Low Fat Italian Sandwiches

Today I’m trying something a little bit different…something I admittedly am not used to doing on this blog. I’m posting a recipe that’s… LOW FAT (gasp)!! Yes, recently it was cupcakes now it’s low fat, go figure.

Lately I’ve been trying to change my bad girl eating habits by giving up the sweets and cooking lighter/low fat meals. Not easy for an obsessed baker such as myself. But so far it’s going pretty good thanks to Pinterest and their never ending supply of recipes.

I stumbled upon this yummy recipe for Low Fat Italian Sandwiches on Pinterest a few weeks ago and it has become one of my go to recipes. Ciabatta bread, pesto sauce, roasted chicken, and mozzarella cheese… all in one sandwich and all low fat… yes, please! :)

Definitely expect more low fat recipes to come here! But I must say, while I do love these new eating habits and the weird way that the words “juicing”, “vitamins”, and “hummus” have become the new norm in my life; I still intend to allow myself to bake on occasion. I’ve had to tame the hobby but don’t think I can abandon it. Old habits die hard. :)

Low Fat Italian Sandwiches -

(Recipe found @ http://domesticwench.blogspot.com)

These sandwiches got a lot of love in my house and became a fast favorite. They take very little ingredients and are so easy to put together. Normally Italian sandwiches would probably be filled with really fattening ingredients but not so with these. Pesto sauce mixed with fat free mayo goes on your crispy ciabatta bread and is topped with fat free mozzarella cheese, roasted chicken, roasted red peppers, and romaine lettuce; placed in the oven till cheese is melty! I love the crunch of the bread and the flavor the pesto mayo gave this sandwich. We used a rotisserie chicken to save time, and we roasted our own red bell peppers.

 

We also bought a smaller loaf of ciabatta bread and it only made two big sandwiches instead of eight like the recipe says. And while it just made two, they’re still pretty big, so usually we cut them into squares. Believe or not one square is all we tend to eat in one sitting as they are pretty filling.

If you’re trying to limit calories yet still crave something Italian, give these sandwiches a shot!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of Pesto sauce. You can make your own or buy a jar of it.
1/4 cup of Fat Free Mayo
1/2 cup of roasted red bell peppers (in water)
Romaine lettuce
1 loaf of ciabatta bread (or any artisan bread)
2 cups of roasted chicken
5 slices of fat free mozzarella (we used shredded). (partially skim works too)

Directions:
Mix your pesto and mayo together. Cut Ciabatta in half length wise and spread the pesto mix on both sides. On one half, lay mozzarella cheese down. On the other half, place the red peppers and chicken.

Place both sides, face up into a 425 degree oven until the mozzarella starts to sweat and the peppers have heated up. Once that’s done, switch your oven to broil and cook until cheese has melted.

Remove the two halves, pile the lettuce onto the chicken side and place the cheese side bread on top. Give it a nice squish and cut into pieces. (Makes about 8 large individual sandwiches)