STUFFED PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS
(entree or side dish)

You're not going to make this because it's too much trouble. I'm pretty much just writing this down so I'll have it for myself. I came up with it last week and I like it, so I don't want to forget it. It didn't take me very long to make, but I'm afraid that since you have to put a tomato sauce over it, it would take up too much of your time. It's really good though, it feels like you're eating a steak because of the nature of these thick portabella mushrooms. Anyway, here tis...

INGREDIENTS

* 2 Portabella Mushrooms (full caps, not sliced)
* Olive Oil
* 1 Large Clove of Garlic
* Spinach (1 bag or two bunches)
* Pine nuts (fill your palm full)
* Red Pepper Flakes
* Salt & Black Pepper
* 1 Scrambled Egg
* Grated Romano (mixed with the egg)
* Tomato Sauce (click here for sauce-base recipe)

 

Hollow out a couple of huge Portabella mushroom caps. You must be very careful when you do this or you will break the caps. I found that using a sharp paring knife to cut out small chunks at a time is the best method. When done, chop these innards of the mushrooms for the filling.

Clean the spinach, remove stems and chop. Set to the side for now.

Cover the bottom of a skillet with olive oil, use a low-medium heat setting. Add the garlic and the pine nuts - do not let the garlic burn. After a couple minutes add the chopped mushroom pieces (that you extracted from the caps) and let them soak up the oil and soften. Now add the chopped spinach with some salt, pepper and a few red pepper flakes, and keep stirring to sauté. We want this lightly sautéed...just enough to soften the spinach so it compresses.

While the spinach is cooking, beat 1 egg in a bowl with some grated Romano cheese.

When the spinach is soft dump it into the egg bowl and mix so the egg sticks to all the spinach.

Now lay the mushrooms caps upside down on a baking sheet and put clumps of the spinach mixture in the hollowed out mushrooms.

Cover with tomato sauce and bake at about 450 degrees. When the large caps look like they are thoroughly baked, remove from the oven.

Sprinkle with Romano cheese. As filling as eating meat.

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