I had the whole house to myself this past weekend so naturally, I cooked the entire time. I kicked off the weekend with these portobello steaks with avocado chimichurri from Minimalist Baker.

I found the recipe in a roundabout way. A couple months ago, my friend Lyndsey told me that she made a similar recipe from the site. It included portobellos, peppers, and sweet potato. Those are a few of my favorite things, so I wanted to try the recipe right away. But I shelved it for a while because I’ve been really into lazy dinners lately, i.e., the kind that comes together in one bowl or pot.

I had a little more time and space on Friday, though, so I revisited the blog to get the recipe. While I was looking for it, I saw this one for portobello steaks with avocado chimichurri. The bright green colors and the recipe for the chimichurri sauce sold me. I got all the ingredients on the way home from work.

For those of you unfamiliar with portobello steaks, they’re essentially thick, meaty mushrooms. If you’re a vegan or a vegetarian, you might enjoy this as a meat substitute (even though personally, I think the whole idea of trying to sub one food for another is strange). They’re a good base for whatever you want to put on top of them. I roasted these in a cast iron skillet but I bet they’d be even better grilled.

My favorite part about this recipe is the avocado chimichurri sauce. I’m almost speechless. A key to making this is getting a perfectly ripe avocado and fresh flat leaf parsley. To find your avocado, gently press your fingers around the top near the stem. If it yields a little but it’s still firm, you have your winner.

The sauce is spicy, bright, fresh, and delicious. It reminds me a lot of spring. Basically, it’s what spring would be if it was a sauce.

I topped my portobellos with quinoa but you could also sub in rice or another grain. I bet farro would work well, too.

Also, a word to the wise: These mushrooms taste even better on day two. I was a little worried about that because the original recipe says they’re best when fresh. I guess that’s the case with most food, although I’d argue that these mushrooms improve with a day in the fridge. It gives the flavors in the ‘shrooms and sauce a chance to marinate. If you reheat the mushrooms in the microwave, they get even more flavorful and caramelized. It’s basically a win-win situation.

So yeah. Check out the recipe on Minimalist Baker. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with this song.