This flavorful vegan meal features tender slices of roasted balsamic portobello mushrooms served on top of protein-packed green lentils that are swimming in the most flavorful green pea basil pesto sauce! This delicious dish is easy to prepare and it's super satisfying!
This savory mushroom lentil recipe is inspired by a delicious meal that I had for dinner (multiple times!) on our Disney cruise honeymoon a few years ago! I loved how the baked portobello mushrooms were seasoned and the way they were sliced made it look just like pieces of chicken on top of a hearty pile of filling lentils.
What really put it over the top for me was the flavorful green pea pesto sauce! I love making different variations of pesto at home, but I had never tried a green pea version before! Who knew that basil and green peas would be such a delicious combination?!
After you try this green pea pesto recipe, you should try these pesto quinoa stuffed tomatoes, pistachio pesto pasta, or this zucchini tomato pesto bake next!
I plated the meal like this because it's exactly how they served it on the ship, isn't it such a pretty presentation? Every time I make this dish, I feel like I'm back on the Disney Fantasy and sitting at a table in the Enchanted Garden restaurant!
If you've been avoiding buying portobello mushrooms (aka portabello mushrooms or portabella mushrooms) because they seem intimidating, I totally understand. I did the same thing when I first started cooking too. At first, I stuck with the dependable white button mushrooms and then I branched out to cremini mushrooms.
Did you know that portobello mushrooms are just fully grown and mature cremini mushrooms? They taste similar and the only differences are their age and size.
I'm going to go over everything you need to know about these large mushrooms! From what to look for when you're picking the mushrooms out to what you should do about the gills (keep 'em or toss 'em?) and how to prepare the mushrooms when you're ready to eat them.
How to Pick a Portobello Mushroom
When you're at the grocery store, don't just grab the mushrooms that you see first on top of the pile. I've found that the older mushrooms are usually on top because the grocery store wants to sell the oldest mushrooms first.
You should look through the bin to pick out the best mushrooms and there are a few things that you need to look for.
- Look for portobellos that are firm, smooth and dry on top. Don't buy it if it's wet, slimy, or breaking apart.
- Check the gills, they should be dry and intact. If they're wet, mushy or smushed, put it back.
- Look for mushrooms that already have their stem removed. Portobello mushroom stems and tough and fibrous and you need to remove them for this recipe anyways. Why pay for part of the mushroom that you're not going to use unless you plan on making your own vegetable broth.
Can You Eat The Gills Of A Portobello Mushroom?
Yes, you can eat the gills of a mushroom but I prefer to remove them. I feel like I can't clean the dirt out of the gills well enough with my hand and if you try to rinse the dirt out, the gills will get soft and mushy and they will retain the water.
How Do You Prepare Portobello Mushrooms?
Follow these easy steps to prepare portobello mushrooms:
- Hold the portobello mushroom by the stem in your hand and use a damp paper towel to brush off any dirt that you see.
- Carefully, rock the stem gently back and forth until it breaks free from the mushroom cap.
- The mushroom gills are edible, so this step is optional based on your preference. Use a grapefruit spoon to gently scrape the gills out of the mushroom cap. Press lightly, if you scrape with too much pressure, the mushroom cap may break apart in your hand.
How To Make Baked Portobello Mushrooms
Step #1 - First, you're going to prep the mushrooms. First, hold the mushroom by the stem in your hand and use a damp paper towel to gently brush the dirt off the portobello mushroom caps. Then, carefully remove the stem and (optional) use a grapefruit spoon to gently scrape out the gills.
Step #2 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, add balsamic vinegar, low-sodium tamari, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil. Whisk it together.
Step #3 - Place the cleaned mushroom caps in a large baking dish that you lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the sauce over the mushrooms and then use your hands to rub the sauce all over the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms marinate for 20 minutes.
Step #4 - After 20 minutes, use your hands to rub any of the sauce that dripped off back onto the marinated mushrooms and then place the dish into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on how big the mushrooms are), flipping halfway through.
Step # 5- While the mushrooms are roasting, cook the green lentils in salted boiling water for 18-20 minutes or until tender. Drain the excess liquid and cover the pot to keep the lentils warm until everything else is ready.
Step #6 - While the lentils and mushrooms are cooking, make the green pea pesto sauce. Add fresh basil, green peas, pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, olive oil, water, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the pesto sauce into a pan and warm it up over medium heat.
Step #7 - When the mushrooms are done roasting, remove the tray from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before you try to slice them. Once cool enough to handle, slice the baked portobello mushrooms into 1" thick slices.
Step #8 - To serve, pour a little bit of the warm pesto sauce onto a plate and then top with a heaping scoop of the cooked warm lentils and one whole sliced portobello mushroom. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives.
What Can I Do With Leftovers?
