Meatless Philly cheese steak sandwich

The classic Philly cheese steak gets a vegetarian makeover in this recipe. Fresh peppers, onions and marinated tempeh are sautéed and topped with melted provolone cheese.

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Taking ordinary meals and making them into tasty vegetarian versions isn’t hard with a little creativity. I used to love a really good Philly cheese steak before switching over to a vegetarian lifestyle but found myself craving this hot sub sandwich with melted cheese often. I took tempeh, which can be found at almost any health food store, sliced it super thin and sautéed it with fresh sliced onions and peppers, and then I topped it off with melted provolone. If you can’t find tempeh or simply don’t like it, try using sliced portobello mushrooms, which are a great substitute in dishes that use meat.

Meatless Philly cheese steak recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetarian steak sauce
• 1 block tempeh, very thinly sliced (or substitute with 2 large portobello mushrooms)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• Mayonnaise (optional)
• Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)
• Fresh sub rolls

Directions:

1. Into a large bowl, add the steak sauce and tempeh. Using tongs or your hands, toss well to ensure the tempeh is evenly coated. Cover, and chill for several hours to allow the tempeh to absorb the flavor of the steak sauce.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, peppers and onions, and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
3. Drain the marinated tempeh, and then add it to the pan with the peppers and onions.
4. Continue to sauté for 5 minutes or until the tempeh is heated through.
5. Right before taking the pan off the heat, lay the slices of cheese evenly over the top of the vegetable-tempeh mixture, allowing the cheese to melt.
6. Spread each sub roll with mayonnaise, and divide the cheese steak mixture among the rolls.
7. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, and serve warm.

More vegetarian recipes

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Vegan peanut butter brown rice crispy treats
Cheesy pull-apart pizza bread