Roasted Portabello and Red Bell Pepper Muffuletta

I love Muffulettas! Finding a good vegetarian version of an authentic muffuletta, however, can be tricky. After much frustration and disappointment, I decided to make my own. Make sure you have a big bag of Zapp's Voodoo Gumbo to go along with this.



Roasted Portabella and Red Bell Pepper Muffulettas



1 Recipe for Olive Salad Mix

1 medium baguette (Sour Dough or Thick Foccacia are awesome)

1 small bottle of Italian Salad Dressing

5 large portabello mushroom caps

1 large red bell pepper (cut in half with top and seeds removed)

1/2 of large red onion, peeled

1/4 to 1/2 lb of mozzarella cheese, sliced



Olive Salad Mix:

1/2 cup of pitted black olives

1/2 cup of pitted green olives

1 jar of Giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables - usually found on pickle aisle at grocery stores)

3-4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

red pepper flakes to taste



For Muffuletta:

In a large ziploc bag, marinate the mushroom caps, onion, and bell pepper halves in the Italian Salad Dressing for several hours or overnight. When ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roast the vegetables for approximately 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. When cool enough to handle, slice the mushrooms, pepper, and onions into strips. To assemble the sandwich, slice the baguette in half and spread the olive mixture on the inside of both halves of the baguette. Top one half with the mushrooms, pepper, onion, and mozzarella cheese slices. Press the two halves of the muffuletta together and wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap. Allow the muffuletta to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This sandwich gets better the longer it sits. It's great for picnics, tailgating, or long car rides and left overs are amazing the next day.