Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms – Appetizers for Dinner

Stuffed mushrooms are one of my favorite appetizers. This dish, however is good enough for a whole meal! Perfect for date night or dinner for the in laws, these stuffed portobellos are sure to impress and are very simple to make. Serve two with a fresh salad or side of greens as the main course or slice into quarters to serve as classic appetizers. 

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

• 4 portobello mushrooms, stems carefully removed
• 1/2 cup filling:
• Mushroom stems, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 cup ground meat (i used pork) *optional vegetarian substitution: 1 whole portobello mushroom, finely chopped
• 1/2 onion, diced
• half a dozen chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup blue cheese (could use feta, goat cheese or another strongly flavored, crumbly cheese of your choice)
• 1/2 cup (1 piece of toast) breadcrumbs
• Pinches rosemary, salt, pepper and cayenne

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, chop finely and toss in a pan with a drizzle olive oil, the the onions, garlic and ground meat. Cook until veggies are soft and meat has browned. In a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs with the spices, nuts and cheese. Add the meat/veg mixture and stir to combine with dry ingredients.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet and set out mushrooms with space in between. Salt the caps. Carefully spoon about a half cup of the mixture into each cap and top with a bit more cheese. Lightly brush the edges of the caps with olive oil. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melting, the mushrooms are softening and the pan is sizzling. You don’t want to cook them to ‘mush’ but you also want the mushrooms to be totally hot and softening.

Yes, those are frozen green beans on our plates – but you should serve with a fresh side salad or at least freshly steamed vegetables or broiled asparagus. This meal blew my husband away and we were both swooning in food comas for hours afterward. I will definitely be cooking this dish for my in laws when next they visit. It’s always good to have an easy, yet super impressive and delicious recipe on hand for those “special” occasions!

Do you enjoy “appetizers” for dinner?