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Monday, May 19, 2014

vegetarian grilling - pesto-bruschetta portobello mushroom caps

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I hope everyone is having a glorious holiday weekend (Victoria day, here in Canada).  The weather in Ottawa has been pretty decent (20C, mostly sun) and we've really been enjoying our patio and the great outdoors.

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It's also grilling season - we've already been enjoying some beer can chicken, burgers and other meaty fare, but I thought I'd share a veg alternative today....delicious whether you are trying to serve up a creative vegetarian grilled dinner, or if you're looking for a hearty side dish.  I picked these portobello grilling caps up at Costco - they are SO good - they make a great burger patty (just marinate, grill and enjoy) and I thought they would be perfect for trying out this idea I had.

pesto-bruschetta grilled portobello mushroom caps

I also picked up pesto at Costco (I LOVE the kirkland signature brand pesto - it's bright green and fresher than most of the jarred alternatives, and it lasts a few weeks in the fridge - highly recommend it!).  Last, I had a couple of nice local tomatoes from my organic veggie delivery that I wanted to use up in something fabulous.

This is a little bit more involved than just grilling the mushroom caps, but it's not really a lot of fuss/work.  I just brushed the mushrooms with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, then had hubs pre-grill them for about 10 minutes - until they were partially cooked, but not completely done.

pesto-bruschetta grilled portobello mushroom caps

While he was grilling, I chopped up my tomatoes, added some fresh crushed garlic, olive oil and italian seasoning, and grated some mozzarella.

pesto-bruschetta grilled portobello mushroom caps

So when he brought in my 'pre-grilled' mushrooms, I placed them in a foil 9x13, topped them each with a scoop of pesto, divided up the tomato mixture, and topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese (this dish could easily be made vegan through using vegan pesto, and using a cashew cream or vegan parmesan on top).

pesto-bruschetta grilled portobello mushroom caps

Back on the grill went the 9x13, for just enough time to finish cooking the mushrooms and melting the cheese.  If you're more ambitious than I, you could try putting the stuffed caps right on the grill, but it seemed like a recipe for disaster, so I went the easy route.  I had these as a side dish for grilled chicken and kale salad and it was delicious.

pesto-bruschetta grilled portobello mushroom caps


grilled pesto-bruschetta portobello mushroom caps

pesto-bruschetta grilled portobello mushroom caps
5-6 large portobello mushroom caps
1 T olive oil
salt, pepper

1/3 c pesto
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cloved garlic, minced
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 t italian seasoning
salt, pepper
1 c. grated mozzarella
1/3 c grated parmesan

1. Preheat the grill to medium (you could also roast at 450F if you don't have a grill) Clean mushroom caps and brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

2. Grill caps for about 10 minutes (5 mins per side) until they feel mostly-cooked.  Do not overcook, because you'll be putting them back on to finish.

3. Meanwhile, dice your tomatoes and combine with olive oil, garlic, italian herbs, salt and pepper.

4. Once the mushrooms are grilled, place them in a grill-safe dish (I recommend a foil 9x13).  Top each mushroom with about 1 T of pesto.  Divide the tomato mixture among the mushrooms.  Top with mozzarella and parmesan.

5. Grill the mushrooms (in the dish) about about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are heated through and the cheese is melted.


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm delicious......

pesto-bruschetta grilled portobello mushroom caps

One of my other grill-faves is zucchini - I love it cut in half lengthwise, brushed with oil and sprinkled with montreal steak spice, then grilled to perfection.  It's so good!  What are your favourite vegetables to grill?

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