Grilled portobello mushrooms make a wonderful alternative to chicken or fish on a tangy caesar salad. Low carb and gluten-free.
I don’t know about you, but I am seeing more and more creative recipes using mushrooms. These little guys (or big guys, sometimes) are jam-packed with powerful nutrients, and they really are incredibly versatile. And, according to hieroglyphics, the ancient Egyptians believed that they were the plant of immortality. Now, I am not sure if the ancient Egyptians ate them, bathed in them, or balanced them on their heads to derive these magical properties. But I’d far rather eat my mushrooms, thank you very much. I love mushrooms in almost any form: fresh, sautéed, grilled, pureed into soup. If you ask me to bathe in them or balance them on my head, well…then we might have a problem.
Loving them as I do, I am delighted to be a part of the KitchenPlay Progressive Party with the Mushroom Council. And thankfully, neither party asked me to bathe in them or balance them on my head. They asked me to create a salad recipe for the Swap It or Top It promotion. The idea being that mushrooms can be worked in to almost any recipe, and are a great way to swap out some or all of the meat to create a whole new dish.
That definitely gave me some food for thought. I could easily create a salad featuring mushrooms, but I liked this “swapping it” idea and I wanted to play that up. And these days, you don’t see too many plain Caesar salads; they are often topped with grilled chicken or fish. So why not grilled mushrooms? Big Portobello mushrooms are perfect for this, as they are thick and juicy and have a meaty quality to them. They really took the Caesar to a whole new level. I highly recommend making your own Caesar dressing. What a taste difference! But you can used bottled too, if you’d prefer.
And you can join the Swap It or Top It event too, and have a chance to win $5000. Whether you top your favourite burger with grilled mushrooms or swap out the bread or the meat with a big Portobello, you can enter your recipe at Mushroominfo.com.
Join us also for a fun Swap It or Top It Twitter Party tomorrow night (June 25th, 7pm EDT), where you can also win some fun prizes.
This post was sponsored by The Mushroom Council and Kitchen Play. All thoughts, recipes and photographs are my own.
Grilled Portobello Caesar Salad – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
Caesar Dressing:
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 large anchovy filets
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- Zest of one lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Salad:
- 4 large Portobello mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large heads romaine lettuce washed and dried
- 4 oz Parmesan cheese grated or shaved
Instructions
- For the dressing, place Parmesan, anchovies, egg yolks and garlic in a blender or food processor and process until it forms a thick paste.
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper and process until combined.
- Slowly add olive oil until dressing is well mixed and emulsified.
- For the salad, preheat grill to medium heat and brush Portobellos with olive oil, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Place on grill, top-down, for about 5 minutes, then turn over and grill for another 2 to 3 minutes. Slice thinly.
- Meanwhile, tear romaine leaves and divide among four plates. Sprinkle with grated or shaved parmesan. Top with sliced Portobello mushrooms and serve with dressing on the side.
Rachael (Fuji Mama) says
What a great twist on a caesar salad!! And I totally agree about making your own dressing…so delicious!
Mushrooms Canada says
The perfect way to make this meal vegetarian without compromising the heartiness of the dish. Love it! Thanks for sharing…
-Shannon
Jeanette says
I love the idea of a meaty grilled portobello mushroom on top of Caesar Salad! We must both have grilled Caesar Salad on the brain this week except I grilled the lettuce.
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Love that you added portobello mushrooms to a Caesar salad! Such a great idea!!
Susan says
This is a great swap and that homemade caesar dressing really makes all the difference!
RavieNomNoms says
Grilled mushrooms is one of my favorites! SO good!
Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says
Love this! Sounds delicious!
Brenda @Sugar-Free Mom says
I love this recipe of yours! I have some portobellos in my fridge I’ve been meaning to grill and can’t wait now, my mouth is watering!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I’m not a mushroom or veggie fan in general but my husband is! I’d love too make this for him one day. 🙂
mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says
I love grilled portobello mushrooms – I never would have thought of pairing them with a caesar salad! Can’t wait to give this one a try!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
A very tasty use of portobello! Love mushrooms in salads 🙂
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
What a great idea for Caesar salad! This looks so light, fresh and easy to make. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Carolyn!
Eat Good 4 Life says
My husband just discovered the large and chunky portobello mushroom the other day and will used them as burgers. It was insane delicious. Can’t wait to try this variation with them.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
This sounds insanely delicous!! I’ve not wanted much meat this pregnancy so this is right up my alley!
Lady Jennie says
Only five comments? It’s because it’s salad. 😉 I think my salade niçoise recipe post got the lowest views ever (chuckle).
This looks great. I bet you could make GF croutons too to have the complete effect. I love caesar salad dressing.
PS I made your icebox cake and everyone loved it. I put it in a 9×13 pan because it was easier, and I puréed most of the strawberries and mixed them with the cream because I didn’t have enough in my garden. Big success!
Carolyn says
LOL, I was joking about this on my facebook page, saying if I’d added bacon, it would have garnered far more interest. It’s a really great salad, though. Nothing compares to homemade Caesar dressing (with anchovies!). And so very glad the cake worked out!
Russell says
Yum! I can’t get enough portobello mushrooms.
Christiane - Taking On Magazines says
Bathing in mushrooms, not a pleasant thought. I do love them though. Grilled mushrooms are divine and paired with the ingredients of your salad, they look downright decadent.
Denise says
Kind of right there with you on mushrooms – not sure I want to bathe in them but I sure do like to eat them. Portobello is my go-to mushroom for vegetarian options, love their earthy flavor and hearty texture. Great use with a Caesar salad.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Denise! I eat my fair share of mushrooms but I am not sure I want to be immortal. 🙂
Caroline @ chocolate & carrots says
What a wonderful salad! I’m always on a mission to get more salads in my family, especially at dinner time. This looks like just the ticket! 😀
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
Love this twist on a caesar salad! My husband has a seriously weird affinity for them (like any time we go out, he orders one…it’s to the point of ridiculous) so I might have to throw this version at him for a curveball 😉 Really looking forward to meeting you August!