• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic , peeled and chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper , cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 small red bell pepper , cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms , wiped clean, black gills scraped out and discarded, and thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 4 toasted whole wheat hamburger buns
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper , sliced (optional)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, bell peppers, and onion; cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add rest of oil and mushrooms; toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft and liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato sauce and paste, Worcestershire, oregano, Tabasco, and 3/4 cup water; stir well. Cook, stirring often, to thicken, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Spoon mixture inside hamburger buns, and add jalapeño slices on top (if using).

Recipe variations:

• Top sloppy joes with shredded Cheddar.
• Add thinly sliced eggplant to the skillet with the mushrooms.
• Omit peppers and increase mushrooms by 6 ounces.
• Substitute other varieties of mushrooms for the portobellos.

From Hudson Valley Mediterranean: The Gigi Good Food Cookbook, by Laura Pensiero. Copyright (c) 2009 by Laura Pensiero. Published by William Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.