Hot Italian Vegetable Heroes
Preparation Time: 10 minutesBaking Time: 25 minutesYield: Serves 6
These sandwiches come out of the oven hot, delicious, and begging to be devoured. Recipe can easily be modified to be a vegan dish; simply omit cheese.
Ingredients:
- 1 package Better Wheat buns
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced very thin
- 4 medium carrots, sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced thin
- 1 can (6 oz.) Italian style tomato paste
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 ounces shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
Directions:
- Preheat the broiler. Slice each bun in half lengthwise and gently cut or scoop out a bit of each soft center. Place the halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet and broil 4 inches from the heating element for 1 minute or until lightly toasted. Set aside.
- In a heavy 10-12 inch skillet, heat the olive oil, add the sliced onions, and cook for 5 minutes or until onions begin to caramelize. Stir in the carrots, red pepper, and zucchini and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Add the tomato paste, water, oregano, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 2 minutes.
- Spoon the vegetable mixture into the bottom half of each bun. Top each with one ounce of cheese, and place in the broiler 4 inches from the heating element for 1 minute or until the cheese has melted.
- Transfer to a serving platter and top with the toasted upper halves of the buns. Serve warm.
