Grilled Portobello Mushrooms bathed in a simple balsamic herb marinade, topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes and basil and grilled to perfection. Drizzled with a rich balsamic glaze, these Caprese-style stuffed portobello mushrooms are absolutely delicious!
I always thought that if I ever had to chose my last meal, it would be a nice medium-rare steak. That’s until I made these tender and juicy Grilled Portobello Mushrooms stuffed with caprese salad and grilled until the mozzarella cheese melts into gooey perfection while the tomatoes burst into little juicy gems of goodness.
Seriously, these grilled portobello mushrooms are one of my all time favorite easy dinners!
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Ingredients
- Portobello Mushrooms
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Rosemary
- Cherry Tomatoes or any other small tomato
- Fresh Mozzarella
- Fresh Basil
- Salt and Pepper
- Balsamic Glaze
How To Make Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Caprese
Prepare The Mushrooms
- Clean the portobello mushrooms with a damp towel or paper towels to remove any dirt.
- Remove the stems.
- Using a small spoon remove the gills.
Make the Easy Balsamic Herb Marinade
- For easy clean up, I mix all the marinade ingredients in a resealable bag.
- Add the mushrooms to the marinade and gently toss to coat.
- You only need to marinade the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, or if you prefer up to 30 minutes.
Make the Caprese Salad
- In a small bowl toss together the fresh mozarella, tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Grilled the Marinated Mushrooms
- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. You can also use a grill pan.
- Remove the portobello mushrooms from the marinade and place them on the hot grill.
- Grill the mushrooms stems side down for about 5 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and cook on the other side for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Top the mushrooms with the caprese salad and close the grill to allow the heat to melt the cheese. If using a grill pan, cover the grill pan with a large lid (from a pan/pot) or place the grill pan under the broiler for a few minutes or until the cheese melts.
How To Select Mushrooms at the Market
- Mushroom caps should not have any bruising. They should not look wrinkly either.
- Make sure the mushrooms are not slimy.
- Mushroom stems should be firm and uniform in color.
- Mushroom gills should be dry.
- Portobello mushrooms should feel light in weight.
- Light brown powder on top of portobello caps is fine, This “cocoa-powder” like dust comes from mushrooms spores.
What is the Best Way To Clean Mushrooms
- The best method to clean portobello mushrooms is by cleaning them individually with a damp paper towel.
- Mushrooms can be rinsed under water, however they should never be soaked in water.
- Only rinse mushrooms under water when you are ready to cook them.
What is the Best Way To Store Mushrooms
- Store mushrooms in the refrigerator inside a paper bag.
- If using plastic, make sure you poke holes in the bag before storing. When covered with plastic, mushrooms get a lot of moisture and tend to get slimy faster.
Stuffing Portobello Mushrooms
Mushrooms in general have a high water content, especially portobellos. It is important to grill the mushrooms prior to stuffing the caps to allow the mushrooms to release some of their moisture. Grilling them will also concentrate their amazing flavor.
These stuffed mushroom caps are absolutely delicious and packed with umami flavors. Be generous with the filling but do not over stuffed them.
How To Know When The Mushrooms Are Done
Portobello mushrooms have a nice “meaty” flavor however, when it comes to cooking – unlike meat you don’t have to worry about internal temperatures. Portobellos cook fairly quickly on the grill – about 8 to 12 minutes total depending on size.
You know the mushrooms are done when they look tender, a bit shrunk (due to moisture loss) and have nice grill marks.
Balsamic Glaze
Balsamic glaze is rich, thick, pungent and has the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. You can purchase balsamic glaze from the supermarket or you can make your own homemade balsamic glaze.
How To Make Balsamic Glaze
Balsamic glaze or balsamic reduction is very easy to make and requires only one ingredient – balsamic vinegar! Homemade balsamic glaze is made by simply reducing the vinegar for about 15 minutes or until the vinegar gets syrupy.
It is not necessary to add any additional sugar to the glaze, unless of course you want an extra sweet balsamic reduction. Here are the simple steps to follow to make your own balsamic glaze at home
- Place 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small pot.
- Bring the vinegar to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the glaze reaches the desired consistency. The glaze will continue tSo thicken as it cools.
Grilled Mushrooms Recipe Tips
- I like to grate the garlic for this recipe, however you can used minced garlic.
- Although marinating the mushrooms is not a requirement when grilling portobello mushrooms, the herb marinade adds so much flavor so you may not want to miss this step.
- You can serve stuffed portobello mushrooms as a main dish, side dish or as an appetizer.
- This easy recipe is vegetarian and gluten free.
Take A Look At These Other Mushrooms Recipes:
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Caprese
Ingredients
- 4 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned, stems and gills removed
- Balsamic Glaze
For the Marinade
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the grill grates, (avocado oil can be used)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- salt and ground black pepper , to taste
For the Caprese Salad
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese balls or pearls, drained
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced, (divided)
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- salt and ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- In a large resealable bag or shallow dish, mix all the marinade ingredients. Add the mushrooms and gently toss to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes, flipping once.
- Heat the grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Make sure your grill grates are clean. Oil the grates right before cooking.
- In a medium bowl, mix the fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of basil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and place them on the hot grill, stems side down. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and cook on the other side for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the mushrooms are heated through and tender.
- To fill the mushrooms with ease, you may want to remove the mushrooms from the grill and place them on a plate or sheet pan. Fill each portobello mushroom with the caprese salad and close the grill lid to allow the heat to melt the cheese. If using a grill pan, cover the grill pan with a large lid (from a pan/pot) or place the grill pan under a pre-heated broiler for a few minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Remove from the grill (or broiler), Drizzle with balsamic glaze and garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes or shredded mozzarella.
- You can use 2 vine ripened tomatoes chopped into small chunks.
- You can marinate the portobello mushrooms for up to 30 minutes
- If serving this dish as an appetizer, get smaller portobello mushrooms. You may need 6 or 8 depending on their size.
- Before grilling, clean and oil the grill grates.
- Nutrition facts are an estimate and will vary depending on the brand of ingredients used.
- To make your own balsamic glaze you will need approximately 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. This will yield about 1/4 cup of glaze or less depending on how thick you want the glaze.
Leave a Reply