You won’t miss meat with this winning combination! Mouthwatering Mushroom and Halloumi Burger with Jalapeno and coriander sauce
An explosive meat-free burger that’s big on taste
Burgers are one of my favourite foods to indulge in because they’re convenient, tasty, and cheap. Well, they used to be cheap when I was a teenager! These days, they charge us something like $20 for a gourmet burger and you don’t even get fries on the side!
There are so many burger joints near us, which is quite funny because when I was a child I only remembered burgers from McDonald’s and local hot shops. Nowadays, we’re spoiled for choice as there must be around 10 burger places near us!
These burger places are highly competitive and most of them have an enormous range of burgers we can choose from. They also cater to different dietary needs, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and plant-based burgers. I’m fascinated by these burgers, and as soon as I’m about to order one, my eyes dart back to a spicy chicken or beef burger and I end up forgetting about the meat-free burger. I know…. please don’t judge!
However, at home, I love making meat-free burgers because I can fill them with anything I want. I’m obsessed with mushrooms and halloumi, so I paired them up with a green sauce. This is my mushroom burger part 2! Part 1 burger was this hearty and irresistible Fried Portobello Mushroom Burger. This time, we are grilling the mushroom and the famous squeaky cheese most of us love, hello halloumi!
Ladies and gentlemen, we have one crazy delicious drool-worthy Mushroom and Halloumi meat-free burger. Juicy mushroom, perfectly golden fried halloumi and ripe avocado covered in some AMAZING green herb sauce enclosed in a sweet brioche bun.
A green herb sauce that will knock your socks off
I seriously love carbs and don’t understand how anyone could restrict them when dieting. But, in saying that, with this burger, you’re welcome to have my buns! Yes, the filling is this burger is so good that I don’t need buns, even if it’s a fancy milk or brioche bun.
When my sister, Nara, is on one of her diets, she orders a ‘bunless’ or ‘naked’ burger. My husband, Tomi, and I laugh and hassle her about this, and tell her she might as well have ordered a salad. However, if the sauce on the burger was as good as this one, I would eat my words and perhaps order my burgers without buns too, but only if it was cheaper!
It’s all thanks to this green herb sauce because it’s to die for! The sauce is Aji verde, a gorgeous Peruvian-Style Green Sauce comprising mayonnaise, coriander, jalapeno, garlic, parmesan cheese and lime. It’s truly a taste explosion of savoury and tangy flavours that works so well with mushroom and halloumi. The sauce sounds spicy, but it’s actually quite mild, especially if you decide to remove the seeds from the jalapenos.
You’ll end up with a little more sauce than needed for the burgers but trust me, you’ll easily find other ways to have this sauce. Chicken, steak, fish, vegetables or even an old boot will all taste even better with this sauce slathered on it!
Crazy for halloumi and mushrooms? How funny, so am I! Check out these mouthwatering recipes:
Fried Portobello Mushroom Burger
Potato and Pea Salad with Halloumi
Prawn Halloumi Watermelon Salad
Ingredients for Mushroom and Halloumi Burger
FOR THE BURGER
Baby rocket (Arugula) – Some people don’t like the taste of rocket because they can be bitter. You can swap it with your favourite type of lettuce, such as Iceberg, Oakleaf or even baby spinach.
Mushroom – Any large mushrooms that are in season will work. I used Portobello because they’re large and perfect for burgers. However, if you can’t get large mushrooms, grab some medium-sized ones and place 2 of them in each burger.
Halloumi is a hard Cypriot cheese commonly made with sheep’s, goat’s or sometimes cow’s milk. It’s nicknamed ‘squeaky cheese’ because of its semi-hard and chewy texture. Halloumi is quite salty but is mild tasting. Supermarkets stock halloumi in the chilled section next to other types of cheeses. They package halloumi with some brine, so drain the brine from the halloumi before slicing and cooking.
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FOR THE GREEN HERB SAUCE
Mayonnaise – I love using good quality full fat or regular ‘whole egg mayonnaise’ for richness and flavour. I find low-fat or ‘lite’ mayonnaise sweet and artificial tasting.
Coriander (Cilantro) – There are talks going around that some people think coriander tastes like soap?! I don’t get that at all because coriander is one of my favourite herbs! It adds so much flavour to dishes, but if you’re not a fan, you could swap coriander with mild-tasting flat-leaf (Continental) parsley.
How to make Mushroom and Halloumi Burger
Step-by-step guide with photos
Remove the stems from the mushrooms with a small sharp knife, then turn the mushrooms over and peel the skin of the caps. Brush the mushrooms all over with oil (leave remaining oil for later) and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms under a grill (broil) on high and grill each side of the mushroom for 5 to 6 minutes or until the mushroom has wilted.
Whilst the mushroom is grilling, prepare the sauce. Place all the sauce ingredients into a food processor or blender and blitz on high for a minute. This sauce will have texture because of the parmesan cheese, so it won’t be completely smooth.
Butter the inside of the buns and grill them for approximately 1 minute on each side. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat, then fry the halloumi on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden.
Build up that delicious Mushroom and Halloumi burger
Build the burger by starting from the base of the bun. Place the rocket, onions, mushroom, avocado, halloumi and sauce, then close the bun.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Mushroom and Halloumi Burger
Ingredients
- 2 large portobello mushrooms (NOTE 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (light or mild)
- salt and pepper (to season)
- 2 brioche buns (or any burger buns)
- butter (to spread)
- 150 gm halloumi cheese (sliced into 6 pieces) (NOTE 2)
- ½ cup baby rocket (arugula) (NOTE 3)
- 2 slices red onion
- 6 slices avocado
For the green herb sauce:
- ⅓ cup whole egg mayonnaise (NOTE 4)
- ¾ cup coriander leaves (cilantro, loosely packed), (NOTE 5)
- 1 medium jalapeno (sliced)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2½ tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the mushrooms with a small sharp knife, then turn the mushrooms over and peel the skin of the caps. Brush the mushrooms all over with oil (leave remaining oil for later) and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms under a grill (broil) on high and grill each side of the mushroom for 5 to 6 minutes or until the mushroom has wilted.
- Whilst the mushroom is grilling, prepare the sauce. Place all the sauce ingredients into a food processor or blender and blitz on high for a minute. This sauce will have texture because of the parmesan cheese, so it won't be completely smooth.
- Butter the inside of the buns and grill them for approximately 1 minute on each side. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat, then fry the halloumi on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden.
- Build the burger by starting from the base of the bun. Place the rocket, onions, mushroom, avocado, halloumi and sauce, then close the bun.
