Yesterday, we hosted another dinner party. I opted for a fancy-looking vegetarian course by serving red-quinoa stuffed Portobello burgers and topped them with a slice of grilling cheese. The quinoa provided protein (it has, according to Wikipedia, a protein content per 100 calories higher than brown rice, potatoes, barley and millet), the Portobello mushroom great texture and the Mediterranean grilling cheese subtle saltiness with a rich buttery taste.
I love using grilling cheese. Since I didn’t add any rich ingredients in the Portobello burger filling, I figured a thin slice of cheese wouldn’t hurt. This particular cheese can withstand a tremendous amount of heat without melting and develops a delicious golden crust when grilled, so next time you’re searching for a crisp topping for your dishes, this might be the one!
1. Info for Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Burger Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 10
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Burger Recipe
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 tablespoons caramelized yellow onions (see tips)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 small carrot, peeled, cooked and diced
- 6 crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons canola oil (or any neutral oil), as needed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ⅓ cup green onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons butter (or more oil)
- 10 Portobello mushrooms
- 6 ounces grilling cheese, sliced
3. Directions:
- Remove the stem from mushrooms. Using the edge of a spoon, scrape and remove the gills of the Portobello mushrooms. Wipe the inside clean using a paper towel (see tips).
- Place the quinoa in a small saucepan. Add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-high. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir well and add ½ cup of water. Cook for another 5 minutes until the water evaporates. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Fluff with a fork. Let cool. Mix well.
- In a small pan, heat 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the garlic and green onions. Cook until golden. Add paprika. Add the carrots and crimini mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the caramelized onions, vegetables and the eggs to the quinoa. Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Using the same non-stick pan, heat the rest of the oil.
- Form the patties and fill the Portobello mushrooms with the quinoa patties, dividing among the 10 mushrooms. Tightly stuff them, by gently pressing the filling with your hand.
- Place the whole mushrooms on the hot pan, filling side down. Cook until a nice crust is formed. Flip the Portobello mushrooms and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from the grill.
- Heat the pan, adding a teaspoon of oil if necessary and grill the cheese slices until crisp. Garnish the burgers with the grilling cheese.
- Serve warm with greens.
- Bon appétit!
