This portobello mushroom bruschetta dish makes the perfect summer lunch with harvested summer garden tomatoes!
Every summer, I make the absolute best of tomato season ~ they get roasted, simmered, canned, frozen, made into salsas and eaten raw. And I still can’t get enough! That’s because in peak season, there’s nothing more flavorful than a ripe tomato straight off the vine. The thought of summer tomatoes leads me to memories of bruschetta toast, but since I don’t eat flour anymore, I’ve made the equivalent (or as close as possible!) This portobello mushroom bruschetta has become an absolute favorite of mine, for all these reasons.
FIRST, WHAT IS BRUSCHETTA?
Bruschetta is a beloved appetizer recipe from Italy. We think of the tomato topping as being the bruschetta part. However, since bruschetta actually comes from the word “bruscare” (which means to heat or to burn), it refers to the technique of toasting the bread, not the topping itself. In fact, you can have other toppings other than tomatoes, such as olives, cucumbers, meat, or cheese. Bruschetta just has to be topped with something.
(Side note: I spoke with my Sicilian best friend and she said although what I just mentioned about bruschetta is technically true, everyone in the states and even Italy is just used to serving it with tomatoes, and when you say ‘bruschetta’, you really mean that tomato part.)
I simply replace the bread in this recipe with portobello mushrooms, but feel free to use grilled eggplant, peppers, anything you’d like in place of the bread, even the easy lentil flatbread found on this blog, if you so wish.
DIRECTIONS FOR GRILLING PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS:
Feel free to grill the portobello mushrooms outside, a panini press, or the following two ways I cook them in my favorite cast iron pan.
If you find your portobellos aren’t too thick, just grill as normal on each side, and skip to the bruschetta directions below.
If you find you may have a steak that’s very thick, fear not, there’s a method to this. You’ll want them to cook evenly, and so you must apply pressure on top so every bit of the surface sears. Here’s how to do it:
- (1) You can either push down the mini cast iron pan with your hand (use a towel between you and the pan so you don’t absorb the heat). For those of you who learn visually, check out this tutorial by chef Chad Sarno, around the 2:30 time mark.
- (2) or simply add a weight on top. I usually add a heavy bowl or a can of beans on top so I don’t have to babysit it.
- Once one side is seared, turn the mushroom over and repeat the process with the weight on top until the mushroom is cooked to your liking.
PAIRINGS FOR PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BRUSCHETTA
- Any white beans (learn how to cook them here!)
- White bean puree (or a white bean hummus)
- Almond Ricotta
- Chickpea hummus
- Roasted Vegetables
- Served on top of warm Zucchini Noodles
- In a lentil bread wrap
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Portobello Mushroom Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 portobello mushrooms
- 1 large heirloom tomato or a handful of cherry/plum tomatoes. Any will do.
- 1 clove garlic, minced or microplaned
- drizzle good olive oil
- few pinches salt
- fresh basil
Instructions
Directions for grilling portobello mushrooms
- Feel free to grill the portobello mushrooms outside, a panini press, or in a good sear in a cast iron pan. If you find you have a portobello mushroom that's not too thick, just cook on both sides until done, and skip to the bruschetta topping directions.
- If you find that you have a super thick portobello steak, fear not. There's a method. Since you want the thick steaks to cook evenly and throughout, you must apply pressure on top so every bit of the surface sears. Here’s how to do it:
- (1) You can either push down the mini cast iron pan with your hand (use a towel between you and the pan so you don’t absorb the heat). For those of you who learn visually, check out this tutorial by chef Chad Sarno, around the 2:30 time mark.(2) or simply add a weight on top. I usually add a heavy bowl or a can of beans on top so I don’t have to babysit it.
- Once one side is seared, turn the mushroom over and repeat the process with the weight on top until the mushroom is cooked to your liking.
Directions for bruschetta topping
- First, you want a bruschetta which is thick and not soupy or runny with tomato juices. There are two ways to prep tomatoes for this.
- First method: squeeze out the liquid and seeds out of the tomatoes before chopping. You would just be left with the flesh and skin to dice.
- Second method: Just dice the whole tomato, and place the cuts in a strainer over a bowl for about 5 minutes to let the juices run out.
- Next, combine the juice-free tomato dices with garlic, pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil.
Assemble the bruschetta
- Just top the grilled portobello steaks with the prepared tomato bruschetta topping, and serve with some basil sprinkled on top. Best eaten with a fork and knife!
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