Simple weeknight ready portobello burgers with THE BEST pepita pesto from The Love and Lemons Cookbook by Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Matthews. Jump to recipe!
Depending on the day, making something fresh for dinner ranges from easy to impossible. Sometimes, I hit a wall and just taking a head of cauliflower from the fridge, chopping it, and throwing it in the oven feels completely undoable. Other days, nothing feels too complicated and dinner is a breeze.
Lately, I have a bit of help in the more-doable-dinners department: The Love and Lemons Cookbook by the talented duo behind the Love and Lemons blog, Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Matthews.
In this beautiful, useful book, Jeanine shares her signature take on fresh, approachable vegetarian food rendered in Jack’s vibrant, unfussy photos. Each page offers inspiration and encouragement, and the variations and flexibility real home cooks need to make dinner happen right there in the moment with the things they have on hand. I love flipping through the pages, arranged alphabetically by vegetable, and dreaming of all the fresh dinners I’ll make throughout the year.
At the end of the book is perhaps my favorite part – cooking charts. Jeanine provides basic formulas and four variations on staples like pesto, hummus, guacamole, salsa, and smoothies. After that, pages of basics including grain cooking ratios, pizza dough, and essential sauces and dressings mean you’ll never be left searching for quinoa cooking proportions again.
I’m thrilled to be giving away a copy of The Love and Lemons Cookbook: An Apple-to-Zucchini Celebration of Impromptu Cooking to one of our readers. To enter, leave a comment below with your favorite way to get dinner on the table when the odds – be it time, actual groceries, or motivation – are stacked against you. One reader will be selected at random on Wednesday, April 27 at noon EDT. (Giveaway open to US residents only, please.) Giveaway closed – thanks for participating.
Now, about these portobello burgers. They’re cooked in a grill pan with a simple mix of balsamic and soy sauce (an amazing combination) and slathered with a vivid cilantro pepita pesto. I’d never thought to make pesto with cilantro and was floored by its deliciousness. To say it’s bright or zesty doesn’t do it justice. As with so many of the recipes in The Love and Lemons Cookbook, Jeanine achieves perfect flavors with simple techniques.
A few notes: Jeanine’s recipe calls for smaller mushrooms than I could find, so instead of sliders, these are mushroom burgers. For crunch and color, I added a batch of quick-pickled onions (recipe here) and served a simply dressed kale salad on the side.
- 2 cups cilantro
- 1/2 cup raw, hulled pepitas
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic , smashed, peeled, and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- drizzle of honey , optional
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 4-inch wide portobello mushrooms or 8 small ones
- extra-virgin olive oil , for drizzling
- balsamic vinegar , for drizzling
- tamari , for drizzling
- 4 hamburger buns or 8 slider buns, toasted
- 1 red onion, sliced thick and quick-pickled*
- 1/4 cup micro greens or young leafy greens
- freshly ground black pepper
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To make the pesto, combine cilantro, pepitas, lemon juice, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Drizzle in olive oil and honey (if using) and add salt and pepper to taste. Pesto will keep well covered in the fridge for 3 days.
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To make burgers, heat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.
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Prepare mushrooms by removing stems and cleaning caps with a damp cloth or paper towel. Place mushrooms in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tamari, and pepper. Toss until well coated. (I use my hands to rub it all over until they are fully coated on both sides.)
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Place mushrooms, gill side down, on grill or grill pan. Cook 5 - 7 minutes per side, or until mushrooms are tender.
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Place mushrooms on toasted buns and top each with quick-pickled onions, greens, and a generous slather of pepita pesto.
*Quick pickled red onion recipe here.
Disclosure: A copy of The Love and Lemons Cookbook was given to me by the publisher. As always, all opinions and praise for this beautiful book are my own.
