Vegetarian Philly Cheese Sandwiches

I love a good philly or french dip, thin sliced beef that’s super tender. Sometimes though, finding an alternative for the beef is worthwhile and this is where baby bella mushrooms come in handy. I know that some may prefer the big portabella mushroom caps, but we’ve found the smaller baby bells are more tender and give us the texture and flavor we are looking for. This makes fabulous leftovers as well! This will give you an au jus to enjoy with the sandwich along with onions and bell pepper. Top with cheese, toss under a broiler on some toasted bread, add in a side salad and you have an amazing meal!

Okay, the picture doesn’t do this justice what so ever, but under all that cheesy goodness is flavorful mushrooms, peppers, and onions. I promise this tastes amazing!

Vegetarian Philly Cheese Sandwiches

Servings – 4

Ingredients

• 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion (~4 oz), sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 cups vegetable broth (can sub beef broth)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce (can sub worcesetershire)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• Provolone
• French Bread

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat and add onions and bell peppers. Sauté till onions are translucent and softened.
2. Add mushrooms, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook till most of the moisture has been released from the mushrooms.
3. Add the broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder and simmer about 5 minutes until everything is heated through and flavor meld.
4. While the mixture is simmering, you can toast your french bread under your broiler, keep a close on it as it can scorch the bread pretty quickly. This should only take a few minutes.
5. Once the mixture has simmered and the bread is toasted, using a slotted spoon, scoop out the mushroom, onion, and pepper mixture onto the toasted bread. Top with provolone and place back under the broiler until the cheese has melted.
6. Use the broth mixture from the pan for dipping your sandwich into and enjoy!