Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

These portobello mushrrooms are stuffed with kale, walnuts, feta cheese, and more mushrooms.  They are packed with flavor and good-for-you ingredients!  Stuffed portobellos are always fun.  In the past I've made this recipe, which we really liked, but I also really enjoy this combination of flavors.  

If you've never cooked with portobello mushrooms before, you should know that they can shrink quite a bit. So, if the mushrooms you get look huge, they might not end up looking that huge in the end!  This recipe makes about 4 stuffed mushrooms.  Depending on how big they are, the mushrooms may or may not hold all of the filling.  Just cook the remaining filling topped with breadcrumbs in a small  oven-safe dish as I did and serve along side.  Each individual mushroom is relatively small, so this serves 2-4 depending on what you have along with the mushrooms.   I cooked up a batch of sweet potato fries and kale chips along with the mushrooms, and we each had one mushroom for dinner.

These stuffed mushrooms would also make a great first course or light lunch with a salad.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Yield: 4 stuffed mushrooms, serving 2-4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 large portobello mushrooms
• ground black pepper
• 6 ounces kale, roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 ounces mushrooms (button mushrooms or another portobello mushroom), chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (toasted first if desired)
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 450F.

2)  Brush inside gills of portobello mushrooms with one tablespoon of olive oil.  Put portobellos in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 8 minutes to allow them to cook and release some of their liquid.  Carefully remove bowl from the microwave.  Remove mushrooms from liquid (keep liquid)  and place on a baking sheet.  Season portobellos with black pepper.

3)  Add kale to bowl with reserved liquid and microwave for 3 minutes.  Roughly chop and set aside.

4) Meanwhile, heat second tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once hot, add onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add additional mushrooms and cook until liquid starts to release, about 4 minutes.  

5)  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add red wine and cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.  While cooking, scrape any cooked bits off the bottom of the pan.

6)  Add feta cheese, walnuts, and chopped kale.  Stir to combine and cook until heated through.

7)  Fill each mushroom cap with filling.  Get as much as possible on the mushrooms.  Any additional filling you can serve on the side.  Sprinkle the filled mushrooms with panko bread crumbs.

8)  Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 4 minutes.  Serve immediately.

(recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen Feed)