Smoky Portobello Grilled Cheese Sandwich
About this Recipe
By: Rachel
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 are a little bland (if your childhood was anything like mine, grilled cheese probably contained white bread and American cheese). This grown-up version, with marinated portobello mushrooms, bitter arugula, sweet roasted red bell pepper, creamy aioli, and smoked mozzarella cheese, will satisfy all of your childhood grilled-cheese yearnings—and more.
This craveable grilled cheese sandwich uses mayonnaise, rather than butter, to coat the bread for toasting. If you’ve never tried it, you’ll become a 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 to the sandwich.
The key to this sandwich is patience. The grilled cheese 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, since it will only leave you with burnt bread and a cold, decidedly un-melty interior.
Smoky Portobello Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, divided
- 1 generous pinch kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced, or 6 ounces (30g) sliced baby bellas
- 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) combined gouda, cheddar, and smoked mozzarella cheeses, or a combination of your favorite cheeses
- 1 roasted red 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, make the aioli. Mix ¼ cup (50g) mayonnaise with garlic and lemon juice, and set aside.
Step 2
- Add the mushrooms to a foil-lined baking sheet, discarding leftover marinade.
- Broil the mushrooms about 3 inches from the broiler element for 6-7 minutes or until cooked and browned, tossing halfway through. Add to a small bowl, and set aside to cool.
Step 3
- To assemble the sandwiches, set a cold skillet 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 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 (erring toward low), and cover. Check every 2-3 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.
Step 5
- Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make the second sandwich. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally, and serve.
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.
