Swap the bun with grilled mushroom caps for a juicy, meaty and umami-flavoured meal. Portobello mushroom burger has crispy baked breaded zucchini, a creamy avocado, marinated onions and some healthy greens. It can be made in only 25 minutes and is a lovely alternative to a classic burger.
I wanted to do this for a long time; to use mushrooms instead of normal burger buns. Oh, those juicy grilled mushrooms holding all those toppings together. Simply marvellous. Remember to add salt and pepper to really make all the flavours pop.
Mushrooms are said to have that umami flavour. They have a hearty, earthy, salty meat-like consistency. In other words, they are delicious. Cooked mushrooms have more umami than raw ones and dried ones have more umami than fresh mushrooms. I also read that the darker the mushroom is, the more umami the flavour has.
The most suitable mushrooms are portobello mushrooms (at least from what I had to choose). Wink. When buying portobello mushrooms, look for the larger ones, because they tend to shrink a bit when baked or cooked.
I like to prepare portobello mushrooms or any other mushrooms in the oven. For example, these honey- figs and cheese stuffed Italian mushrooms or this egg-stuffed portobello mushroom. Both mushroom recipes are very easy and quick to prepare, too.
Pink onion
Since we eat with our eyes, too, I tried to satisfy all of our senses. Wink. Check the colours of this portobello mushroom burger. Dark green spinach, bright pink onion and the typical green avocado are just gorgeous. Make a simple marinate if you think onions are too strong in taste. Combine lemon juice or orange juice with some salt, vinegar and olive oil, and lay the sliced onion rings in it. Onion has to be marinated in it for at least 15 minutes. As a result, it will get tender, bright pink and mild in taste.
Pink and green pair great with golden brown. This combo is simply beautiful to look at and to eat. Filled with different textures and flavours it’s a real adventure for the tongue buds. Wink. This mushroom burger recipe also includes crispy breaded zucchini, avocado, spinach and watercress sprouts.
The breaded zucchini are a wonderful idea. Maybe you think zucchini are too watery for baking them. Nope. Think again. They stay moist and they are a delight to eat. Crispy on the outside and nice creamy on the inside. Eggplant would be a great choice as well.
Additionally, why stop swapping buns with mushrooms? Pick spinach or coleslaw instead of the bit boring lettuce. Wink. It will be a whole new thing.
There are tons of other ways you could dress these guys up. Find your own combination. Of course, if you want a heartier burger lay a beef patty in between the mushroom buns.
Ingredients for 2 portobello mushroom burgers:
- 1 small zucchini
- 5-6 Tbsp of breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp of flour
- 4 portobello mushrooms
- 1 avocado
- 1 orange
- 2 Tbsp of apple vinegar
- sea salt
- 1 Tbsp of olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- mayonnaise
- watercress sprouts
- ca 15 leaves of baby spinach
- salt and pepper
To begin, peel and slice the onion into 5 mm thick rings. In a bowl with a flat bottom, squeeze the juice of one orange, drizzle some olive oil, add a pinch of salt and stir in the vinegar. Add the onion rings and leave them to marinate for at least 15 minutes or until ready to use.
Furthermore, wash and cut the zucchini into 3×1 cm sticks or into 1 cm thick rounds. Place them onto a paper towel to absorb the water. Then, prepare the breading street. In the first small bowl add the flour, in the second beat the egg and in the third add the breadcrumbs together with salt and pepper.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper and preheat the oven to 230°C. To bread, the zucchini, take one piece of zucchini, dust it with flour, roll it into the egg and cover it with breadcrumbs. Lay the piece on the baking sheet and continue with the remaining zucchini chunks.
Afterwards, place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, clean and trim the mushrooms. Also, remove the stem (keep or freeze them for later use) and brush them with olive oil.
Lay the mushrooms (stem side up) on the same baking sheet with zucchini and bake for another 10- 15 minutes. Once the portobello mushrooms are tender and juicy, and the zucchini golden, remove them from the oven. Flip the portobello mushrooms over onto a couple of paper towels.
Then, add two spoons of mayonnaise into a small cup, and stir in the watercress sprouts. Only a moment before serving, cut the avocado, lengthwise, in half. Wash the spinach.
Finally, assemble the portobello mushroom burger. Start with a portobello mushroom (stem side up), add the spinach and some watercress sprouts, 3-4 zucchini chunks and scoop a spoon of mayo on them. Top everything with onion rings, followed with an avocado half and topped with another portobello bun.
Portobello mushroom burger is a wonderful idea for a meatless lunch or dinner. It pairs great with some potatoes, fries, coleslaw or a lovely fresh green salad.
Enjoy.
