Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Walnut Arugula Pesto
These Grilled Portobello Mushrooms are a great vegetarian side dish or main to serve at a barbecue. The Portobello mushrooms are marinated in a simple sauce so they take on lots of flavour, grilled until slightly charred and tender and then served with a chunky walnut and arugula pesto. They are easy to make and Vegan, Keto, Whole30, Paleo and Grain and Gluten Free.
With barbecue season just weeks away, I have been on the hunt for fun veggie dishes that can be made on the barbecue.
I already have quite a few barbecued vegetable side dishes on the site, like these Grilled Scallions & Asparagus and this Eggplant, but unfortunately the options for a vegetarian main dish is quite limited.
Enter these Grilled Portobello Mushrooms which would satisfy even the hungriest carnivore. If you are looking for a filling “meaty” vegetable to serve a crowd, these mushrooms are perfect.
These aren’t just grilled mushrooms, they are marinated grilled mushrooms and let me tell you, the marinade takes them to a whole new level of deliciousness. It’s a similar marinade to something I would use for steak, which only increases the “meatiness” of the mushrooms. They absorb a lot of the marinade so every bite is incredibly flavourful.
The mushrooms are then topped with a simple arugula and walnut pesto. I really like the earthiness flavour that the walnuts add to the pesto which goes really well with the mushrooms. If you are preparing this for a barbecue, the pesto could be made a few days in advance to cut down on prep time.
Leftover grilled Portobello mushrooms are just as good the next day. I had a container of leftovers in my fridge that I ate cold straight from the fridge and added into salads. They are incredibly versatile and would be great for breakfast with eggs, or even added into a wrap for lunch so definitely make extra, because you are going to want to have leftovers.
Here are a few other grilled vegetable recipes that you might enjoy…
- BBQ Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri
- Grilled Zucchini & Asparagus Salad
- Grilled Broccolini with Tahini Lemon Sauce
- Garlic & Herb Grilled Eggplant
- Grilled Asian Asparagus & Scallions
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Walnut Arugula
Ingredients
Marinated Portobello Mushrooms
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6-8 large portobello mushrooms
Walnut Arugula Pesto
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Clean the portobello mushrooms by gently rubbing the cap and gills with a damp paper towel. Place the mushrooms cap side down in a large dish or alternatively a zip loc bag. In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade and once well combined, pour over the mushrooms. Leave them to marinate for approx 1 hour (up to 6 hours)
- To make the pesto, in a blender or food processor combine all of the pesto ingredients and pulse until its blended into a smooth consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly and then place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Heat a grill pan or barbecue on medium heat (or a sandwich press would also work) and grill the portobello mushrooms for approximately 5 minutes per side until grill marks form and they become tender. Once grilled cut then into 1/2 inch thick slices, drizzle any of the leftover marinade over each mushroom and then serve with a spoonful of the pesto on top.
Nutrition
So much flavor! My go to portobello recipe.
Your Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Walnut Arugula Pesto Recipe caught our attention, so we added it to our list.
You can find it here: 20 Delicious Lenten Recipes
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. Keep up the good work!
I was searching for SCD recipes and found this, I would just like to note coconut aminos and balsamic vinegar (bought at a store not homemade) is not legal on the SCD diet. The recipe looks great but definitely not compliment with SCD, but other wise for most people this I’m sure will be delicious!
Thanks for the message. Balsamic vinegar which has been aged for 18 years or more is allowed on the diet. With regard to coconut aminos I have a recipe in my cookbook for Coco-not Aminos which is SCD legal and can be used in any recipe in place of soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos.
Delicious! And easy! Will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Fantastic flavours! Served with carmelized onions as well!!
Tried this tonight and it’s a winner! Didn’t have a grill pan and didn’t want to grill outside in the rain so I just used a cast iron and it worked just fine. 4 minutes each side and pressing down on it once in a while.
Very delish! I made this tonight and very yummy! I especially love how you can use the left over marinade on the dish once it is served. This is a keeper! Thank you for sharing.
I found your recipe on Instagram and the photo was too good to pass up. I made this tonight for the family and everyone was blown away! The mushrooms were so “meaty” and juicy and the Pesto on top gave it a whole other layer of flavor in the best possible way. Even my 8 year old who swears she “hates” mushrooms completes her dish. This will definitely remain a summer must in our household.
Looks great! Need to make this on the weekend