• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
DadCooksDinner
  • Home
  • Rotisserie
  • Recipes
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Merch
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Merch
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Books
    • Tools
    • Merch
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Grilling

    Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Grilled Onions

    Published: Oct 7, 2009 · Modified: Jun 24, 2015 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    As I've said a few times on this blog, I'm not a vegetarian. But I do have some sympathies with them - my sister is a vegetarian*, and eating lighter on the planet makes sense to me. I try to make a vegetarian dinner at least one day a week.**
    *Hi, Deb!
    **Yes, I know, you wouldn't know it from reading this blog. I tried Mark Bittman's "Vegan until six" approach from Food Matters, but I couldn't make it work.  I count too much on intentional leftovers for my lunch.  I kept winding up with gladware containers of dinners that I wasn't "allowed" to eat.  So I switched to being a part-time vegetarian.  I try to eat one or two vegetarian days a week.

    Portobello burgers are one of my regular vegetarian dishes. When I do a hamburger cookout for our kids' parties, I always throw a few of these on the grill. That way, my sister has something she can eat, as does anyone who wants something healthier than regular burgers.
    *I'm not sure how much healthier; by the time I'm done marinating them in oil and topping them with cheese, I think most of the caloric advantage is gone.  But they sure do taste good!

    Recipe: Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Grilled Onions

    Cook time: 12 minutes

    Equipment:

    • Grill (I used a Weber Summit 650. Here it is.)

    Ingredients:

    • 8 large Portobello Mushroom caps (look for caps a little larger than your hamburger buns)
    • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 8 red onion slices, ¼" thick

    Balsamic Vinaigrette Marinade

    • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    • pinch of salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
    • 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed with a garlic press
    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

    Condiments and toppings

    • 8 whole grain hamburger buns
    • lettuce leaves
    • tomato slices
    • pickles (homemade, if you have them!)
    • whole grain or dijon mustard

    Directions:
    1. Prep the mushrooms and onions: Wipe any dirt of the tops of the mushrooms with a wet towel, and pull the stem off if it is still attached. Put the mushrooms in a large baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with the kosher salt. Slice the red onion into ¼" thick slices, and sprinkle with salt as well. Whisk the balsamic vinaigrette ingredeints in a small bowl until well combined, then pour evenly over the mushroom caps.

    2. Prepare the grill: Preheat your grill, then set it up for grilling on direct medium heat. For my Weber Summit, this means turning all the burners to high and preheating for 10 minutes, then turning them all down to medium and starting to cook.

    Mushrooms and onions - mushroom just starting to bubble on the top...

    3. Cook the mushrooms: Put the mushrooms on the grill, top side down. Put the onions on the grill as well. If you are cooking with a gas grill, all cooking should be done with the lid closed. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove the onions to a plate, and rotate the mushroom caps 90 degrees. Do not flip the mushroom caps - you want to keep all the vinaigrette and juices in the mushroom! Let the mushrooms cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the juices in the mushroom are bubbling and the mushroom is starting to wilt. Put the pepper jack cheese on top of the mushrooms, then the reserved red onions, and cook for another minute or two, until the cheese is melted. While the cheese is melting, put the hamburger buns, cut side down on the grill to toast - 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Watch the buns carefully; they go from toasted to burnt in a heartbeat.

    4. Top and serve: Remove the buns to a serving platter. put some grainy mustard on the bottom bun, then put the mushrooms on top. Again, do not flip the mushrooms; you're trying to keep all those tasty juices in the mushroom. Serve with the other condiments on the side so people can finish their burgers the way they want to.

    Variations:
    *Cheese: Use your favorite cheese. Sharp cheddar works well, melted on top of the mushrooms; my other favorite is to get spreadable goat cheese and spread it on the top of the bun instead of melting it on the mushroom.

    *Vinaigrette: Use any vinaigrette you like. For example, lemon herb dressing is a great alternative. I'd stick with a oil/vinegar vinaigrette, instead of the creamy ones - I'm worried they would curdle in the heat of the grill.

