Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich Recipe

If you love burgers but can do without large amounts of red meat, you'll love this recipe for thick and juicy grilled Portobello mushroom sandwiches. Portobello mushrooms are rich in niacin (vitamin B3), potassium, and selenium.

Be sure to make the basil-lemon pesto sauce that accompanies this recipe; it adds loads of tangy flavor to these awesome sandwiches.

Ingredients:

4 large Portobello mushroom heads (caps)
Whole grain bread or crusty sandwich rolls
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Baby spinach leaves

Ingredients for Basil-Lemon Pesto Sauce:
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Sea salt, to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

To make the tangy basil-lemon pesto, combine basil, garlic, and salt in a food processor or blender and process until finely chopped. Add extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, then process again until smooth. If you don't use all of it up with the burgers, you can keep any remaining sauce in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

To make the Portobello burgers:

Brush each mushroom on rounded underside and rim with about half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, then season with sea salt. Place the mushroom heads, gill sides down, on grill over medium-high heat. Grill for 3 minutes. Turn mushroom heads over and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes, rotating each mushroom about half a turn after 2 minutes; the goal is to have the bottoms brown nicely.

Place a grilled mushroom, gill side up, on the bottom half of your whole grain sandwich bread or roll. Fill each cap with about 3-4 teaspoons of the basil-lemon pesto, then finish by topping with baby spinach leaves.

Close each roll and enjoy while they're hot! These burgers go wonderfully with a tossed green salad and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.