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The best portobello burger you will ever have I swear!

Grill 1 Portobello cap (with stem removed). Or pan sear if you don't have a grill (you'll need to weight it down).

Add 1 sliced of canned, grilled pineapple directly on top of burger or use pineapple salsa (I prefer pineapple salsa and trader joe's makes an amazing one).

Add mayo or veganaise, red onion, tomato, lettuce.

Top with bun and enjoy warm.

DELICIOUS! My boyfriend went nuts for these!

I love grilling portobellos as if they were burgers - with a nice roll, a slice of melted cheese, and a summer tomato, even my meat-eating family will sub them out - and love the (healthy) change! So delicious!

I don't try to "substitute" meat stuff. I just eat vegetables in ways that I find interesting. I do love portobello mushrooms. I put them in a lot of meals. Just last night I stir-fried some mushrooms and onions and ate them with steamed vegetables and brown rice with a miso gravy. YUM. Carrie I'm going to try your burger but without the veganaise. It sounds delicious. I think I'll try a mango salsa as well as the pineapple.

I like portobello mushrooms, but I don't 'sub' them for a protein.

That concoction looks seriously tasty! And, did you know that mushrooms naturally contain vitamin D2?

http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/d-is-for-mushroom/

Even more reason for vegetarians who don't eat dairy to love funghi!

I adore portabello sandwiches, but not as a sub for meat (since I'm not a vegetarian!). They're also good if you scrape out the gills and then fill the cap with pizza sauce and cheese. Delicious!

I'll have to try some of these other recipes.

Good Stuff Eatery in DC (run by former Top Chef Spike) has a great portabello burger that's horrible for you, I'm sure. A cap stuffed with cheese, coated with panko, and then pan-fried, topped with lots of fresh veggies, mustard, and mayo. Mmmmm. But I love portabellos marinated in soy and ginger, or worcestershire, etc. and then seared in a cast-iron skillet. Yum!

djheathermarie, wanna share that recipe for miso gravy?? sounds delish!

There are few foods I hate the texture of as much as portobello mushrooms. I love all other kinds of mushrooms but I could count on one hand the number of times I've eaten portobello without thinking it had an unpleasantly slimy and dense texture. And for some reason they seem to be the default vegetarian option in the sort of dreary place I eat in only as a matter of last resort (airports, for example). I think maybe the problem is they are often marinated in cheap, sugary imitation balsamic vinaigrette. I don't doubt there is a way to prepare them more competently but for me they just evoke terrible meals in terrible places, and I avoid them.

I've had very mediocre portobellos, just like Tiny Banquet, in many a grilled vegetable sandwich, which is unfortunate because portobellos can be so good.

Eating Well has a recipe this month for stuffed portobellos that is pretty easy and delicious:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cheese_spinach_stuffed_portobellos.html

From the Future, I pretty much just made it up as I went along. I just substituted miso for broth in making gravy. First, I sauteed onions and then sprinkled them with whole wheat flour. Then I added the miso (paste with water like miso soup) and lastly chopped mushrooms and then simmer until it's a gravy consistency. I seasoned it with soy sauce instead of salt.

i agree with the people who mistrust restaurants that serve "porta bellas" (and other mangled versions of the name) absolutely drenched in cheapy italian dressing until you can't taste anything and they sog all over the bun.

all of these recipes, however, sound delicious.

djheathermarie, that is an amazing idea! thanks for the lowdown!

Since I became vegetarian, I've gotten really tired of portobello mushrooms. Lazy restaurants put a portobello concoction on the menu and think they're catering to the vegetarian crowd.

I agree with Meaghin. I like portobellos fine, but I also tire of seeing them as the lone vegetarian option at a restaurant.

When I went vegetarian 13 years ago I ate portobellos like they were going out of style. Now that I'm married to a mushroom hater (it's a shame, really) I don't really eat them as often. I do a have a yummy sandwich that I like to revisit now and again (when I'm eating solo, of course).

Marinade portobello caps in some balsamic, olive oil, fresh rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Grill, and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile place vegenaise (or regular mayo) in a food processor with some roasted garlic and a splash of braggs liquid aminos or tamari and blend till creamy.

Toast some toasted sourdough bread, spread some of the garlic mayo on each side. Top with some spinach, red onion, sliced grilled mushrooms, roasted red pepper and some clover sprouts. Oh heck yes!!!

A couple years ago I was at a well known steak restaurant near Florence, Italy (Florentine steak served by an owner who reads Dante aloud). My Italian friend told the owner that I did not eat meat, and when everyone else received their plates of steak I was served the most delicious plate of mushrooms I've ever had. It was not a matter of comparing or substituting them for meat, they were simply divine in and of themselves.

I'm allergic to mushrooms, so I'm more likely to reach for seitan (which also doesn't fall apart easily) instead.

I've been vegetarian for almost 12 years, and only started coming around to portobellos in the past year or so. (I never really liked mushrooms) They' okay, but as far as meat substitutes go, I prefer seitan, soy-protein, or wheat-protein based meat substitutes. The texture and flavor is more meaty.

Also, depending on how the portobello is cooked, it definitely makes or breaks the taste/texture. I have had more than my fair share or lame portobello "burgers", but only once or twice I've had one cooked so well it sort of tasted like steak.