You can store the leftovers separately and serve it again just like this the next day, or you could roughly chop the mushrooms and mix then mix the mushrooms, pesto sauce, and lentils with pasta or rice to make it a new dish!
Notes & Substitutions
- Green Lentil Substitutions: You could substitute dried or canned brown or french puy lentils.
- Lentil Substitutions: If you don't want to use lentils at all, you could substitute cooked brown rice, quinoa, or barley.
- Can I Use Frozen Peas? You can use fresh, canned, or frozen peas to make the green pea pesto sauce.
- Can I Use Store-Bought Pesto? You don't have to make pesto sauce from scratch, you could use store-bought vegan pesto to save time. I like the organic vegan pesto from Sprouts.
- Serving Notes: You can serve the pesto sauce and lentils as I do in the picture for a pretty presentation (I did it like this because it's how they served it on the cruise) or you could combine the lentils and pesto sauce and then top it with the sliced mushrooms.
- Mushroom Variations: If you can't find portobellos, you can use the smaller cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms instead.
- What Can I do With the Stems? If you buy portobellos with stems still attached, you can freeze the stems to use for vegetable broth or you can dice it very small and add it this 30-minute vegan mushroom gravy.
Success Tips
- Pick out the best mushrooms that you can find. Remember, the mushrooms shouldn't have any wet spots and the caps should feel firm, dry, and smooth to the touch.
- Don't skip the 20-minute marinade, it adds a lot of flavor to the mushrooms!
- Use fresh basil to make the pesto sauce, you can't substitute dried basil.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- I don't recommend freezing the leftovers, I think it's best when prepared fresh.
More Vegan Mushroom Recipes You'll Love!
Baked Vegetable Quinoa Hummus Wraps
Rainbow Cherry Tomato Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Vegan Bok Choy Mushroom Barley Soup
Slow Cooker Vegan Wild Rice Soup

Baked Portobello Mushrooms with Green Pea Pesto Lentils
Equipment
- Large Baking Dish
- Medium-Sized Pot
- Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
Baked Portobello Mushrooms -
- 3 large portobello mushrooms
- 1 tbsp low-sodium tamari
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Lentils -
- 1 cup uncooked green lentils (rinsed and drained)
Pea Pesto Sauce -
- 2 cups fresh basil
- (1) 14 oz can green peas (rinsed and drained )
- 2 tbsp unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (about half of a large lemon)
- ¼ tsp Himalayan pink sea salt (more to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- First, you’re going to prep the portobello mushrooms. First, hold the mushroom by the stem in your hand and use a damp paper towel to gently brush the dirt off the portobello mushroom caps. Then, carefully remove the stem and (optional) use a grapefruit spoon to gently scrape out the gills.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, add balsamic vinegar, low-sodium tamari, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil. Whisk it together.
- Place the cleaned mushroom caps in a large baking dish that you lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the sauce over the mushrooms and then use your hands to rub the sauce all over the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms marinate for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, use your hands to rub any of the sauce that dripped off back onto the mushrooms and then place the dish into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on how big the mushrooms are), flipping halfway through.
- While the mushrooms are roasting, cook the green lentils in salted boiling water for 18-20 minutes or until tender. Drain the excess liquid and cover the pot to keep the lentils warm until everything else is ready.
- While the lentils and mushrooms are cooking, make the green pea pesto sauce. Add fresh basil, green peas, pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, olive oil, water, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the pesto sauce into a pan and warm it up over medium heat.
- When the mushrooms are done roasting, remove the tray from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before you try to slice them. Once cool enough to handle, slice the mushrooms into 1″ thick slices.Â
- To serve, pour a little bit of the warm pesto sauce onto a plate and then top with a heaping scoop of the cooked lentils and one whole sliced portobello mushroom. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives.Â
Notes
- Pick out the best mushrooms that you can find. Remember, the mushrooms shouldn't have any wet spots and the caps should feel firm, dry, and smooth to the touch.
- Don't skip the 20-minute marinade, it adds a lot of flavor to the mushrooms!
- Use fresh basil to make the pesto sauce, you can't substitute dried basil.Â
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- I don't recommend freezing the leftovers, I think it's best when prepared fresh.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 6/17/17, but I updated it with better recipe instructions and republished it on 12/16/19.
This looks delicious! I just discovered your blog and I must say, I love how much thought you put into your posts. I feel like I"m always getting tips and tricks for picking out the freshest produce. Keep it up. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much, Caitlin! I try to give as many tips as possible! =)
This looks so good! I'm always trying to find meat replacements!
Thank you!
This looks soooo tasty! I love to eat Portobello mushrooms so this recipe really got to me 🙂 Definitely going to make this soon! Thanks for all the tips on Portobellos! 🙂
Thank you!
This look amazing!!!! I'm always looking for great new vegetarian recipes to try out!
Thank you!
You had me at pesto. Can't wait to try!