Make a Portobello Mushroom Sandwich
Portobello mushrooms can be a delicious substitute for meat in a sandwich. These sandwiches can be expensive in restaurants, but you can make them at home without spending a lot of time or money.
Ingredients
- Oil or non-stick cooking spray
- Portobello mushrooms (usually found in the produce section of your local grocery)
- Pesto (usually found in the pasta section of your local grocery)
- Hamburger buns (whole wheat recommended)
- Cheese (Swiss or feta recommended)
- Onion/Tomato (optional)
- Salt and pepper optional for taste
Steps
- Clean the mushrooms by rinsing them in cold water and cut off the stems. Set them aside in a dish. Make sure to remove the gills with a spoon if the mushrooms still have them.
- Apply the pesto to both sides of the mushrooms using a basting brush or a spoon.
- Grease the frying pan using the non-stick cooking spray or a little cooking oil on a paper towel.
- Heat the pan over medium heat. Once heated, place each bun inside-down on the frying pan to toast. Depending on the size of your frying pan, you may be able to toast two buns at once.
- Check the buns frequently to be sure they are not burning. Once they are toasted to your satisfaction, remove them from the pan and put each of them on a plate, open-faced.
- Add the mushrooms to the frying pan while it is still hot from toasting the buns.
- Turn the mushrooms using a spatula every few minutes to make sure they cook evenly.
- Slice the tomato and/or the onion while the mushrooms are cooking. Place the tomato and/or onion slices on the top halves of the buns.
- Continue to turn the mushrooms frequently until you notice that they have turned from firm and hard to slightly "floppy" when turned with a spatula. The cooking time for the mushrooms will vary depending on the size and thickness of each mushroom. Smaller and thinner mushrooms will cook quickly, while larger thicker ones will take a bit more time.
- If adding Swiss or other sliced cheese, place a slice of cheese on each mushroom shortly before you remove it from the pan. Allow a few moments for the cheese to melt a bit before removing the mushroom from the heat.
- Remove the mushrooms from the pan and place them on the bottom half of the bun.
- If you are using feta cheese, sprinkle a bit of feta on the mushroom once you have placed it on the bun. Placing the mushroom upside down on the bun works best for feta since the ridges on the underside will help it stay on the sandwich.
- Serve the sandwich open-faced for a more pleasing presentation.
- Finished.
Tips
- Don't be tempted to increase the heat to make the mushrooms cook faster. That will just burn the outside and leave the inside too raw. If your stove has numbers from 1-10 for its heat settings, turn the heat up no higher than 6. If its settings vary from low to high, set the heat no higher than between medium and medium-high.
- Select Portobellos that are roughly the size of the hamburger bun. Often the larger Portobellos are too big for this and you might be better off using "baby bellas" instead.
- Be careful not to use too much excess oil or pesto, as this can make the bun soggy. If you really like pesto and want to add a little more, you can spread a thin coating on the top half of the bun after you have toasted it.
Warnings
- Never leave a pan with cooking oil inside it cooking on the stove unattended. It could burst into flames and start a fire, even if left alone for only a few minutes. If you are interrupted while cooking, remove the pan from the heat and shut off the burner. You can always resume cooking the mushrooms later - they won't go bad quickly like meat will!
Things You'll Need
- Frying pan
- Spatula
- Spoon or basting brush
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
