Figure A: Our finished, delectable 1UP Mushroom burger

Remember all those childhood summers spent playing the NES indoors when it got too hot outside? Summer vacation, BBQs, and the NES? Ah… those were the days.

When I cook dinner for my friends, I tend to put as much attention into the vegetarian dishes as the meat ones. Why not dress up the veggie burgers to make your guests feel special and have a spiffy time at your next barbecue?

This Instructable was inspired by Barry Rosenstein’s The Red Fez Burger from Build a Better Burger Challenge from the Food Network a few years ago. To reflect a Moroccan theme, he colored his top bun red to look like a fez. I thought that was the coolest frakkin’ thing ever!

For this project, I made my own veggie mushroom patties. They taste like okonomiyaki, with a soft fritter/pancake/omelet texture. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese household savory pancake dish where vegetables, meat, and noodles are all mixed together in a pancake batter and placed on a griddle, then topped with a special soy-based sauce. Feel free to change according to your taste: Boca burger, Gardenburger, meat patties, or just a slab of meat… unless you’re Bowser, who desperately needs to cut down his meat intake if he wants to be in good princess-kidnapper shape.

Figure B: Gathering our ingredients together

Ingredients for the patty

(Makes 4 burgers):

Half of one white onion

2 large portabello mushroom caps (or 6-8 ounces of whatever mushroom you like)

1 tsp. of kosher salt

1 egg

1 tbs. of pancake mix

1 tsp. of minced garlic

Black ground pepper to taste

Ingredients for the fixins:

4 large slices of mozzarella cheese

1 tomato, sliced at least 1/4” thick at room temperature

4 spoonfuls of pesto

Optional: mayonnaise (I personally hate mayo, but it’s like crack to some people)

Figure C: Washing off the portobello mushroom gills

Figure D: The diced onions and mushroom caps

Ingredients for the buns:

4 very round rustic, crusty buns. The type I decided to go with are my favorite whole wheat kind.

1/2 tsp. green food coloring

1 tsp. of water

4 large slices of mozzarella cheese for the circle decoration

Optional: I also tried this recipe with basil juice instead of the food coloring in an attempt to be more “natural.” The green looked good but it made the burger WAY TOO PUNGENT. Whew!

1. Prepping the patties

First, wash your hands! Then wash your produce! (Washing is important!)

If you’re deciding to use the portobello mushroom caps, here’s an extra step. As most foodies know, portobello mushrooms, when cooked, turn black and muddy. This is because of the dark gills on the underside of the mushroom caps. They also tend to burn easily and make the whole thing taste a bit burnt and bitter (a little like gasoline). To avoid this, use your fingers and rub off the gills. Do this under a running faucet and the gills will come off fairly easily.

Dice! Dice! Dice! Chop the onions into itty-bitty pieces. To be exact, I would say into less-than-1/4” rough square pieces. Now, chop the mushroom caps into the same rough size. Add the chopped mushrooms, chopped onion, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and the olive oil into a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and the pancake mix together until the lumps are gone. Add it to the mushroom mix.

I know that the pancake mix sounds weird—usually people use breadcrumbs, flour, or cornstarch as a binding agent. I personally like the buttery taste of pancake mix.

Figure E: Grilling the patties

Mix the whole thing well until the pancake mix and egg are well incorporated into the mushroom bowl bonanza.

2. Grilling

The ideal grill temperature for cooking the patties should be medium-low.

When it’s time to put on the grill, with your bare hands take enough of the mushroom mix to form into the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Then flatten the ball with your hands into a patty shape about 1" thick. Place onto a plate and spray the surface of each patty with cooking spray. Now it’s fire time!

If you’re using an outdoor grill, I suggest placing the patties on the outer rim for 6 minutes on each side and 3 minutes hanging out on the top rack or on the outer rim. This will give it some steam action too.

If you would like to save time, especially at a popular BBQ function, make the patties the night before using a skillet. Cook both sides for 6 minutes over medium heat and stick it under the oven for about 3 minutes. Then carefully store the patties in the fridge.

Of course, this whole patty thing is technically optional. Feel free to substitute any patty you like for this step. If you’re a meat eater and would still like to partake in this festivity, you should! This particular mushroom patty reminds me of a Japanese household dish Okonomiyake and that’s why I like it.

3. You won’t get none unless you got buns

While the patties are cooking, it’s the ideal time for prepping the buns. Mix the water and food coloring together in a small bowl. Brush the outer part of the top halves with the green solution. This is time for personal judgment. Food dyes differ, and buns differ. I suggest having a throwaway bun to use as your trial bun for coloring. If the color is too strong, dilute with water and try to reach the optimal solution. This is why using crusty, hearty breads is better than using airy, porous soft buns—they won’t turn into soggy mush.

Figure F: Food-coloring the buns

Figure G: Stacking the pesto and tomato on top of the patty

Figure H: Melting the cheese over the stack to create a stem effect

Figure I: Power up with this little token. Yummy!

The green will look really vibrant at first, but it will gradually mute as the buns dry.

Using a shot glass or a small bottle cap, punch holes into the slices of cheese to make small circles. These are for the mushroom spots on top of the buns. Each slice yields about five small circles.

After coloring the buns, place them on the grill (color face up) to toast and give them some heat. Remove from grill after a light toast. Place the cheese circles onto the colored surface to resemble the mushroom spots. The warmth of the bread will make the cheese stick.

4. The fixins

Don’t take the patties off the grill after they’re done cooking. They should be resting on the top rack, and it’s time for the works. The goal of the next few steps is to make the burgers look like the white 1UP mushroom stem.

First, take a dollop of pesto and place it on each patty (still on the grill!). Align a tomato slice onto the patty, over the pesto. Now you should have a nice little mini tower.

Note: I’m kind of a tomato snob and I’m really picky about them. The tomato I used is a local black heirloom tomato that has less gooey innards and is nicely tart. Since the mushroom, onion, and bun all have a nice sweetness to them, I wanted something more acidic in this burger, and that’s why I opted to put in such a thick slice.

Take a large slice of the mozzarella cheese, aim and center, and place it on the tower. The goal is to have the cheese melt and drape over the tower without ripping. This is why the tomato slices should be at room temperature so the cheese won’t have a difficult time melting evenly. After the cheese has achieved the ideal drape, remove from the grill and place it on the center of the bottom burger bun. Place the green bun on top, and there you have it, a “1UP Mushroom” Mushroom Burger!

It will jazz you up with enough energy to jump on goombahs for a while in World 1-2 so you can get even more 1UPs! (Doesn’t everyone know that trick?)

Hello. My name is Karen. I like dinosaurs. I like games. I like games with dinosaurs in them.