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    Oh My Veggies » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Sandwiches & Wraps

    Grilled Portobello Panini with Artichoke Tapenade

    Published: Mar 27, 2023 · by Nicole · Updated: Mar 27, 2023 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe
    sliced portobello panini being served

    This simple portobello panini is stacked with portobello mushrooms, a homemade artichoke tapenade, and fresh arugula. Yum!

    sliced portobello panini being served
    Jump to:
    • About my Portobello Paninis
    • Recipe Tips & Variations
    • More Tasty Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    I kind of feel like a hypocrite posting this grilled portabella panini recipe because I always make fun of the way portabella mushrooms are the default filling for vegetarian sandwiches.

    The reasoning is usually, "portabellas are so meaty--they're the steak of mushrooms!" Um, yeah.

    Despite this, I actually do like portabella mushrooms. Not because they're meaty, but because I love mushrooms in general and giant ones are much easier for sandwich-making than the little button variety.

    About my Portobello Paninis

    Ten years ago (I feel so old right now), my husband and I lived in Wisconsin, down the the street from a farmers market. Every Saturday, we would buy two portabello mushroom caps and I would marinate them in balsamic vinegar and olive oil all afternoon and then we'd have them in sandwiches for dinner.

    Not surprisingly, after two summers of grilled portabella sandwiches every Saturday, we eventually got burnt out on them. But now enough time has passed that I thought we could revisit the marinated portabella sandwiches, with one major change: artichoke tapenade.

    Artichoke Tapenade

    The tapenade totally makes these sandwiches. Back in the day, I topped the mushrooms with cheese, but the tapenade adds much more flavor. It's just loaded with flavor.

    These have quickly become one of my new favorite vegetarian sandwiches!

    Recipe Tips & Variations

    Using sturdy bread is a must! Between the mushrooms and the tapenade, there's the potential for your panini to get a little bit mushy. A hearty whole wheat or sourdough bread works well, and whatever you choose, make sure the slices are very thick.

    portobello panini on a white plate

    Add some cheese. This mushroom panini is vegan friendly as written, and it's delicious that way. But if you only need it to be vegetarian, you can feel free to add some cheese. Swiss cheese would be a great choice, or try a sprinkle of feta!

    Swap the spread. If the artichoke tapenade is not your jam, you can swap it for a homemade pesto I like to make these pesto cubes and store them for just such an occasion.

    More Tasty Recipes

    If you love these portobello paninis, be sure to check out these other delicious meatless ideas:

    • Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
    • Panera Inspired Caprese Panini
    • Marinated Portobello Burgers with Creamy Pesto Sauce

    Recipe

    portobello panini with artichoke tapenade and arugula

    Grilled Portobello Panini with Artichoke Tapenade

    This simple portobello panini is stacked with portobello mushrooms, a homemade artichoke tapenade, and fresh arugula. Yum!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Marinating Time: 3 hours hours
    Total Time: 3 hours hours 35 minutes minutes
    Course: Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Grilled Portabella Panini with Artichoke Tapenade, panini recipe, portobello panini
    Servings: 2 servings
    Calories: 407kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Equipment

    • panini press or use a grill or a grill pan on the stovetop

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 2 large portobello mushroom caps washed with a damp cloth
    • ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts coarsely chopped
    • 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes coarsely chopped
    • ¼ cup roasted red peppers coarsely chopped
    • ¼ cup kalamata olives coarsely chopped
    • 4 thick slices of bread
    • ½ cup arugula washed and dried
    • olive oil mister or cooking spray
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large, shallow dish. Place mushrooms in dish, cover, and refrigerate for three hours, flipping mushrooms over halfway through.
    • Spray grill with olive oil and heat to 350 degrees. Place mushrooms on grill and grill until tender, about 8 minutes (depending on the type of grill you're using). Wipe grill clean.
    • Coarsely chop the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, and olives. Toss ingredients together in a small bowl.
    • Spread artichoke mixture onto 2 slices of bread. Place grilled mushrooms onto bread (you may have to slice them in half to get them to fit) and top mushrooms with arugula. Top with remaining bread slices.
    • Spray grill with olive oil. Place sandwiches onto grill or a panini press and spray tops with additional olive oil. Grill until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. (If you don't have a grill that cooks from both sides, you'll have to flip the sandwiches after about 10 minutes.)

    Notes

    To grill the paninis, you can either use an actual grill, a panini press, or a grill pan on the stovetop.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sandwichCalories: 407kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 9gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.02gSodium: 976mgPotassium: 625mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 821IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 4mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « Orange Olive Oil Cake
    Vanilla Overnight Oats (Vegan!) »

    Vegan Main Dishes, Vegan Recipes, Vegan Sandwiches & Wraps, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes, Vegetarian Sandwiches & Wraps artichokes, arugula, kalamata olives, mushrooms, red peppers, sandwiches

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh says

      March 08, 2012 at 9:25 am

      That's it. I've been putting off my arugula hunt for weeks but I need to commit and find it. The only place I saw it was wilted, packaged and pathetic looking at the local grocery store. Is it technically an herb or lettuce because they had it in herbs. Thanks for giving me a mission for the weekend!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 08, 2012 at 2:33 pm

        Well, I know you shop at Trader Joe's and they sell it there! That's where I got mine. 🙂 Weird that they had it with the herbs--usually it's in with the bagged salads. It's easy to grow in containers too!

        Reply
    2. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says

      March 08, 2012 at 9:42 am

      I have to admit that looks amazing, but it's the texture of mushrooms that keep me from enjoying them.

