Don't be shy! You know you want to bite into this layered portobello mushroom sandwich recipe. Loaded with marinated mushrooms, grilled zucchini, onions, red pepper, and raw vegetables stuffed inside grilled bread with vegan southwest dressing, this mushroom sandwich will meet all your sandwich cravings in each bite.
We often host sandwich nights at my house, and tonight, I made a portobello mushroom sandwich. I love sandwiches! Not only do sandwiches taste great, but they are easy to make. When planning my portobello mushroom sandwich recipe, however, I added a lot of vegetables.
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Although many people avoid bread, I reduce my bread carb load by removing the bread's center, creating a cavity to stack my veggies. Not only does it reduce the amount of bread, but it also makes crusty bread that doesn't get soggy. And who likes a soggy sandwich? Not me!
Another great thing about making a stellar mushroom sandwich is the types of vegetables; of course, the dressing is chosen to dress said sandwich. But, as you probably will agree, all sandwiches are not created equally.
For that reason, I consider this sandwich the best portobello mushroom sandwich I've made or eaten, for that matter.
Mushroom Sandwich Ingredients
Let's begin with the star of the sandwich, the portobello mushrooms. Unfortunately, I couldn't find large portobello mushrooms when I went shopping, so I opted for a 16-ounce medium container of portobello mushrooms.
- Whole-Grain French Bread or Ciabatta: Both whole-grain french bread and ciabatta buns have a thick crusty exterior and a soft interior, easy to remove to make a cavity to pack veggies.
- Portobello Mushrooms: Portobello mushrooms are meaty and delicious.
- Zucchini: Zucchini is in season and practically free right now. I bought a bunch at the farmer's market for $2.00.
- Summer Squash: Summer squash is also in season right now, fresh and inexpensive.
- White Onion: White onions are my favorite gut-healthy food. They are packed with fiber and prebiotics; white onions feed the gut bacteria and uplift digestive health.
- Red Bell Pepper: Red peppers are sweet and vibrant in color.
- Avocado: Avocado adds a creaminess to the sandwich and a freshness.
- Tomato: I used hot house organic tomatoes. I love farmer's market tomatoes this time of year.
- Spinach: Spinach is rich in iron, vitamins C and E, potassium, and magnesium. As part of a nutritious diet, it can help support immune function, aid the digestive system, and may even have anticancer properties.
- Vegan Southwest Dressing: Vegan Southwest Dressing is a simple recipe with 4 ingredients. It tastes fabulous on this portobello mushroom sandwich.
Mushroom Sandwich Ingredient Substitutions
- Choose any type of bread you prefer. Select gluten-free bread for a gluten-free option.
- Any type of mushrooms work; however, if you don't like mushrooms, swap it out for eggplant.
- Cucumber is an excellent substitute for zucchini.
- Instead of summer squash, double up on the zucchini.
- Green peppers, or baby bell peppers are a substitute for red bell peppers.
- If you don't like avocado, use hummus instead.
- Try sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh tomato slices.
- Arugula is one of my favorite substitutions for spinach, with its naturally peppery taste. Or chop kale finely.
- I love this portobello sandwich recipe with Oil Free Italian Dressing, Mustard Dill Sauce, or Lemon Basil Dressing.
Since bread is the key to a fabulous sandwich, I always buy my bread in the bakery section. Believe it or not, most bread is oil-free and vegan. Most bread is made with flour, yeast, and water!
Choose your favorite bread from the bakery section and check the label. However, stay out of the processed bread aisle, where you will find bread with oil and preservatives.
Vegetable Marinade
To marinate the mushrooms and vegetables, use balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and some Italian seasoning.
Although I prefer grilled vegetables, I sauteed the mushrooms this time because I couldn't find large portobello mushrooms.
As a result, I marinated my mushrooms separately from the other vegetables and cooked the other vegetables on the grill.
However, I suggest cutting the vegetables in similar sizes to cook them equally on the grill.
How to Make the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich
- Once the mushrooms are sauteed, and the vegetables are grilled, I remove the center portion of both sides of the bread without trading through the top or bottom.
- Next, broil the bread, making it crispy, before adding any cooked or raw vegetables.
- Place the sauteed mushrooms, followed by the grilled zucchini, squash, onion, and red pepper.
- The other side of the bread is layered with Vegan Southwest Dressing, avocado, tomato, and spinach.
if you don't like it southwest dressing, consider trying these sauces for your portobello mushroom sandwich:
- Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Thousand Island Dressing
- French Dressing
- Cashew Mayo
- Pesto Salad Dressing
- Creamy Italian Dressing
- Secret Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
Regardless of your favorite sauce or dressing for a sandwich. We all know the sauce brings a sandwich together.
The question then remains; who is brave enough to eat this sandwich or bite into it? Me!
I'm neither shy nor pretend I don't like to eat!
