These Italian-inspired stuffed portobello sandwiches are filled with garlicky white beans and topped with flavor-packed triple olive puttanesca sauce.
I think I hit the jackpot with these sandwiches. They've got the best of everything. Like a portobello sandwich, but also kind of like a veggie burger. Also kind of like pizza, made with puttanesca sauce, because, olives. I had a few ideas in mind when I came up with these, and they all kind of came together magically. First off, I wanted to create a portobello pizza-type thing. They have those at my supermarket, all premade and ready for grilling, but they're not vegan. I wanted to create a vegan version that would rival their cheesy one. Second, we're just rounding the corner towards barbecue season, and nothing makes me happier than showing up at a barbecue with a meatless burger fit to make all the meat eaters jealous. (I'm always happy to share!)
If you to take these along to a summer gathering they can be baked or grilled. I baked mine in the oven, but they're perfect for grilling, and I've included some guidance on how to do that in the notes. See, while the filling for these guys is quite veggie-burgeresque (i.e. not grill friendly), it's very well contained by the nice sturdy portobello cap that will not fall apart. Stuff it. The filling will stay put. Sauce it. The sauce is nice and thick, so it won't drip. This is going to be great!
And that brings me to the sauce. Let's talk some more about that. I'm a sucker for olives, and puttanesca sauce is all about the olives. It's flavor-packed and perfect for topping a big juicy portobello burger.
Stuffed Portobello Puttanesca Burgers
Ingredients
- 4 large portobello caps
- 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil divided
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1-14 oz. can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups puttanesca sauce
- 4 round sandwich rolls or burger buns sliced open
- fresh parsley for ganish (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°. Remove stems from mushrooms and wipe the caps clean a damp paper towel. Rub caps with about ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange, stem sides up, in a roasting pan, oven-safe skillet, or on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, until they tenderize a bit and begin to release their juices.
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While mushrooms bake, coat the bottom of a medium skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add beans to skillet, flip a few times to incorporate, and allow to cook until heated throughout, about 2 minutes. Use a fork or potato masher to lightly mash about half of the beans. Stir in parsley, basil, breadcrumbs and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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After portobellos have baked for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven and spread about 2 tablespoons of puttanesca sauce inside of each cap, using a spoon to spread it around a bit. Stuff each cap with a quarter of the bean mixture, pressing firmly. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons more of puttanesca sauce on top of bean mixture. Return portobello caps to the oven and bake 6-8 minutes more, until mushrooms are very tender.
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Spoon a bit more puttanesca sauce on onto the bottom half of each roll. Stuff rolls with portobellos, and top with additional puttanesca sauce, if desired. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Feel free to throw these on the grill if you're cooking out. Cook mushrooms over a medium-high flame until tender and lightly charred. Remove from grill, stuff and sauce according to recipe, and return to the grill for a minute or two, just to warm up the sauce and filling.
I would love to try the sauces. I would make Eggplant parm, and stuffed red peppers with quinoa and veggies.
Wow this looks amazing! Delicious.
Hi Alissa, my family dearly loves homemade pizza with homemade pizza dough, of course. Plus, we are black olive lovers, too. The combination of pizza, tomato/pasta topping with olives, sweet peppers, onions, and lots of mushrooms makes all of us glad for meal time! Having a ready supply of tomato pasta sauce for our pizza would be wonderful !!! Yes, so ready to try Classico Riserva as it would be a hit 'round here.... any formula would do !!!
This sauce looks delicious and I would love to try the sand which Alissa blogged about. It looks great..
This looks wonderful. I would put the bella, stuffing and sauce on some whole wheat pasta.
Tons of different ways to use the sauce!We love all kinds of pastas!
I made these for the fam last night, Alissa, and they were delicious! A bit messy to eat, but well worth the effort! Thank you for the recipe!