This portobello mushroom salad is perfectly balanced with flavor and texture. It is has the robust flavor from the garlicky, earthy, spicy, lemony, oil-based dressing, marinated semi-dried tomatoes, salty cheese and large portobello to house all the flavor.
It’s almost summer here in Maine, our vegetable garden boxes are starting to fill out and it’s the time of year I am craving salads again. For my first salad of the season, I made the perfect transitional salad that offers a hearty and satiating mushroom stuffed with cheese (made vegan or regular) and dressed with a satisfying dressing. This dressing is super versatile, I think of it as a dressing, sauce and marinade all in one. It’s used in the portobello not just for dressing the greens. I lightly dress the greens, roast the semi-dried tomatoes in it and poor it on top of the cheese-stuffed mushroom cap before I pop it in the oven. Needless to say it ends up all over and it is plenty flavorful!
Mushrooms are referred to as “meaty” in the plant-based world because they resemble meat more than any other plant – with a thick and chewy texture. They are a great meat replacement due to being very filling and leaving you with a sense of having eaten something of a bit more sustenance than just a vegetable.
My most prominent memory of marinated portobello mushroom salad is from a restaurant I waitressed at in college. The cuisine there happened to be coastal Italian/Mediterranean but I took many of the components of that mushroom salad on their menu and married them with my love for spicy peppers and earthiness. Peppers are way up there on the my most loved things in the food world due to the incredible variety of different peppers and their respective variation in taste, spice and earthiness.
In this recipe you will learn how to make the best stuffed portobello mushrooms salad. If you are interested in other salads with a spicy-kick, check out my eclectic melon and prosciutto salad which features the same dressing. I use this dressing frequently, you will discover for good reason!
How to Make a Portobello Mushroom Salad
Ingredients:
- Large portobello mushrooms
- Cheese (vegan or regular)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Spinach
- Optional: edible flowers
Dressing/marinade for roasted tomatoes:
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1 head of garlic
- 5 roasted jalapeños
- 4 limes
- 1 lemons
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Coat jalapeños with olive oil and sea salt then roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked with some mild browning or blackening. Remove and let cool.
- Wearing gloves, slice down the center of the roasted jalapeños, remove top, deseed by removing the center vein where all of the seeds are attached.
- Prepare the marinade/dressing by blending the garlic, roasted jalapeños, olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice and salt in a food processor(or high speed blender, using tamper) or use a hand held immersion blender) until garlic is finely “minced”. The oil will emulsify and blend with citrus juices.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a baking sheet pan. Spoon the marinade over them, make sure they are fully coated (all sides). Spoon extra amount over center of tomato. Roast for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Prepare mushrooms by cleaning them with a soft bristle brush or towel to remove dirt or excess sediment, then remove the center stems, and coat them thoroughly with the dressing. Place them mushroom top down so that you can stuff the center.
- Place cheese (Regular or Vegan) in the cavity of the shrooms. Spoon more dressing over the top of the cheese and place in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the spinach by washing it and running it through a salad spinner or gently drying with a towel.
- Lightly dress the spinach with the roasted jalapeño lime dressing by spooning it over in a large bowl and mixing with hands or salad serving utensils.
- Assemble components of salad together on a plate: spinach, mushroom on top and placing the semi dried marinated tomatoes wherever you would like on the plate.
- Optional: dress up this salad with edible flowers, as pictured.
If there are leftover tomatoes place them in a glass container submerged in the dressing to continue marinating them, deepening the flavor and keeping them moist and preserved.
Notes:
Although we are a mostly dairy-free home, I went for a local goats cheese on this one, I chose one that was made to resemble a brie cheese so it would have more melting capabilities. I also have this same salad made vegan using a delicious herb-cashew based cheese. You may find this vegan salad linked here!
Try to use organic spinach and greens whenever possible. Leafy greens are not one of the “safer” conventional produces. This is because it does not have an outer peel that is removed before eating and that acts as a protective barrier from harmful pesticides. Also try to use organic mushrooms whenever possible for the same reason and also because the ‘foamy’ porous texture of mushroom soaks up and retains sprays.
Make sure to wash your greens well. Some people recommend soaking greens in water with a little vinegar to help clean and disinfect. After cleaning, use a salad spinner such as this one from OXO Good Grips. Or you can gently dry with clean and dry kitchen towel.
Other ingredients you could stuff in the mushroom are ground turkey or chicken sausage. The combinations are endless really, choose whatever your heart desires!
FAQ:
Can I use any type of mushroom?
Yes, you can use any type of mushroom, but due to the large size of the Portobello mushroom they are the best for stuffing the center filled with delicious cheese or anything else for that matter!
Would you recommend any other type of oil besides olive oil?
I only recommend olive oil for this recipe because it tastes the best for dressings and I am unfamiliar with making this recipe with any other type of oil.
How do you clean mushrooms without making them water logged?
Since mushrooms do soak up and retain moisture like a sponge, traditional washing with water can change them dramatically so brushing them with a soft bristle brush or even a towel will help remove any excess dirt or sediment. Here is an example of a mushroom brush.
Health Benefits:
Salad is great for you, obviously, but this recipe has incredible ingredients such as garlic, lemon, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Garlic- Antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory
Lemon-Alkalizing to the body, antiseptic, improves digestion, cleanses toxins
Mushrooms- Known as a beneficial superfood due to minerals, vitamin compounds, phytochemicals and enzymatic actions.
Tomatoes- High in lycopene, vitamins, minerals.
Spinach-High in minerals, iron, mineral salts, chlorophyl, helps alkalinize the body.
Portobello Mushroom Salad
Ingredients
- Large portobello mushrooms
- Cheese (vegan or regular)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Spinach
- Optional: edible flowers
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1 head of garlic
- 5 roasted jalapeños
- 4 limes
- 1 lemons
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Coat jalapeños with olive oil and sea salt then roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked with some mild browning or blackening. Remove and let cool.
- Wearing gloves, slice down the center of the roasted jalapeños, remove top, deseed by removing the center vein where all of the seeds are attached.
- Prepare the marinade/dressing by blending the garlic, roasted jalapeños, olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice and salt in a food processor(or high speed blender, using tamper) or use a hand held immersion blender) until garlic is finely “minced”. The oil will emulsify and blend with citrus juices.
- Cut the tomatoes in half and place them on a baking sheet pan. Spoon the marinade over them, make sure they are fully coated (all sides). Spoon extra amount over center of tomato. Roast for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Prepare mushrooms by cleaning them with a soft bristle brush or towel to remove dirt or excess sediment, then remove the center stems, and coat them thoroughly with the dressing. Place them mushroom top down so that you can stuff the center.
- Place cheese (Regular or Vegan) in the cavity of the shrooms. Spoon more dressing over the top of the cheese and place in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the spinach by washing it and running it through a salad spinner or gently drying with a towel.
- Lightly dress the spinach with the roasted jalapeño lime dressing by spooning it over in a large bowl and mixing with hands or salad serving utensils.
- Assemble components of salad together on a plate: spinach, mushroom on top and placing the semi dried marinated tomatoes wherever you would like on the plate.
- Optional: dress up this salad with edible flowers, as pictured.
Portobello mushroom salad is a great recipe to have logged in to your staples recipes archive. If you are plant-based or cooking for someone who is, try adding this to the menu!
