Portabella Mushrooms

Portabella Mushrooms Every year when the weather turns warm, cooking grilled vegetables on our back porch becomes my side dish haven. When I’m standing outside sipping wine with one hand and flipping Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with the other, it feels as if whatever else happened that day, everything is going to be OK as long as I can still do this quiet, blissful thing for myself.

Ever since learning to make Grilled Cauliflower Steaks, I’ve been completely enamored by the delicious simplicity of grilled veggies. It’s the same way I feel about roasted vegetables in the winter—10 minutes of effort for a plate piled high with scrumptious, healthy satisfaction.

Grilled portobello mushrooms have a mega advantage over baked portobellos mushroom recipes: NO clean up at the end!

Simple Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

To make these delicious marinated grilled mushrooms, you’ll need one main ingredient (ahem, the portobellos) and a few simple ingredients for the marinade.

• Portabella Mushrooms. One of the things I love most about portobello mushrooms is their “meaty” factor. I realize that probably sounds a bit odd because HELLO we are talking about a vegetable, but in kingdom veg, portobello mushrooms are especially satisfying, especially when grilled.

You’ll definitely want to clean the mushrooms before making this recipe.

• To Clean Portobello Mushrooms: Start by removing and discarding the stems. With a paper towel, gently rub off any dirt from the caps. With a small spoon, lightly scrape around the underside of the caps to remove the gills. The gills are edible but, well, weird and when you are sauteing with them, they’ll turn your recipe a dark, unappetizing hue. If the gills don’t bother you, you can leave them on. The key to mega mushroom success is to enhance their flavor with a basic portobello mushroom marinade that plays up the portobellos’ earthy and (to use a word that’s both super foodie and super accurate) umami factor.

  Easy Portobello Mushroom Marinade Ingredients

  • Balsamic Vinegar. Tang. Depth of flavor. Delicious.
  • Soy Sauce. That umami somethin’ somethin.’
  • Spices. First, garlic powder. Because 1) minced garlic can burn and 2) sometimes I’m too lazy to mince garlic. Second, black pepper. Not enough to make these grilled portobello mushrooms spicy. Just enough to wake up their flavor and make you wonder why you can’t stop eating them. Third, cayenne. Optional but encouraged.
  • Rosemary. A hearty herb that can stand up to the mushrooms without overpowering them. Fresh thyme would be tasty too.