These spinach-stuffed Portobello mushrooms are easy to make and have delicious flavors. Portobello mushroom caps are stuffed with creamy cheesy spinach mix, sprinkled with panko breadcrumbs, and baked to perfection. It’s wonderful for a meatless dinner and works as an fancy side dish or appetizer too.
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Stuffed Portobello mushrooms
Do you like stuffed mushrooms? I love stuffed mushrooms with all kinds of stuffing, sausage stuffing, stuffed with chicken, veggie stuffing, all of it. Stuffed mushrooms are a bomb, they pack so much flavor and the creamy, cheesy, richness of the stuffing makes it the best.
Thick and meaty Portobello mushrooms stuffed with amazing filling are large enough to be a vegetarian meal or fancy side dish.
Portobello mushrooms are meaty, with bold flavors and dense texture. You can stuff it with almost anything you like and it can be grilled, baked in an oven, or cooked on the stovetop.
Spinach stuffed Portobello mushrooms have a delicious creamy mix of spinach, onion, garlic, mayonnaise, cream cheese, thyme, red chili flakes, salt, pepper, and mozzarella cheese. Panko-parmesan sprinkle on top is like the cherry on a cake. Once baked it turns crispy, giving it a wonderful crunchy slightly salty bite. It helps balance some of the rich, creaminess of the spinach mixture.
It’s a low-carb, gluten-free vegetarian meal that is packed with leafy green vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients needed
You’ll need these-
- Portobello mushrooms
- Spinach (fresh or frozen)
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Mayonnaise
- Cream cheese
- Mozzarella
- Thyme
- Salt and pepper
Topping ingredients
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Parmesan
- Dried thyme
- Salt & pepper
- EVOO
All the ingredient’s exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.
- Portobello mushrooms – find Portobello mushroom caps that are even-sized, that aren’t too deep or too shallow.
- Spinach – fresh or frozen spinach can be used. In this recipe, I show how fresh spinach can be for a stuffing mixture. If using frozen spinach, thaw it first, then squeeze out all the liquids and mix into the stuffing mix. Note- no need to cook frozen spinach, use it directly.
- Onion – used for flavor and taste. Yellow onions are best.
- Garlic – though garlic powder can be used, I can’t recommend enough for you to use fresh minced garlic. Fresh is always better, for both flavor and taste!
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)- for bushing the mushrooms before baking/grilling and to cook spinach onion garlic.
- Mayonnaise – helps bind cream cheese spinach mixture. You can substitute mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.
- Cream cheese – softened at room temperature. For best texture and flavor use full0fat cream cheese.
- Mozzarella cheese – always say yes to more cheese! It’s for deliciousness! Grate cheese from a block instead of buying pre-grated cheese.
- Dried thyme – for a boost of flavor.
- Season – with salt and pepper, as per taste.
- Red pepper flakes – add a hint of spicy kick to the filling which is needed to balance the rich, creamy, cheesy filling.
- Panko breadcrumbs – are Japanese-style breadcrumbs that add crunch on top. I do not recommend using regular breadcrumbs, it’s not possible to achieve the same texture with regular breadcrumbs.
- Parmesan – freshly grated from a block. Adds salty richness to the topping.
- Extra virgin olive oil – just a little. It helps in binding a little.
- The season for topping – with dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
How to make spinach-stuffed Portobello mushrooms
These stuffed Portobello mushrooms are easy to make in 3 steps. Make the filling, stuff the mushrooms and bake.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Clean mushrooms using a pastry brush or damp kitchen towel.
Carefully cut or break the stem apart. Scoop out the dark gills from the mushroom using a small spoon. Discard the gills, stems can be chopped and used to make muffins/omelets or can be added back to the spinach filling mixture.
Place mushrooms on a baking tray, gently cut a small ‘x’ on top taking care not to bread the mushroom caps.
Brush EVOO on top, and sprinkle salt and pepper. Flip mushroom caps and repeat the same.
Briefly bake mushroom caps in preheated oven at 400F for 10 minutes, this will help mushrooms release all liquids (drain if off from tray) and prevent mushrooms from becoming soggy with filling.
How to use fresh spinach
Rinse spinach and dry it thoroughly on a kitchen towel. Chop into pieces.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan. Add chopped spinach and cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly until spinach is cooked(wilted) and releases a lot so water.
Drain the water from the spinach and add the back spinach to the pan.
Saute it with diced onion, minced garlic, and a little EVOO until completely dry. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes.
How to use frozen cooked spinach
Thaw frozen spinach first, then squeeze out all the liquids and mix into the stuffing mix. Note- no need to cook frozen spinach, mix it with stuffing ingredients.
Add it to a bowl along with mayonnaise, cream cheese, dried thyme, red chili flakes, salt and pepper, and mozzarella cheese. Mix until combined.
