Introduction: PORTOBELLO BACON CHEESE BURGER

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About: I am a 82-year-old self-proclaimed Chef who has spent most of his life in the hotel/resort tourism industry. I have traveled up and down the east coast of the United States from New York to Key West, and from …

Instead of being served in a high-calorie hamburger bun made of flour, this juicy bacon cheeseburger is covered with 2 large Portobello mushroom caps.

Step 1: INGREDIENTS (1 BURGER)

  1. 2 Large Portobello mushroom caps
  2. 1/4 lb lean ground sirloin
  3. 1 slice thick bacon, raw
  4. 1.25 ounces Mozzarella cheese (or cheese of your choice; cheddar makes a nice substitute)
  5. 2 TBS garlic oil (or just plain EVOO)
  6. 1 clove garlic
  7. 1/4 Jalapeno Pepper, optional
  8. 1 TBS Hunts 100% Natural Ketchup
  9. 1 slice tomato, raw
  10. 1 small leave romaine lettuce
  11. 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
  12. 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Step 2: PREPARATION

PREPARE THE VEGETABLES:

  1. Gently wipe the smooth (outside) services of the mushroom caps clean with a moistened paper towel; remove the stems.
  2. Slice the bottom edge (the part that has been in the ground) off of the stems and finely chop the remaining part of the stems. They will be used in the sirloin burger.
  3. If using, Remove the stem, seeds, and white veins from a Jalapeno pepper and finely dice about 1/4 of the pepper. Set aside for use in the burger.
  4. Smash, peel, and mince 1 large clove of garlic (also for the burger).

PREPARE THE SIRLOIN BURGER:

  1. Flatten out 1/4 pound of lean ground sirloin (I used my knuckles to do this - works great).
  2. Place the minced garlic, chopped mushroom stems, diced jalapeno, S&P, and 1 TBS of ketchup on top of the ground meat, then mix it all together and mold it into a nice, fat, little beef burger. Set burger aside (see next step).

NOTE: If you are not really keen on making a sirloin burger encased in mushroom caps, this recipe will make a great beef burger. As is, a quarter-pounder - double it, and you will have a big, juicy, half-pounder!

Step 3: INSTRUCTIONS:

  • If using an electric stove (as I do) you will want to broil the mushroom caps and sirloin burger about 5 or 6" below the coils, so I had place the oven rack in the middle of the oven, then place a smaller rack on top of a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil to achieve the optimum grilling position.

Preheat broiler to 450 degrees.

  • Cook the bacon (I cooked mine on a tray in the microwave, covered with a piece of paper towel, for about 5 or 6 minutes, and it came out nice and crisp).
  1. Coat both sides of the sirloin burger and both sides of the mushroom caps with garlic oil (or plain EVOO).
  2. Place the meat and the mushroom caps on the rack and grill them for 5 to 7 minutes per side, being careful not to burn them. (I started with the smooth side of the mushroom caps down (IE., with gills up) - although I am not sure that this really matters - then carefully turned them, and the meat, over after about 6 minutes).
  3. The mushroom caps will be done when you can easily insert the tongs of a kitchen fork through the cap; It is important not to over cook the mushroom caps since you want to use them as burger "buns."
  4. When they are done, remove them from the broiler; then top the burger with bacon and cheese and continue to broil just until the cheese starts to bubble and melt. Remove burger from broiler.

ASSEMBLE THE PORTOBELLO BACON CHEESE BURGER:

  1. Place both halves of the broiled mushroom caps face (smooth side) down on a dinner plate.
  2. Top 1 cap with lettuce and tomato (add S&P to taste), the place the bacon-cheese burger on top of the tomato. Cover with the remaining mushroom cap. VOILA! You now have a Portobello Bacon Cheese Burger!

Step 4: TIME TO EAT . . .

Although you can do it, this Portobello Bacon Cheese Burger will be so juicy and tender it may be a little difficult to pick up and eat like one of those fast-food burgers. Using a knife & fork instead of holding it in my hands, I enjoyed this one as a light dinner yesterday, along with a glass of homemade limeade.

By using Portobello mushroom caps instead of rolls made from bread flour, you will save an estimated 290 calories and over 400 mg's of sodium per serving!

Bon appétit

Step 5: NUTRITION

I have prepared the nutritional value of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer. Click to enlarge the image.

As previously noted, by using a hamburger bun or roll made with bread flour instead of mushroom caps, you will increase the calorie count by about 290 calories, and the sodium will increase by over 400 mgs.

Eat healthy!

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