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 appetizer or side dish as well.
4-5cupsfresh spinachtightly packed or 12 oz frozen spinach (thawed and well-drained)
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
1small yellow oniondiced
2clovesgarlicminced
8ozcream cheesesoftened
2tablespoonsmayonnaise
½teaspoondried thyme
¼teaspoonsalt
â…›teaspoonpepper
½teaspoonred chili flakes
¾cupmozzarella cheese
For topping-
½cuppanko breadcrumbs
½cupParmesanshredded
â…›teaspoondried thyme
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
¼teaspoonsalt
â…›teaspoonpepper
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
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.
 Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.