Here is yet another successful meatless meal. Like I’ve said before, Spencer is definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy and is skeptical about any meal I mention, let alone prepare that doesn’t include meat. I am slowly but surely winning him over with some of the recent vegetarian meatless meals. It’s not that he doesn’t like vegetables, it’s more a matter of not getting full from a meatless meal. Him not filling up on meatless meals has been a non-issue, which is wonderful! I enjoy encorporating meatless meals into our menu, so the fact that Spencer is enjoying them and getting enough to eat is a definite plus.
I’ve never had mushrooms as an entree; I’ve had them as sides and appetizers and I’m not really sure why I’ve strayed away from them as a main course. I’m so glad that I finally decided to incorporate them into our menu as a main course one night. The Portobellos were juicy and meat-y, so we definitely didn’t miss the meat in this meal. The filling of cheese, spinach, breadcrumbs and tomatoes was a nice addition to the heartiness of the mushroom. I loved the different cheeses incorporated into this meal; they alone lended so many different textures to each bite. It was creamy, gooey, sharp and buttery all in one bite and it was delicious.
The celery shallot salad was a nice addition to this meal as well. It was the perfect side that was lite and flavorful but yet added a so much to this meal. This too was a success since Spencer isn’t particularly fond of celery. I was very skeptical about even putting this on his plate but I have to say I’m glad I did. After taking one bite he said how much he like the salad, and he too was surprised that he actually like it. He even went back for seconds!
These mushrooms were incredibly easy to prepare. I had this meal on the table in under 30 minutes; including preparation. This is ideal for a quick meal during the week. I will definitely be keeping this one in our meal rotation.
Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 6-inch portobello mushroom caps
4 Cups spinach, chopped
1 Cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Shallots (1 finely chopped, 1 thinly sliced)
1 Large tomato, diced
3 Tbsp grated pecorino romano cheese, plus shaved pecorino for topping
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 Cup ricotta cheese
4 Stalks celery, washed, peeled and thinly sliced
Directions:
Preheat broiler.
Line the broiler pan with foil and mist with cooking spray. Place the mushrooms gill-side down on the pan; broil 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the spinach, breadcrumbs, mozzarella, chopped shallot, tomato, 2 tablespoons pecorino, 1 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
Remove the mushrooms from the broiler and turn them gill-side up on the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Mound the spinach filling on the mushrooms and top with the ricotta. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon pecorino and broil until the filling is heated through and the ricotta is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the celery, sliced shallot and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Top with shaved pecorino. Divide the mushrooms among plates and serve with the celery salad. Drizzle with olive oil.
Recipe source: Food Network Magazine
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