Pizza Steak Sub

I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve been having the most terrible allergies and allergy-induced asthma lately. I mean, I sneeze and wheeze all season every season, but things have been a lot worse this week. On Monday I was a zombie at work because the night before my allergies kept me awake (and struggling to take a full breath) until 1am. It sucked.  A lot. But you know what didn’t suck? Coming home Monday night and discovering that Dan had cleaned the house from top to bottom. In an effort to get rid of all the dust mites and cat dander (and who knows what else) that were keeping me up at night,  he vacuumed, dusted, and laundered everything. He even did the dishes! And, because he is the greatest fiance in the history of mankind, he also took me to Target to buy a fancy air purifier for the bedroom. I love this man.

After sleeping like a baby for the first time in weeks, I decided to cook something tasty for dinner to thank him. One of Dan’s favorite foods is this great pizza dip his mom makes — a delightfully cheesy, tomato-y concoction that is packed with chopped pepperoni, onions, and peppers. Using that as a model, I created a sandwich I knew he’d love: a pizza steak sub loaded with thinly sliced prime rib, sauteed onions and peppers, and covered in pasta sauce and gooey, melted mozzarella cheese. It was massive, it was messy, it was delicious. And just to keep things classy, I served it to him on a tray with a glass of wine. ‘Cuz, you know, when you have to eat a sandwich with a knife and fork, wine just seems more appropriate than beer.

Pizza Steak Sub
** Sorry about the pictures; I was in kind of a hurry, and there was almost no light left in the sky. Thanks to Snixy Kitchen for helping with photo editing!

Ingredients:
– 3-4 oz prime rib, sliced very thin
**This a pizza “steak” sub so beef is kind of key, but I could see this sandwich being really delicious with eggplant or other roasted vegetables.
– 1/2 small onion, sliced
– 1/3 green pepper, sliced
– 1 tsp minced garlic
– Salt and pepper
– Olive oil
– 1/2 cup pasta sauce (I used Prego)
– 2 or 3 thick slices of fresh mozzarella
– 1 hoagie roll, split in half

Steps:
(1) Preheat oven to 375.
(2) Place both halves of your hoagie roll cut-side up on a small baking dish. Brush with olive oil
(3) In a skillet on medium-high heat, cook onions, garlic and green pepper in olive oil until soft and fragrant, about 2 min.
(4) Add prime rib to the skillet and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt/pepper to taste.
(5) Scoop meat and onion/pepper mixture onto the bottom half of your hoagie roll.
(6) Spoon pasta sauce on top of the meat, and layer slices of mozzarella on top of the pasta sauce.
(7) Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and beginning to bubble.
(8) Place the top half of your now toasted roll on top of the cheese/meat, and gently press down so that your sandwich filling oozes part way down the sides.
(9) Enjoy immediately, with a knife and fork. And a glass of chilled white wine.