Italian Stuffed Portabellas

So Tami from Nutmeg Notebook posted this recipe. She obviously has much more experience in the kitchen and in photography (her picture looks much better than mine and her mushrooms don't look broken). But whatever, her picture made me want to try this recipe because I do love stuffed mushrooms and cheese and lasagna (this seemed to be a combo of all).

I made this. It took about 45 minutes with the cooking time. I more chopped things than minced, but if I had done that it would have taken more like 75 minutes, as we all know I'm the slowest chopper on the universe.

Because I don't use the best ingredients (Aldi Parmesan and Kroger Mozzarella both seem to miss a little salt), there are things I would change for next time (like add some more salt, and add some pepper because I like pepper).

But I would definitely have again. We had with a Caesar Salad.

Italian Stuffed Portabellas

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
4 large portabella mushrooms (4 1/2 to 5 inches)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced onions (I chopped 1 onion)
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (I used 6)
2/3 cup minced red bell peppers (I used 2/3 of an orange bell pepper...I couldn't find the measuring cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt (need more if you use Aldi Cheese)
2 tablespoons bread crumbs*
(Add some black pepper)

Directions
* Pulverize stale or lightly toasted whole wheat, sourdough, or Italian bread in a blender or food processor. (used canned bread crumbs)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking dish.

Carefully brush or wipe off any soil from the mushrooms. Twist off the stems and discard. Rinse the mushroom caps and pat dry with a towel. At this point using a small spoon I removed the gills to make room for all the stuffing. Otherwise it wouldn’t have fit. In a skillet, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (you cfan use less) and saute the onions for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and peppers and saute for 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the basil, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, and bread crumbs. Stir the sauteed vegetables into the cheese mixture. Brush the portabellas with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place them gill side up in the prepared baking dish. Mound cheese mixture in each.

Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the mushrooms release their juices and the cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Serving suggestion; This dish is nice served on a bed of pasta topped with Tomato Sauce. (I served them with a salad)

Serves: 4

Nutritional Information Per serving:
317 calories, 16.5 G Protein, 22.8 G Fat, 13.8 G Carbohydrates, 8.7 G Saturated Fatty Acids, 40.6 MG Cholesterol, 488.3 MG Sodium, 2.3 G Total Dietary Fiber. WWPP 9 (If you use reduced fat cheese and cut back on the olive oil you can greatly lower the numbers)

Recipe adapted from a Moosewood recipe found on the Cooking Light message board.