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 08, 2012 at 2:31 pm

        A lot of people feel that way! I think they're like cilantro--when you don't like them, you really don't like them.

        Reply
    3. Val says

      March 08, 2012 at 10:04 am

      Oh, oh ohhhhhh. Swoon. Drool.

      Artichokes are so perfect. Why in the hell haven't I tried more recipes with them?

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 08, 2012 at 2:30 pm

        I don't know--I love them! I'm trying to grow them this year, fingers crossed.

        Reply
    4. Stephanie @ henry happened says

      March 08, 2012 at 10:15 am

      I'm the same way - I've avoided portabellas for fear of being a cliche. Love the idea of serving w/ tapenade! Gotta pull out the panini press & give it a go!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 08, 2012 at 2:30 pm

        Yeah, most of the portabella sandwiches I've had are pretty boring. It's not that I don't like them, but I get tired of that always being the only vegetarian thing on menus!

        Reply
    5. elisa says

      March 08, 2012 at 11:04 am

      Wow. Looks so good. I haven't had a portabella mushroom sandwich in ages. This one looks like it would be worth the wait. I love artichokes!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 08, 2012 at 2:26 pm

        It's definitely worth the wait--when you marinate the mushrooms, they taste so much better!

        Reply
    6. Genevieve says

      March 08, 2012 at 2:42 pm

      That sandwich looks perfect with the grill marks! I just discovered last summer how good portobello mushrooms can be when you marinate and then grill them on the BBQ. Putting them into a sandwich with that tapenade sounds delicious!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 09, 2012 at 7:51 am

        Now you're making me impatient for summer so I can start grilling outdoors again! I think grilling them really works well because you can get the liquid out of them. I've tried roasting portabellas a few times and I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but they end up being a soggy mess.

        Reply
        • Genevieve says

          March 09, 2012 at 4:59 pm

          Me too! I don't think I've tried roasting them, so I'll keep your advice in mind and stick to other methods!

          Reply
          • The Type A Housewife says

            March 09, 2012 at 7:07 pm

            Well, if you do get around to roasting them and they turn out well, let me know your secret. 🙂

            Reply
    7. Small Footprints says

      March 08, 2012 at 6:36 pm

      I'm vegan but ... good food is good food. Portabellas are great and I think that a lot of vegetarians call them a steak replacement because they are a good source of protein. I just call them yummy ... and this recipe looks wonderful! So thanks for sharing it ... I'm definitely trying it! 🙂

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 09, 2012 at 7:48 am

        Do they really have protein? I had no idea! Well, that makes me like them even more. 😀

        Reply
        • Small Footprints says

          March 09, 2012 at 2:11 pm

          They do! Here are a couple of articles on the subject:

          http://www.ehow.com/facts_5472621_nutritional-value-portabella-mushroom.html

          http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9170/2

          Reply
          • The Type A Housewife says

            March 09, 2012 at 7:13 pm

            Thanks for the info! 🙂

            Reply
    8. Raquel @ Ovenmitts Vegan Blog says

      March 08, 2012 at 7:51 pm

      OMG I can't tell you how much I want to eat this right now! I'm just getting into portabellas and I can;t get enough of them! I'll be careful not to burn out though 🙂

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 09, 2012 at 7:48 am

        Just don't eat the same portabella sandwich every Saturday for two years like I did and you'll be fine. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Candy says

      March 08, 2012 at 11:51 pm

      Need to try. I LOVE mushrooms. I could eat them every single day... and I've never once made a sandwich out of them (as the main or 'meat').... how in the world did I make it so long?

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 09, 2012 at 7:45 am

        Oh, you need to do it! 🙂 And I'm with you, I could eat mushrooms everyday too. Have you ever tried roasting them? SO GOOD!

        Reply
    10. Alison says

      March 09, 2012 at 11:53 am

      This looks super good!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 09, 2012 at 7:15 pm

        Thank you! We will definitely be making it again. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Natalie says

      March 09, 2012 at 8:01 pm

      I can just imagine how much flavour is packed in those paninis, they sound delicious! I only recently discovered a love for mushrooms and have since been trying them in lots of dishes - this will have to be added to the list to try!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 11, 2012 at 6:42 pm

        I hope you like them if you make them! I tried adding as much flavor as I could since I was skipping adding cheese and the tapenade definitely worked well.

        Reply
    12. Brenda Williams says

      March 10, 2012 at 8:32 pm

      Yum! I love mushrooms, so this would be a perfect sandwich for me.

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 11, 2012 at 6:36 pm

        I love mushrooms too! I use them at least once a week, if not more.

        Reply
    13. VeggieNerd says

      March 11, 2012 at 12:31 am

      Great recipe. I made it this evening and it's absolutely delicious. I've been wanting a great sandwich/panini recipe ever since I went vegan. Thanks!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 11, 2012 at 6:34 pm

        I'm glad you liked it--thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    14. Johanna @ Mama Chocolate says

      March 11, 2012 at 3:47 pm

      This looks delicious! I am really starting to love mushrooms, and I love panini sandwiches, so I am definitely trying this!

      Reply
      • The Type A Housewife says

        March 11, 2012 at 6:24 pm

        I hope you like it if you make it! 🙂

        Reply
    15. Toni @ Red Carpet Mama says

      March 13, 2012 at 7:58 pm

      This.sounds.divine!!!!!!!

      Reply
    16. Rachel (teacher-chef) says

      January 10, 2013 at 5:28 pm

      This looks amazing, think I might throw some eggplant sliced on here as well - looks great 🙂

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        January 10, 2013 at 8:23 pm

        Eggplant would definitely work well with these flavors!

        Reply
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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
    Learn more here.

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