    Notes:
    *Again, the secret to this recipe is to cook the mushrooms entirely with the top of the cap facing down. If you flip it over, you pour all the delicious juices into the grill.  If your mushrooms are starting to burn on the bottom, move them to indirect heat (over an unlit burner) and cook with the lid closed.

    *Toppings: My personal burger preference is the "drag it through the garden" approach - if you've got it, I'll try to fit it on top. So, when it comes to toppings, I say "go nuts!" what do you have?  I'd avoid bacon, since the point of this is a vegetarian burger, but anything else is fair game.  I've used avocado slices, roasted red or poblano peppers, pickled onions, barbecue sauce...you name it, it will work.


    Questions? Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Related Posts:
    Why not make a grilled vegetable side dish while you're at it?
    Grilled Zucchini recipe
    Grilled Corn recipe
    Grilled Asparagus recipe

    Inspired by:
    Mark Bittman: Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes

    *Enjoyed this post?  Want to help out DadCooksDinner?  Subscribe to DadCooksDinner using the RSS or Email options on the right, link to this post from your blog, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site.  Thank you!

    More Grilling

    • Grilled Frozen Ribeyes | DadCooksDinner.com
      Grilled Frozen Ribeye Steak
    • Beef short ribs on the grill, with some flareups in the background
      Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub
    • La Caja China Pig Roast | DadCooksDinner.com
      Matt’s La Caja China Pig Roast
    • Grilled Beef Sirloin Kabobs | DadCooksDinner.com
      Grilled Beef Sirloin Kabobs

    Sharing is caring!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alison says

      September 22, 2015 at 6:35 pm

      This recipe is what brought me to your site and is one of our favorites--we've been enjoying it for a few years now and have it at least a couple of times a month. Since my husband is on a low-sodium diet, we don't use the salt, and I can honestly say we don't even miss it.

      Reply
    2. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      September 11, 2012 at 1:03 pm

      Great! I'm glad you liked them. (If it's any consolation, my 11, 9 and 7 year olds won't touch them either...)

      Reply
    3. Shawn says

      September 11, 2012 at 12:58 pm

      Mike,
      Wow. I can't thank you enough for this one, my wife and I loved these (Our 2 year old not so much).

      Weber One Touch (18.5)

      Reply
    4. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says

      October 20, 2011 at 12:03 am

      @Anonymous:

      You're welcome! Glad you like it.

      Reply
    5. Anonymous says

      October 19, 2011 at 4:35 pm

      Yum! Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    6. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says

      October 08, 2009 at 2:49 pm

      @Tino:

      Yum. Aioli is a great suggestion for a topping. Thanks for the idea!

      MikeV

      Reply
    7. Tino says

      October 08, 2009 at 1:49 am

      I do something very similar when I'm in the mood for a portobello burger. I also add fresh thyme to my marinade (adds a nice earthy flavor to the mushroom). For a topping, try making a roasted garlic aioli.

      * Roasted garlic
      * Egg yolk
      * Dijon mustard
      * White wine or Champagne vinegar
      * Grapeseed or light olive oil
      * Salt and pepper

      You get a nice moistness from the aioli and that nice hint of sweetness from the roasted garlic. It also works well as a topping for a fish fry, too.

      I'm always surprised at how quickly the meatless version disappear over the meat-laden version.

      Tom
      Exploring Food My Way

      Reply
    8. A Year on the Grill says

      October 07, 2009 at 4:02 pm

      wow those look great!

      I just made an all vegetarian meal as a challenge (no big salad was allowed). I made mushrooms as well, but they sure didn;t look that good

      Reply

    Questions? Made the Recipe? Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner! I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Three bowls of cooked Pinto Beans on a wood table
      Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking)
    • Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)
    • Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
      Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)
    • Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice

    Recent

    • Mexican Brown Rice in a bowl
      Instant Pot Mexican Brown Rice (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
    • A plate of brisket slices with a pickle, onion, and bbq sauce
      Instant Pot Beef Brisket
    • Two jars of chicken broth on a wood table in front of an Instant Pot
      Instant Pot Chicken Broth
    • A bowl of Instant Pot Pastalaya with hot sauces and spices
      Instant Pot Pastalaya (One-Pot Cajun Pasta Jambalaya)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Dad Cooks Dinner

    80 shares
    • 30