This is one vegetarian dish where you won’t miss the meat. And it’s a simple dish requiring only a few ingredients. A fresh sub stuffed to the brim with sautéed portobellos, red pepper, and onions, covered with Provolone cheese and toasted. Just a little oil/butter, soy sauce, Worcestershire, thyme, provide all the flavor necessary. The whole family will look forward to these Portobello Cheesesteaks.
When I first started typing this post, I titled it “Portobello Cheesecake” and I almost didn’t catch my mistake. How funny would that have been? Although…., it has me thinking. Maybe a savory Portobello Cheesecake isn’t such a bad idea. I’ll have to think about that one.
Cheesesteaks (and cheesecakes :)) are a favorite of mine. I don’t now nor have I ever lived in Philly, so my definition of a cheesesteak is a liberal one. I will say I prefer thinly sliced Provolone cheese on my cheesesteak over the more traditional cheese sauce. But there’s no steak in these Portobello Cheesesteaks so we’re no where near traditional anyways.
I always prefer to remove the gills when cooking Portobello mushrooms. They tend to discolor whatever they come in contact with and they really don’t add anything to the flavor. Just scoop them out with a spoon and ray good riddance to them.
The sautéed Portobello slices are fabulously meaty and you won’t miss the steak in these vegetarian cheesesteaks. Well, maybe a little. But you for sure won’t miss the calories. And don’t worry about not being full after. This is one hearty meal.
For another hearty vegetarian meal, check out Vegetarian Sloppy Joes.
Portobello Cheesesteak
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Canola oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 large Portobello mushrooms,, stems and gills removed, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
- 1 medium onion,, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper,, sliced
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper
- 4-8 slices Provolone cheese
- 4 sub rolls
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 of oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add Portobello mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Remove to a plate.
- Add remaining oil and butter and sauté the onion and pepper until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms back to pan and add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Divide mushroom mixture between sub rolls. Top each roll with 1 or 2 slices of cheese. Place on a baking sheet and broil until cheese melts and bread is lightly toasted.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a great idea to sub portobello for the meat! I went to college and part of grad school in Philly so I know my cheesesteaks, and I’d happily eat this one 🙂
Ha! When I first quickly read the title I actually thought it said cheesecakes! But seriously though these sound awesome – I love meatless meals like this where you really don’t miss the meat. And I love how ooey gooey cheesy these look!
Love this meat free version of cheesesteaks!! Super creative!
Oh god, this sounds amazing. I’d really like to try this with some grilled halloumi and toasted bread… That would be heaven.
That sounds wonderful Aimee!
I’m a huge mushroom lover, and I know I would prefer this to cheesesteak any day. Great idea, Christin!
You had me at portobello! YUM! While I do love myself a good regular cheesesteak, this sandwich looks amazing. I don’t think I would miss the meat a bit!
Portobellos are great aren’t they? It’s nice to be able to have a meaty sandwich without the meat! Have a great day!
Have never tried a meatless version of cheesesteaks. The portobello cheesesteaks sound incredibly wonderful veg version.
It really is delicious! 🙂
What a great meatless take on the cheesesteak sandwich! I love Portobello mushrooms and would definitely not miss the meat here 🙂 The flavors sound fantastic and I think even my meat-loving hubby would enjoy these a lot. Pinning and thanks for sharing Christin!
Yes, your husband would probably enjoy it Kelly. This is vegetarian man food!
Love this idea, thanks! I did a savory cheesecake when I had a batch of cream cheese made from carabao milk which had a bit more funk than usual. Mushrooms and smoked oysters. It was lovely.
About to give these sandwiches a go. Tempted to use the traditional “fake cheese” since for some reason there is some in the pantry (WHO PUT THIS HERE?!!), but the Provolone sounds just fine.
A savory cheesecake with mushrooms and smoked oysters sounds great. I love smoked oysters, but don’t come across too many other people who do. LOL on the fake cheese in the pantry!
I love cheesesteaks and love this meatless version of it. Portobello mushrooms are so meaty that you wouldn’t even miss the meat. Great recipe Christin!
That is true Anne! Portobello mushrooms are one of the few vegetarian foods that don’t leave me feeling like I rather would have had meat. 🙂