A cozy recipe with all the flavors of Fall. Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms are packed with wild rice, roasted sweet potato, a little pancetta and a crown of goat cheese. Comfort food defined!
Stuffed foods make me happy. It's like they have a little secret. Tortellini stuffed with cheese, Chicago style pizza, beef burritos. And now these Stuffed Portobellos. Happy.
These mushrooms are stuffed with Fall. Wild rice? Check. Sweet potato. Double check. And a little dice of pancetta slides them into the Italian neighborhood. Sage amps up the fall factor and because I couldn't resist...a sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese.
Stuffed with happy.
First we need to talk portobellos. Or portabellas? Maybe it's portobella. (Spoiler: you're right.)
Choosing portobellos for stuffing
When looking to stuff a portobello, here are some features for selecting a good stuffing mushroom:
- a uniform color on the cap - no spots!
- smooth not slimy texture
- dry gills (that's the dark filter-like matter around the stem)
- large with a deep cavity - of course, that means more stuffing
How do you clean mushrooms?
Before we stuff our portobellos, we need to clean them. There are two parts to cleaning a portabella before stuffing. All you need is some damp paper towels and a spoon.
- Using the lightly moistened paper towel wipe down the outside of the caps until they're clean. Fold over the paper towel as you go.
- Next, use a small knife and cut around to loosen and remove the stem and set them aside.
- With the tip of a teaspoon, carefully scrape the gills off exposing the white flesh underneath. Discard the gills.
There is no need to soak or wash mushrooms in a sink of water. Mushrooms are inherently watery so adding more water to them is going to make them even more...watery. And when you cook them, they end up soggy.
Not happy.
The filling
This mushroom filling screams all things Fall. And it has a few components (and lots of flexibility):
- Wild rice. The one I used is Lundberg Wild Rice Blend. You certainly can use another packaged brand of your choice. Or even a premade frozen one like this Whole Food's Long Grain Brown and Wild Rice Blend.
- Roasted sweet potato. Toss some diced sweet potato with your favorite oil, salt + pepper and roast it for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Pancetta. Pick up some pre-diced pancetta at your favorite grocer and saute with a little bit of olive oil.
- Onion. Chop up about ½ of an onion and add it to the pan you cooked the pancetta in.
- Portobello mushroom stems. Chop up those stems and include them in the filling. Portobello mushroom stems are safe to eat and add more flavor!
- Goat cheese. Crumbled on the top before baking, goat cheese adds a little zip and creaminess.
- Pine nuts. Crunch.
- Sage - The ultimate Fall herb, fresh sage leaves are preferred but dried works too!
The glaze
Ooo...the sherry honey glaze. This is the added little oomph that takes these stuffed mushrooms from good to your word for "even better than good." I'd say great, but I don't want to brag. Ok —it's really great! And so simple! It's just a little honey and sherry vinegar. If you want to add a little crushed red pepper, I'm not going to stop you. If you're a glaze fan like me, check out my Cast Iron Skillet Pizza.
Baking tips
- Bake at a high heat so that the mushrooms don't release a lot of water. You're going to cook these babies at 400° until everything is nice and heated.
- Sprinkle a little extra pancetta on top for color.
- Top with pine nuts after baking
Vegetarian stuffing version
Leaving out the pancetta and/or cheese is a great alternative if you're looking for a vegan or vegetarian stuffed mushroom. Some stuffing options are:
- brown rice
- butternut squash
- dried cranberries
- slivered almonds
- fresh thyme
- vegan chorizo or sausage
- tofu
Make ahead & storing suggestions
Make ahead: You can make these stuffed portobellos up to one day before you plan to serve them. Alternatively, make the filling the day before and clean, fill and bake the mushrooms the next day.
Storing: Any leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge
Reheating stuffed mushrooms
If you have leftovers (and you might have to make extra to guarantee you have some), heat the oven to 400° and put the mushrooms on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. You also can heat them in a microwave for about 2-3 minutes.
Tips
For a few. The best thing about this recipe is that you can adjust it based on how many people you are serving. Usually one per person and a salad make a great meal. Need more? Toss your favorite pasta with my Butter and Cream Sauce for an extra hearty dose of comfort.
For a crew. Use baby portobellos to make smaller party bites for a bigger gathering. Leave out the sweet potato or make sure it's diced extra small. Top each mushroom with a little goat cheese before baking.
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 large portobello mushrooms, firm and smooth
For the Filling
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling later
- ½ cup diced pancetta, approx 2 ounces, reserve a little for garnish
- ½ onion, finely chopped (approximately ½ cup)
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice, I used Lundberg's - SEE NOTE BELOW
- 1¾ cup chicken broth, or water
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, or olive oil
- 1 sweet potato, washed and diced with skin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 ounces goat cheese, divided
- 3 fresh sage leaves, rolled and sliced thin, (or 1 tsp dried sage)
- ¼ cup pine nuts, plus extra for garnishing
For the Sherry Honey Glaze
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
For the mushrooms
- Using a small paring knife, carefully trim around the stem on the underside of the mushroom. Gently loosen the stem from the cap. Chop the stems and place in a medium sized bowl. Set the stems aside.
- With a small teaspoon, scrape the dark gills from the underside of the mushroom cap, exposing the pale light flesh below. Throw away the gills. (They are edible but if you add them to your rice mix, it might take on an unappetizing color).
For the Rice
- In a small-medium sized saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and saute for approximately 3 minutes until lightly crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta from the pan to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside. Leave the oil in the pan.
- To the heated oil, add the chopped onion, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the wild rice and saute until toasted approximately 2 minutes.
- To the wild rice, add the chicken broth (or water), butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a tight lid and lower the heat to a very low simmer. Cook according to package directions (typically 45 minutes).** SEE NOTE BELOW
- Meanwhile, put the diced sweet potato on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes while the rice is cooking until golden. Remove from oven and add to the bowl with the chopped mushroom stems
- Once the rice has finished cooking, toss it with the most of the pancetta (leave some for garnishing), the sweet potatoes and chopped mushroom stems. Add the fresh sage and half the goat cheese. Season to taste (approx 1 tsp of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
Assemble the Mushrooms
- Fill each mushroom with ¼ of the filling. Sprinkle each mushroom with some of the remaining goat cheese and pine nuts.
- Bake at 400° for 10 minutes until the goat cheese is browned and the mushrooms are warmed through.
- While the mushrooms are baking, stir up the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over the mushrooms liberally before serving.
- Sprinkle with some fresh sage, some pancetta and extra pine nuts.
Notes
- You can use a quick cooking wild rice (like Uncle Ben's). Just follow the instructions on the package for cooking times.
- Vegetarian option: leave out the cheese and pancetta.
- Alternative additions:
- brown rice
- butternut squash
- dried cranberries
- slivered almonds
- fresh thyme
- vegan chorizo or sausage
- tofu
- Alternative additions:
- Make Ahead:
- Cook the rice and roast the sweet potato ahead of time. Toss with sage, seasonings and goat cheese. You might need a little bit of chicken broth drizzled in to moisten the rice.
- Storing/Reheating
- Refrigerate in a covered container.
- Reheat according to baking instructions above or in the microwave on a paper towel lined microwave-safe plate for approximately 2 minutes.
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