I have been craving mushrooms for the past two months. I cannot seem, no matter how much I try, to get enough of them. All kinds, from the everyday button mushroom to the more exotic—such as lobster, enoki, chanterelles, hen of the woods, etc. Whatever I can find, I’m in. I’ve roasted them in the oven, sautéed them on the stovetop, relished ones done in the air fryer, all to my sheer and utter delight.
However, one definitely stood out….it was the glorious and substantial stuffed Portobello mushroom. It was glorious in presentation, richly and densely umami in flavor, toothsome, absolutely elegant, flawless. And…..oh, so easy.

I bought Portobello’s that were approximately 3 inches in diameter, popped off the stems and set them aside, then gently scraped out the gills, which allowed for more room for stuffing but also removes some of what I think can be a tad bitter. Set them in a single layer in a baking pan or sheet pan. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now, on to the stuffing…..

*Remember those stems, here’s their opportunity to shine. Drop them into a food processor. To the bowl, add roughly chopped onions, celery, and carrots; a clove or two of garlic; fresh herbs (any that you have on hand); a bit of nutritional yeast; and some leftover brown rice or other cooked grain. Give it a couple of quick pulses. Do Not Puree. You want there to be texture and chunk to this mixture. Turn this mixture into a bowl. With a wooden spoon, I then mixed in some vegan nut cheddar cheese spread. It’s just acting as a binder, so you can use any vegan cheese spread, even vegan cream cheese. Just enough to hold it together.

Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop up some of your mixture and press into the scoop so that when you release it atop an awaiting mushroom cap, it fits into the mushroom while holding together like a small mountain.

Spritz the stuffed mushroom with a touch of olive oil (optional, but trust me, a very little goes a long way here to create a beautiful outer crust while the inside remains moist).
Into the oven goes the mushrooms, to bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until you see the mushroom cap becoming soft and a crust forming on the stuffing.

These mushrooms are amazing hot but also hold up well being served at room temperature. If you use smaller mushrooms, you can serve them as an hors d’ouerve.

*This is an easy recipe. No measurements are really needed. Make it your own with whatever you have on hand. That’s what I did. Nothing was measure. I took what was in my frig and created this dish spur of the moment. It’s pretty much a no-fail recipe. The most important part is that between the rice and the vegan cheese spread, you’ve created pretty much a glue to hold it all together. And voila!

An important aspect of sharing original recipes is to give proper credit to the author(s) of the recipe(s). I hope that you enjoy using these recipes and making them your own; but please do so with that integrity in mind. With much gratitude. Linda