In another small bowl mix together panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, dried thyme, salt and pepper, and a little EVOO. Mix and set aside.
Remove the mushroom from the oven.
Fill with creamy spinach mixture. Generously sprinkle on the top panko-parmesan mix.
Bake again for another 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the panko topping is golden brown.
Serve immediately as main with a salad on the side, it qualifies as a fancy side dish as well.
Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Make a small ‘x’ cut. Mushrooms can release a lot of water. A small cross on the mushroom cap will help drain excess liquids from the mushrooms. A further step would be to place mushrooms on an oven-safe wire rack on top of the rimmed baking tray, this ensures mushrooms don’t sit in the water while it bakes.
- Best shaped Portobello. Look for the best-shaped Portobello mushrooms that aren’t too shallow or deep.
- Clean mushrooms using a brush or damp kitchen towel. Do not rinse mushrooms under water, as they can absorb water and turn soggy while baking.
- Don’t skip pre-bake. Mushrooms will release liquid, drain off excess liquid from the tray and then fill it up.
- Drain liquids from spinach. It’s very crucial to drain liquids from spinach. Both fresh spinach and frozen spinach need to be squeezed out of excess liquid to prevent the mushroom from turning soggy.
Variations
Change up the stuffing with any ingredient. You can stuff mushrooms with all kinds of stuffing, sausage stuffing, stuffed with chicken, stuffed with bell peppers-onion-garlic mixture. Change up the spinach stuffing by adding leaks, artichoke hearts or spinach and feta mix.
Use crispy bacon bits as a crunchy topping.
Common questions
While you can use small mushrooms like button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, it’s difficult to work with small mushrooms. The space for stuffing in small, it’s tedious job to fill in the small concave space.
Do not rinse mushrooms under water, as they can absorb water and turn soggy while baking.
Mushrooms can release a lot of water. A small cross on the mushroom cap will help drain excess liquids from the mushrooms. A further step would be to place mushrooms on an oven-safe wire rack on top of the rimmed baking tray or drain the liquids from the tray after the first bake. This ensures mushrooms don’t sit in the water while it bakes.
I won’t recommend freezing mushrooms.
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📋Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 large Portobello mushrooms
- 4-5 cups fresh spinach tightly packed or 12 oz frozen spinach (thawed and well-drained)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese
For topping-
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan shredded
- â…› teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Clean mushrooms using a pastry brush or damp kitchen towel.
- Carefully cut or break the stem apart. Scoop out the dark gills from the mushroom using a small spoon. Discard the gills, stems can be chopped and used to make muffins/omelets or can be added back to the spinach filling mixture.
- Place mushrooms on a baking tray, gently cut a small ‘x’ on top taking care not to bread the mushroom caps.
- Brush EVOO on top, and sprinkle salt and pepper. Flip mushroom caps and repeat the same.
- Briefly bake mushroom caps in preheated oven at 400F for 10 minutes, this will help mushrooms release all liquids (drain if off from tray) and prevent mushrooms from becoming soggy with filling.
- Rinse spinach and dry it thoroughly on a kitchen towel. Chop into pieces.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan. Add chopped spinach and cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly until spinach is cooked(wilted) and releases a lot so water.
- Drain the water from the spinach and add the back spinach to the pan.
- Saute it with diced onion, minced garlic, and a little EVOO until completely dry. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes.
- Add it to a bowl along with mayonnaise, cream cheese, dried thyme, red chili flakes, salt and pepper, and mozzarella cheese. Mix until combined.
- In another small bowl mix together panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, dried thyme, salt and pepper, and a little EVOO. Mix and set aside.
- Remove the mushroom from the oven.
- Fill with creamy spinach mixture. Generously sprinkle on the top panko-parmesan mix.
- Bake again for another 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the panko topping is golden brown.
- Serve immediately as main with a salad on the side, it qualifies as a fancy side dish as well.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Make a small ‘x’ cut. Mushrooms can release a lot of water. A small cross on the mushroom cap will help drain excess liquids from the mushrooms. A further step would be to place mushrooms on an oven-safe wire rack on top of the rimmed baking tray, this ensures mushrooms don’t sit in the water while it bakes.
- Best shaped Portobello. Look for the best-shaped Portobello mushrooms that aren’t too shallow or deep.
- Clean mushrooms using a brush or damp kitchen towel. Do not rinse mushrooms under water, as they can absorb water and turn soggy while baking.
- Don’t skip pre-bake. Mushrooms will release liquid, drain off excess liquid from the tray and then fill it up.
- Drain liquids from spinach. It’s very crucial to drain liquids from spinach. Both fresh spinach and frozen spinach need to be squeezed out of excess liquid to prevent the mushroom from turning soggy.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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