On the contrary, I can eat a lot! And I attribute that to healthy eating. And, since I like to eat, I generally eat a lot.
It might take me a little longer to figure out how to eat this large sandwich, but I can eat just about anything with the proper determination.
On the other hand, my husband admires my ability to eat as much as he does.
So, the next time you're craving a hearty sandwich, think about making a portobello mushroom sandwich full of veggies and dressed with your favorite dressing or sauce. And, whatever you do, remember the sauce.
And, if you're anything like me, you'll figure out how to eat this beautiful creation using one hand.
Recipe FAQs
A portobello mushroom has an earthy and meaty taste, making it an excellent ingredient for burgers and sandwiches.
Not really. While the gills of a portobello mushroom are technically edible, they tend to make your food taste murky and nasty.
Portobello mushrooms are low in calories and a good source of 15 different vitamins and minerals.
Tips
- I suggest marinating the vegetables and mushrooms separately if you plan to saute the mushrooms.
- If you used smaller mushrooms, as I did, you can saute them or use a grill basket to cook all the vegetables together on the grill.
- Instead of grilling the vegetables, roast them on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, flipping them over at 15 minutes.
- To make a crevice in the bread, you must select a hard exterior bread with a soft center.
- Once the bread is removed, store it in a container to use later for making bread crumbs, dipping into soups or stews.
The next time you are craving a hearty sandwich, try this portobello mushroom sandwich recipe!
Additional Vegan Sandwich Suggestions
If you love this portobello mushroom sandwich recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Portobello Mushroom Sandwich
Ingredients
Sandwich Ingredients
- 16 ounces Portobello mushrooms cut in slices, or if using large portobello mushrooms, cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 loaf Whole-grain French bread or Ciabatta bread
- 1 Zucchini cut into ½ inch slices (lengthwise)
- 1 Summer squash yellow squash cut into ½ inch slices (lengthwise)
- 1 White onion cut into ½ inch slices
- 2 Red bell peppers but into slices equivalent to the zucchini
- 2 cups Raw spinach
- 1 large Tomato sliced into thin slices
- 1 Avocado cut into thin slices
- ⅛ cup Vegan southwest dressing or dressing of choice
Marinade for vegetables
- ¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cloves Garlic minced
Instructions
- Cut the loaf of bread in half and carefully remove the excess bread from both sides of the loaf, making sure not to break through the crusty outside.
- Set aside.
- Make the marinade by whisking the ingredients together.
- If you plan to use large portobello mushrooms, marinate all the vegetables in a large ziplock bag. If you use smaller mushrooms and intend to saute them separately, as I did, divide them and place them in a separate ziplock with a quarter of the marinade.
- Allow the vegetables at least an hour to marinate.
- If sauteeing the mushrooms in a skillet, do so over medium-low heat until browned.
- If grilling the mushrooms with the other vegetables, preheat the grill to 400 degrees, place the mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, onion, and red bell pepper on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
- Then, place the bread on a baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes on low. Watch the bread, as it may cook quickly (oven broilers differ in strength).
- Then, begin stacking the vegetables, starting with the mushrooms, then eh zucchini, summer squash, onion, and red pepper.
- On the opposite side of the bread, smear the vegan southwest dressing, and layer tomato, spinach, and avocado.
- Next, fold the sandwich, cut it into serving sizes, and serve it with a pickle and a salad. I served the portobello mushroom sandwich with German potato salad.
Notes
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- I suggest marinating the vegetables and mushrooms separately if you plan to saute the mushrooms.
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- If you used smaller mushrooms, as I did, you can saute them or use a grill basket to cook all the vegetables together on the grill.
-
- Instead of grilling the vegetables, roast them on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, flipping them over at 15 minutes.
-
- To make a crevice in the bread, select a hard exterior bread with a soft center.
-
- Once the bread is removed, store it in a container to use later for making bread crumbs, dipping into soups or stews.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
fruitcrmble
it looks wonderful but what do you do with the bread you remove from the middle? throw it out? that seems so wasteful or do you have another way to use it? though then you would still be consuming the calories.
Thanks
Kathy Carmichael
I mention in the post to save the bread for bread crumbs to use for another recipe, or it's great to dip in soups. Freeze it, so not to consume it all at once.
Kim
Oh wow!! I just made this... and devoured it!!! I did not make the vegan southwest dressing (I was too hungry to wait!), so I used a vegan "Green Goddess" dressing I had on hand. O.M.G. This will definitely be a recipe that is used OFTEN!! Thanks, Kathy!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kim, I'm so glad you liked it! That green goddess sounds divine! Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it. You should share it on our recipe share Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/veganrecipesKVK
neoncrayons
Such a fabulous recipe! This is totally happening this weekend 🙂
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Veronica, I hope you enjoy the portobello sandwich. I appreciate your feedback.