About this Recipe

By: Rachel

If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it might very well be this portobello grilled cheese sandwich. It’s a flavorful twist on the classic comfort food. Featuring marinated mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, and roasted red peppers, it’s everything a grilled cheese should be—just a little more grown up.

ingredients for Smoky Portobello Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Why a Portobello Grilled Cheese Sandwich Hits the Spot

Everyone (well, almost everyone) likes grilled cheese sandwiches. Crispy, toasted bread filled with gooey, melted cheese—a grilled cheese brings me right back to my childhood. What’s not to like?

Well, for one thing, they can be a little bland (if your childhood was anything like mine, grilled cheese probably contained white bread and American cheese). This Smoky Portobello Grilled Cheese Sandwich is the grown-up version. It has marinated portobello mushrooms, bitter arugula, sweet roasted red bell pepper, creamy aioli, and smoked mozzarella cheese. Surely, it will satisfy all of your childhood grilled-cheese yearnings—and more.

The Secret to Flavor: Portobello Mushrooms and Smoky Cheese

This craveable portobello mushroom grilled cheese uses mayonnaise, rather than butter, to coat the bread for toasting. If you’ve never tried it, you’ll become an instant convert—mayonnaise is always spreadable (you never have to wait for butter to soften). The bread will brown perfectly, and the mayonnaise offers a rich and delicious flavor.

Take It Slow for the Perfect Grilled Portobello Sandwich

The key to this portobello mushroom grilled cheese is patience. The sandwich must cook at a low heat, enabling the cheese to melt at the same rate that it takes for the bread to reach a perfect, golden-brown toastiness. Resist the urge to turn up the heat to hurry things along. This will only leave you with burnt bread and a cold, decidedly un-melty interior.

For the best results, give your sandwich time to crisp up slowly and evenly. That gentle heat is what transforms the smoked mozzarella into melty perfection and lets the marinated mushrooms shine in every bite.

Sandwiches Worth Savoring

This portobello mushroom grilled cheese sandwich takes a nostalgic favorite and gives it new depth and character. It’s a simple twist that makes your usual grilled cheese feel a bit more special. Perfect for a quick lunch or paired with soup for dinner.

I love amazing sandwiches that are full of complex flavors and contrasting textures. Other favorites on the blog include my Grilled Beef Banh Mi, Chicago-Style Italian Beef, and Smoked Turkey and Cheese Croissant.

Beverage Pairing

By: Olivia

A smoky portobello mushroom is begging to be paired with an earthy, light-bodied red wine. Luckily, the cheeses in this recipe will also be stellar with a red wine like this. The Violet Wine team highly recommends a Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais, which uses a similar grape called Gamay, when thinking of an earthy, light-bodied red wine. For the Pinot Noir, try out one from Burgundy or one from Oregon, or which Violet Wine has many. As for the Beaujolais, you’ll be pleased by Jean-Paul Dubost Beaujolais-Lantignie, and again, there are others.

Smoky Portobello Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Marinated portobello mushrooms, sweet roasted peppers, fresh arugula, and smoked cheese combine to create the grown-up grilled cheese sandwich of your dreams.

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Ready In 45

Meal Type Sandwiches

Good For American, Comfort

Yield sandwiches

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley divided
1 generous pinch kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
2 sliced portobello mushrooms
¼ cup (50g) mayonnaise plus more for coating the outside of the sandwich
1 small clove minced garlic
½ teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 slices sourdough bread
6 ounces (175g) shredded cheeses such as gouda, cheddar, and smoked mozzarella cheeses, or a mix of your favorite cheeses
1 roasted red bell pepper sliced (from a jar or homemade)
⅓ cup (12g) baby arugula

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

In a shallow dish, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and parsley with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms to the vinegar mixture, and allow to marinate.
While the mushrooms are marinating, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and make the aioli. Mix ¼ cup (50g) mayonnaise with garlic and lemon juice, and set aside.

Step 2

Add the mushrooms to a parchment-lined baking sheet, discarding leftover marinade.
Roast the mushrooms for 15-20 minutes on one side, then turn and roast for 10-12 minutes on the other side. The mushrooms will be tender and browned.
Add to a small bowl, and set aside to cool.

Step 3

To assemble the sandwiches, set a cold skillet (I use cast iron) on the counter. Spread a slice of bread with mayonnaise, and place it mayo-side-down in the pan.
Spread the side facing you with aioli. Layer with ¼ of the cheese, half of the mushrooms and red pepper, a small handful of arugula, and top with another ¼ of the cheese.
Spread another slice of bread with aioli, and place it as the top slice on the sandwich with the dry side facing you. Spread the outside of the top slice with mayonnaise, and move the skillet to the burner.

Step 4

Turn the burner to medium-low and cover. Check after 5 minutes to ensure that your bread becomes golden brown as the cheese melts. Your goal is to melt the cheese at the same rate that the bread toasts.