I remember buying my first vegan cookbook, in 2014 by Angela Liddon. I had been dabbling in vegan cooking for about a year before, but this was my first official cookbook (so much more have come since then). I recall flipping through the pages and feeling pretty comfortable with the DIY nut milk, homemade granola recipes, and green smoothies. Suddenly, I came across portobello mushrooms being used as meat substitutes in fajitas and burgers, which was a completely new concept to me at the time.
I ran out and grabbed 4 big portobello mushroom caps, followed the recipe to the letter, grilled them on the BBQ, and called my family to the table. The initial reaction was honestly not great, my family felt I had crossed the line by “healthifying” the sacred burger! I had gone too far.
I encouraged them to taste it, of course, they were reluctant to admit it but they were amazing. About an hour after the burger feast, everyone noticed how light and comfortable our tummies felt compared to eating a big meaty burger. From here, I continued to try a number of variations to the recipe and finally stuck with this one. If you have not yet explored the world of mushroom burgers then this is your burger to try!
Portobello Mushroom Burgers with a White Bean Red Pepper Spread
Ingredients
Portobello Burgers
- 4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
- 4 sourdough, sprouted, or Gluten Free Buns
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- pinch salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped
White Bean Red Pepper Spread
- 1 14oz can white beans, rinsed & drained
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- handful fresh cilantro
- 1 Juice of one large lemon
- 2 tbsp avocado or hemp seed oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
- pinch salt ad pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the mushrooms and place them in a dish underside up.
- Marinate the caps in the oil, vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper overnight or for 15 minutes in the fridge for a quick meal.
- Chop up the mushroom stems into fine pieces, add onions and a little water or oil and saute in a pan over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Place all the spread ingredients into a blender and process until smooth.
- Slice the remaining bell pepper into strips and grill with the mushrooms over medium heat for 4 minutes each side.
- Assemble your burger: bun, spread, grilled mushroom and pepper, the onion mixture and arugula.
