Grilling doesn’t have to mean a meat centered meal. Sure, you will often find meat or fish on my grill. But when I saw some good looking portobello mushrooms on sale recently, I started hatching plans for a new vegetarian pasta dish from the grill. The result was this hearty Grilled Portobello Mushroom Pasta recipe.
I love the caramelized quality that veggies take on when grilled, so we’ll be eating a lot of veggies from the grill in the coming months. There are many great veggies to grill–eggplant, beets, onions and peppers are among my favorites. But portobello mushrooms are perhaps the king of grilled vegetables. They are a often grilled as a vegetarian substitute for beef burgers, but there are a lot of other good things to do with them too. Just recently I featured grilled portobello mushrooms as a topping for salmon with tasty results.
The portobellos were great topping that salmon, but I started thinking about featuring the mushrooms in the starring role in a dish. Along came this Grilled Portobello Mushroom Pasta. Yum!
If you plan to grill a lot of veggies this summer as I do, I hope you have a grill pan to help with the task. Grill pans are a huge help for keeping the vegetables from slipping through the grates.
Wine Pairing: When mushrooms are involved, my first thought is to pair the dish with a Pinot Noir. Now, you don’t have to break out a nice Burgundy to go with this simple Grilled Portobello Mushroom pasta, but if you happen to have one on hand…
Yes, it so happened the only Pinot Noir we had on hand for this Thursday night pasta dish was the 2012 Domaine Ecard Savigny-Les-Beaune Premiere Cru. I grabbed a bottle of this Burgundy earlier this spring when we tried it at a wine club dinner along with the chicken and morels I had cooked for the meal. I was eager for an excuse to open the bottle!
This Burgundy has an intense nose, I’d describe it as a damp forest floor. I tasted big cherry fruit and a bit of leather, along with bright acidity. This wine was a great treat, and complemented our portobello mushroom pasta nicely. For a more moderately priced Burgundy to pair with the dish, I’d suggest the Bouchard Aine & Fils pinot, which can be had for around $10.
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Grilled Portobello Mushroom Pasta
Grilled portobello mushrooms add “meaty” substance to a tasty grilling season pasta dish.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Grilling
Ingredients
- 3 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 ozs goat cheese
- oil spray
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for serving
- 12 ozs penne or other short pasta shape
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to medium high.
- Coat the mushrooms with oil spray, and place directly on the grill. Grill covered for 6 minutes on one side, flip and grill on the other side for about 6 more minutes. Remove from grill when the mushrooms are tender and slightly charred. Set aside to cool.
- Toss the onion and pepper with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the onions and peppers into a grill pan. Place the pan on the grill alongside the mushrooms.
- Stir the onions occasionally. Grill the onion mixture for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions have browned a bit and are soft. Keep an eye on them to avoid getting them burnt up.
- Start the pasta to cook according to package instructions as the vegetables grill.
- When the mushrooms have cooled, chop them into bite sized pieces. Place the mushroom pieces in a large bowl, and combine with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar and thyme. Stir in the grilled onions and peppers, and add salt and pepper to taste.
- When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain and toss with the mushrooms and onion mixture. Stir in the goat cheese until it has melted into the pasta. Serve and enjoy!
Tools to use: A grill pan or basket is a great help for grilling veggies as called for by this recipe. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission if you choose to purchase via the link. I only recommend products that I use myself!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
What a gorgeous dish David. Haven’t roasted any portobellos this season…. I have grill pan envy, really need to get one ASAP. Have a wonderful weekend!
★★★★★
Melissa
Great recipe. Some my most favorite go-to ingredients. Thanks for the share!
Cynthia/a What A Girl Eats
This is my kind of pasta! I love portobellos. They are so meaty tasting!
Amy Stafford
What a lovely dinner, with a glass of wine on a beautiful summer day! HEAVEN!
Cooking Chat
Thanks, that is about perfect!
plasterer bristol
Sounds really delicious. Will be giving this a go. Thanks for sharing.
Simon