I haven’t had a portobello burger in way too long. This looks fantastic! To be honest my strategy for getting dinner on the table when I’m pressed for time usually involves either take-out or opening the freezer and praying that I had some forethought to stock it with some microwavable (likely trader joes) item. Embarrassing, but true. Great post 🙂
I make the same 5 things every week, but this recipe make me want to change that. Thank you!
I am in LOVE with that pesto!! Dang, these burgers look amazing!
My go to when the odds are forever NOT in my favor is pasta! Quick easy, some kind of veggie or whatever is in the fridge mixed in to add a little more pop and my husband is happy! Grab some bread I have laying around and that’s a hearty meal ready in minutes!
Loving the blog! Recently stumbled upon it and I am over the mood I did!
Yum – I am going to find some portobellos tonight for this! My freezer saves me when I’m struggling to put dinner on the table. On my days when cooking comes easily, I make a full recipe or even a double recipe’s worth of food, eat some that night, and then portion the rest up in 2-person servings in the freezer. After long days, I’m so thankful for those meals!
Thanks Elizabeth!! I’m so happy you liked the book and the burgers!! xoxo
this recipes looks awesome and could be on the table really quick! i usually throw some roasted veggies and greens in a bowl and top it with a fried egg…. avocado toast on the side!
When I know I’m going to be busy I like to cook in the crock pot. It takes a little bit of foresight, but it’s such an easy way to cook when it seems like everything is working against me!
I do a lot of meal prep on the weekends or when my husband is home in the morning. If I didn’t plan ahead, dinner would never make it to the table.
Have been hearing so many good things about this beautiful book! Incidentally, just made cilantro-pepita pesto on Monday and we’ve put it in something all week: Roasted asparagus, fried egg, & brown rice bowls Monday, on poached trout yesterday, and in egg tacos tomorrow morning! A big jar of flavorful sauce/dressing and lots of eggs on hand helps me get protein and veg on the table without a lot of trouble.
These look so awesome! My go to things are always trying have quinoa, rice, pasta, lentils or beans prepared ahead of time in the fridge and that makes it easier to add into various types of dishes/soup/salads etc.
I am all for quick dinners and these look amazing!!!
It’s usually take out or grab something from the Freezer
I always prep more than what we need of proteins, veg, grains, condiments, vinaigrettes, whatever’s on the menu, leaving extras for lunches and in-a-pinch suppers. This recipe would be perfect to make (and eat) leftovers with!
This looks delicious! My go-to quick meal always seems to be some sort of pasta, as I always have extra supplies in the house.
My go to when the universe is against me is a simple Spanish rice. I always have a bag or two of Uncle ben’s spanish rice so I throw that in a pot, onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers and spices and usually sausages out of their tubes and mashed up in small chunks. Or if I’m also limited in veggies, I go for my little lemon,gralic, basil, parmesean pasta that doesn’t have much in it but is absolutely quick and delicious.
A quick dinner for me would be grilled sausage with a side dish made of sauteed kale, mushrooms, onion, garlic and red bell pepper with some quinoa tossed in.
Yummm! I need these in my life. My go to meal to get dinner done when I am in a pickle is a Costco rotisserie chicken turned into a salad with lots of veggies. I love a good chicken salad in a pinch. Would love to win!
Have meals prepared ahead in the. freezer! Always make extra gnocchi, meatballs, quiche, just in case…
When I’m burned out at the end of the day I can always feel happy with roasted veggies on the table with a grain. In love using steel cuts oats. Great flavor and quick to cook while staying healthy. I love Brussels sprouts and onions and using some leftover sauce from the weekend and my vegan nooch park mix I keep in the fridge. Revitalizing, quick comfort in a bowl!
Also im drooling over that pesto. Goodness
I start rice and make stirfry from whatever veggies are around and then a peanut sauce. I can do that on autopilot.
I love to make a big batch of grains and veggies at the beginning of the week so that I can quickly throw some proteins or greens with them to have a quick meal on the go!
I keep frozen veggies and make a stir fry when I lack time.