Portobello Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I couldn’t even look at mushrooms while pregnant. True story. My once almost-favorite food became something I would willingly pick out of any dish that came my way.  I think it’s because I was working on this shiitake mushroom pasta during the first few weeks and well, things weren’t great.

Now? Gimme all da ‘shrooms. I quickly put this dinner together a few nights ago in a full-out-craving attack for a big ol’ sloppy sandwich covered in caramelized onions, peppers, mushrooms and melty provolone cheese. It was as delicious (and messy) as it sounds.

This one is pretty simple, and a yummy vegetarian option for my friends who crave hearty, meaty sandwiches like I do. Dairy-free? I bet that my cheddar cheese sauce would be amazing drizzled on this; or a few dollops of my vegan mozzerella cheese.

While these sandwiches are pretty effortless, you do need to allow enough time for the onions to become really dark and caramelized. This is usually a 45-60 minute process, so slice the onions, throw them in the pan and do something else. Give them a stir every 5 minutes or so, but this is a great time to catch up on laundry, prep other meals for the week, hang with your family, or feed a baby!

Then add in the peppers, let them soften a bit, and throw in the mushrooms. See? Told you it was pretty easy.

I opted for portabollo mushrooms here because I still can’t look at shiitakes and because I love the meaty flavor that portabollo mushrooms give. I know some people like to keep the gills on them, but I opt for removing them along with the stems. You could also substitute in baby bellas to save a dollar or two.

Now, for the good stuff.

Take a crusty roll and stuff it as much as you can with the mushroom and pepper filling. For these sandwiches, I grabbed a few rolls from the bakery section of our grocery store. They tend to be a bit heartier than ones you’ll find in the bread aisle.

Place them on a baking sheet and cover with a slice of provolone cheese. Again, I just grabbed 4 slices from the deli counter. Since we aren’t big provolone cheese eaters (besides these sandwiches, obviously), I didn’t want an entire package of sliced cheese going to waste in the fridge. I do this trick often when I just want a few slices and it usually ends up being only a dollar or two, with no waste!

Put the stuffed sandwiches under the broiler and let them melt to perfection. Then, remove and enjoy… with plenty of napkins.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!