Portabello Mushrooms with Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Filling

I’m not a vegetarian, but this is the kind of recipe that makes me think I could be. It’s so hearty and filling – when I ate it for dinner earlier this week, I didn’t miss the meat one bit. It combines two of my very favorite things that are most often served as appetizers – stuffed mushrooms and spinach-artichoke dip – into a comforting main course. The portabello mushrooms are brushed with a garlic oil then roasted until tender, before being stuffed with a flavorful spinach-artichoke mixture and topped with crisp, seasoned panko breadcrumbs. It all comes together in about 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for weeknights, but I also think it would be a great idea for entertaining this holiday season. I don’t see any reason you couldn’t make the filling ahead of time, which would cut down on the prep even more. I’m not likely to give up meat anytime soon, but I’m very glad to add this great meatless dish to my recipe rotation.

Two quick notes on the recipe: First, if you’ve never removed the gills from a portabello, try using a butter knife. It was suggested here, and worked perfectly! Also, you’ll see I included a range for the number of mushrooms below. The recipe called for 4, but I had enough filling for at least a few more, and I wasn’t exactly stingy 🙂

Happy weekend everyone! We are heading out to see The Muppets Movie this morning, then it’s back to bake cookies. We also picked up our Christmas tree yesterday and rearranged the living room to make room for it. It’s in the stand now and we’re hoping the branches will have settled enough by tomorrow to get it decorated. We didn’t get a tree last year so I’m doubly excited to pull out the ornaments and go through them! What are you guys up to, anyone have exciting plans?

Portabello Mushrooms with Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Filling
from Fine Cooking

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
4-6 medium portabello mushrooms, stemmed, gills removed
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
9-10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
9 oz frozen artichokes, thawed, lightly squeezed dry, and chopped
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Stir 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and about two-thirds of the minced garlic together in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush the garlic oil on the inside of the mushrooms then season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the mushrooms, bottoms-up, to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, stir the cream cheese, mayo and 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme together in a medium bowl until well incorporated. Add the spinach and artichokes, stirring to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper. To make the topping, combine the remaining garlic, remaining tablespoon of oil, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, panko and cheese in a medium bowl.

Fill the mushrooms with the spinach-artichoke mixture then top with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the filling is hot, and the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.

Makes 4-6 stuffed mushrooms