do you like to add to your roast beef grilled cheese sandwiches? Sauteed onions? Lettuce & tomato? Red onions? A favorite type of bread? Please leave your roast beef sandwich tips & suggestions in the comment section below.

• Always be careful with griddles, panini presses & grills. They get very hot and can stay hot for a long time. Wear oven gloves when using a griddle or panini press/grill.
• I think that grilled cheese sandwiches & paninis taste best with homemade bread. You can use Bread Machine White Bread, Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread, Bread Machine French Bread, etc. Or check out my section on easy Bread Recipes for many different types of homemade breads that you can use to make your sandwiches.
• Of course, if you don’t have any homemade bread, you can also use packaged store bread to make your grilled cheese sandwiches & paninis. However, in my opinion, it just won’t taste as good as a sandwich made with fresh homemade bread!
• I find that grilled cheese sandwiches & paninis are a great way to use up homemade bread that has been hiding in the freezer. The grilling & the melted butter/cheese help to hide minor freezer burns or freezer-induced dryness. Just make sure to thaw out the frozen bread slices before making your paninis (leave them out at room temperature for 1-2 hours to thaw).
• Of course, one of the advantages of homemade bread (beyond taste & freshness) is the ability to screen out weird chemicals & preservatives. You know what you are putting into your homemade bread (versus what goes into factory-produced bread).

• Do not use overly thin sandwich bread slices to make your paninis. Thin slices are more likely to break or become soggy. I like to cut slices that are a little thicker than I normally use for sandwiches.
• Do not use overly thick bread. If the bread is too thick, it will be harder to heat the interior of the panini. I usually aim for my panini bread slices to be about a 1/2 inch thick.
• Do not use stale rock-hard bread to make your panini. A panini grill will not soften the stale bread. You will just be making a hot cheesy rock!
• Use your family’s favorite soft cheese to make your paninis. I like to use pepperjack cheese for this recipe because it adds a little extra spicy flavor. However, you can also use other soft sliced cheeses such as provolone, American cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, etc.
• Visitors – What type of cheese do you like to use with your grilled cheese sandwiches? Please add your cheese suggestions & tips to the comment section below.

• However, do not make your grilled cheese sandwiches & paninis too thick (with tons of interior ingredients) as it will be harder to heat the interior of the sandwich. In addition, an extra tall “dagwood-type” sandwich with many interior ingredients has a greater chance of falling apart during the move to the grill and the actual grilling.
• An overly thick grilled cheese sandwich or panini also increases the chances that the top of the sandwich might slip off (when pressed down by the top of the panini press or grill) and wreck your sandwich during the grilling.
• Be careful lowering the top of the panini press or griddle, you don’t want to accidentally push off the top of your sandwich. Lower the top of the panini press or griddle slowly & gently.

• You should brush melted butter on the exterior sides of the bread slices before grilling (e.g. crusty top and crusty bottom). This helps to add flavor and creates a more crunchy crust. The melted butter also helps to transmit the heat of the grill into the bread.
• If you don’t want to use melted butter, you can replace it with olive oil, etc.
• I prefer to use a panini press/grill or griddle versus a frying pan to make my paninis. Why? There is no flipping of the panini or grilled cheese and in my opinion, you also get the benefit of beautiful grill marks on the bread. Flipping the sandwich during grilling increases the chances that the sandwich will fall apart accidentally. In addition, flipping is more likely to cause hot oil or butter to splatter or spill.
• I like to use two extra wide non-scratch spatulas (one placed under the sandwich & the other on top of the sandwich) in order to move my sandwiches to and from my panini machine. The extra width helps to hold the sandwich together during “transit”.

• Do not forget to preheat your griddle/panini grill or the grilling will take longer than expected.
• FYI – My panini grill “beeps” when it has reached its set temperature target (e.g. 325 F). However, other panini grills do not have this feature so you might need to let your panini grill warm up for at least 5 minutes before using it to bake your panini. Read your manual for the specific time needed to preheat your grill.
• Check your sandwich every couple of minutes to see if it is grilling properly. You do not want your sandwich to burn.
• Do not leave your griddle or panini machine unattended and forget about it. You could cause a fire, burn your food, etc.

• Make sure the top of the griddle or panini press/grill is fully pressed against the top of the bread. The heat from the top grill adds the characteristic grill “marks” to the bread and makes sure the top of the bread is properly heated. With most machines, you do not have to physically press down on the panini. You just let the weight of the top do the “pressing”.
• Try to make sure the top of the griddle or panini press/grill is flat and even when you lower it onto the panini. A non-level top is more likely to result in uneven heating and/or pushing the top of the panini off the sandwich. Wear oven gloves if you are handling or adjusting a hot panini press/grill.
• If you need to reheat your paninis, you can reheat them in your regular oven, a toaster oven or even by using a low heat setting on your panini press.
• I do not like to use my microwave to reheat my paninis. A microwave is more likely to make paninis soggy.

• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a panini press/grill. The panini press/grill gets very hot during the baking process and it will stay very hot even after you turn off the panini press/grill (it takes a long time to cool).
• Do NOT let kids near your griddles or panini grills because they can stay hot for a long time. They might accidentally burn themselves on the griddle or panini grill.
• Make sure to READ your griddle or panini press/grill instruction manual in order to operate your machine safely & correctly. Always follow the safety instructions in your instruction manual.
• Want more recipes? Check out the 100s of grilled cheese & panini recipes in these popular Sandwich Recipe Cookbooks.
• In case you want to make your paninis with homemade bread (such as French bread, multigrain bread and rolls), you might want to explore Bread Dad’s sections for Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Grilled Cheese
2. Wikipedia, Panini Sandwich
3. Wikipedia, Roast Beef

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1. Caprese Panini
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3. Grilled Cheese Panini
4. Ham & Cheese Panini
5. Bread Machine Multigrain Bread
6. Bread Machine White Bread

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