I have an addiction to burgers. I also have an addiction to spice and Latin foods in general. When making the decision to go vegetarian at the start of the year, I knew I would miss certain things. Burgers come in near the top of the list, but that doesn’t mean that I have to hang up my grill mitt and tongs. Oh no!
I set out to make a spicy portobello burger that was not only packed with flavor, it’s juicy, spicy, cheesy, AND we get the best topping for a burger in my humble opinion: the vine-ripened heirloom summer tomato! Put all of that deliciousness in-between Flatout® Foldit Artisan Flatbreads, and you have the perfect filling-to-bun ratio, which is an art in and of itself.
Give Me All The Sauces
Good burgers always start with great sauces, and it’s really easy to make your own. You control everything down to the sodium content, and if you want to throw in that extra clove of garlic, by all means, do it. You can typically find dried chiles in any major supermarket these days, but make sure that they are still pliable. They shouldn’t crumble if you try to bend them. I find that removing the stems and seeds before re-constituting them makes life much easier. To do that, I get my kitchen shears, cut the stem off, then make a slit down one side. I pull the chile apart, so it’s flat, and expose the seeds making them easy to remove.
To re-constitute them, boil a large pot of water, then pour that boiling water over the dried chiles. Let them sit for 20-30 minutes until soft. Reserve a half cup of the soaking water, and add it, the chiles, and the remaining guajillo sauce ingredients to a blender, and blend that baby until smooth!
Sauce Number 2
There is another sauce to be made here! I fell in love with chimichurri while eating at an Argentinian restaurant for the first time. It’s so simple, yet so flavorful. It’s usually served with grilled meats, but in our case the recipient is a portobello mushroom! It’s typically made with parsley and oregano, but I had to sneak in the cilantro here.
To save you some time, I feel I should mention that there are pre-made versions of both of these sauces. I strongly urge you to try these yourself, however. They’re worth the effort, and you can work wonders with the leftovers.
It’s Grill Time
To grill these beauties up, I like to score the underside of the mushroom ever so slightly. It allows the chimichurri to penetrate the mushroom, packing in even more flavor.
A few minutes on a medium-high grill, which imparts a lovely char and grill marks on the mushrooms, and we are nearly ready to feast. Spicy portobello burgers are imminent.
Show Me The Fold
I must tell you about these amazing little Flatout® Foldit Artisan Flatbreads. They are perfect for stuffing with your favorite ingredients, and are perfect for this burger. The flavor is on point and even though they are delightfully soft, they stand up to the moist portobellos and juicy tomatoes in this dish. You know how it happens – your juicy ingredients can make a bun soggy to the point of disintegration. Not this guy. It also keeps your toppings surprisingly in place! No topping jumpers to be had.
At 90 calories per Foldit Flatbread, it’s the perfect food vehicle for summer. It’s nearly half the calories of a regular hamburger bun, so you’re definitely winning. All of their products are low in fat, a good source of fiber, and perfect for wraps, pinwheels, and super easy pizzas. All around, this recipe is a unique, spicy portobello burger worthy of backyard BBQ Grilling! Just add a pint of your favorite IPA.
Presenting Spicy Portobello Burgers
To find Flatout Flatbreads, use their handy, dandy locator! Check out their website too for other great healthy and quick recipes.
Cheers To Summer,
- For The Guajillo Sauce
- 4 Ounces Dried Guajillo Chiles, stems cut off and de-seeded
- 1/2 Cup Reserved Water from re-constituting chiles (see instructions)
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Yellow Onion
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- For The Chimichurri
- 3/4 Cup Roughly Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 3/4 Cup Roughly Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon Roughly Chopped Fresh Oregano
- 4 Teaspoons Roughly Chopped Fresh Garlic (about 4 cloves)
- 3 Tablespoons Chopped Shallots (about 1/2 small shallot)
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- For the Sandwiches
- 4 Large Portobello Mushrooms
- 8 Thick Slices Tomato
- 4 Leaves of Green Leaf Lettuce
- 8 Slices Smoked Gouda Cheese
- 4 Flatout Foldit Artisan Flatbreads
- Heat 6 cups of water in a large stock pot until boiling.
- Place the de-stemmed and de-seeded chiles in a large bowl, and pour in the boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes, until the chiles have re-constituted. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water.
- Add the re-constituted chiles to a blender, along with the reserved water and remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth, adding more water if the sauce is too thick. The consistency should be like ketchup.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor, and process until the ingredients are chopped up fine, about 10 seconds.
- Turn on an outdoor grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove the stems from the portobello mushrooms, and score them by using a sharp knife to cut a shallow slit about every half inch. Rotate the mushroom cap a quarter turn, and repeat, making a criss-cross pattern. Using a basting brush, coat the portobellos with the chimichurri sauce on both sides.
- Place the portobellos on the grill, cap side down, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip, and cook for 4 minutes more, until the portobellos have good grill marks, and have darkened in color. Add more chimichurri to the mushrooms to moisten, making sure the cap side is up. Add two slices of smoked gouda to each mushroom, close the lid to the grill, and allow the cheese to melt, about 1 minute.
- Place about 1 tablespoon of the guajillo sauce on each side of the Flatout Foldit Artisan Flatbreads, and spread to coat. Add lettuce, tomato, top with a grilled mushroom, fold your Foldit, and enjoy!
Disclaimer*: This post was sponsored by Flatout Flatbread, and I was compensated for this recipe and post. All opinions are completely, 100% my own.
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