Cheese-Stuffed Portobellos

 

I have made this recipe several times as an appetizer, and thought it would make a great entrée if I used a large portobello mushroom in lieu of several tiny ones.  Since our house has become vegetarian, David has been really excited to throw a few bellas on the grill.  We haven't exactly dusted off the grill, but the warm weather is already here, and I'm sure this recipe would be great outdoors.  Here, I use mostly spinach and feta as a filling, but any combination of vegetable and cheese would work well here.  Next time, I'm adding blue cheese and caramelized onions to the spinach mixture and serving it up with some roasted potatoes.  That should nip that meat and potato craving in the bud.

Cheese-Stuffed Portobellos

Adapted from Paula Deen via Food Network

2 Large Portobello mushrooms (for an appetizer use 24-30 baby bellas)

8 oz fresh baby spinach

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 T olive oil

2 oz cream cheese

4 oz feta, roughly chopped or crumbled

1/2 cup  green onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems and gills (optional).  Gently sauté spinach with garlic and olive oil until spinach is wilted, be careful not to over cook.  In a mixing bowl combine spinach, cream cheese, feta, green onion, salt and pepper.  Once combined, fill mushrooms and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle Parmesan on top.  Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more, or until cheese is golden-brown and mushrooms are tender.  Serve with quinoa, crusty bread, or other starchy side.

Serves 2, as an entrée.