Portobello Mushroom and Bell Pepper Sloppy Joes

Recipe created by Laura Pensiero

This sloppy joe is no nutritional slouch, filled as it is with sautéed peppers (for carotenoids, plus vitamins A and C) and portobello mushrooms (selenium).

This recipe is from The Real-Food Diet Mix-and-Match Meal Plan.

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients

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)

Directions

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.

From the August 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine