Recipe #109: Portobello Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Spread

This is from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals: Veggie Meals.  The flavor was fantastic, but we made the mistake of using thin buns that soaked up too much of the spread- next time I'll use a heartier bun.  But these are fantastic and quick to make!  We halved the recipe for the two of us.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (2 turns of the bottle in a slow stream) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup (3 splashes) balsamic vinegar
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 4 large portobello mushroom caps
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (preferred brand: McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning) or 1 teaspoon combined coarse salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound fresh smoked mozzarella, sliced, or slices of provolone

Roasted Pepper Paste:

• 1 (14-ounce) jar roasted peppers, drained
• A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
• A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 large clove garlic, cracked away from skin
• Salt and pepper
• 4 large crusty rolls, split

Suggested toppings:

• Whole baby spinach leaves or romaine lettuce
• Thinly sliced red onions

Directions

Combine first 4 ingredients in the bottom of a large food storage bag. Add mushroom caps, seal bag and shake bag to coat caps, then let the mushrooms marinate for 15 minutes.

Grill mushrooms on indoor electric grill, starting with caps down, turning to caps up, about 6 minutes on each side. Pan-fry in large nonstick skillet for same amount of time. Season caps while they cook on each side with grill seasoning or a little salt and pepper. Melt the cheese over mushroom caps in the last minute of grill time.
To make the red pepper paste, combine the roasted red peppers, oil, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in food processor and pulse grind into thick sauce.
To serve, place the grilled mushroom caps topped with melted cheese on the bun bottoms. Top with spinach and onion. Spread bun tops with roasted pepper paste.

 The red pepper spread- mmmmm!