A sandwich-shop classic, the French dip—a beef-loaded baguette-and-jus combo—delivers a whopping 1,400mg sodium (more than 60% of your daily recommended limit) plus almost 9g sat fat. To create a healthier handheld without forfeiting its meaty character, we use toothsome mushrooms to mimic meat’s heft and enrich the sandwich with noteworthy umami. Caramelized onions get layered on for the perfect alchemy of sweetness and added complexity. And to further infuse each bite with robust flavor, we boost the homemade jus with sherry, thyme, Worcestershire, and soy sauce. Delightfully hearty and a little bit messy, our slimmed-down sandwich provides classic satisfaction (and a full serving of veggies) for one-third fewer calories and 690mg less sodium.

This Story Originally Appeared On cookinglight.com

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Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Recipe Summary

active:
1 hr
total:
1 hr 15 mins
Yield:
Serves 4 (serving size: 1 sandwich and 2 tbsp. jus)
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Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

Directions

Instructions Checklist
  • Heat butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 30 minutes. Stir in salt; cook 5 minutes.

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  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a separate large skillet over medium-high. Arrange half of mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir and cook, stirring often, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl. Repeat process with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining mushrooms.

  • Return cooked mushrooms to pan. Add broth, sherry, Worcestershire, thyme, soy sauce, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook 5 minutes. Using tongs, remove mushrooms to a bowl. Divide jus evenly among 4 ramekins.

  • Stir together mustard and horseradish in a bowl. Spread on top halves of rolls.

  • Preheat broiler to high. Arrange 3/4 cup mushrooms on bottom half of each roll. Top each with 1/4 cup onions. Tear each cheese slice in half; place two halves on each sandwich. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet; cover with top halves of rolls. Broil until cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with jus for dipping.

Nutrition Facts

365 calories; fat 16g; saturated fat 4g; protein 13g; carbohydrates 43g; fiber 7g; sugars 8g; sodium 742mg.
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