As the summer continues to bare down it’s heat on us, it’s sometimes a wonder grilling has it’s peak use during these already charcoal like months.
Nonetheless, like moths to the flame, it’s the grill that looks so attractive and inviting and precisely why over the past few weeks I’ve done more grilling than I have over the previous year.
One of the recipes I made on the grill was Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms… Italian Style.
The idea came from my mother-in-law talking about grilling Portabellas. Her recipe used breadcrumbs and a totally different twist than where I eventually ended up.
So after some looking around online and in cookbooks, I decided on this hybrid recipe which ironically is very similar to a recipe I even found by Bobby Flay of all people. Here is my variation:
Ingredients
As always they are simple and are as follows:
- 3 – 4 large Portabella caps
- 1/4 Shredded Mozzarella or as needed
- 2 or 3 chopped Roma tomatoes
- 2 Cups freshly chopped spinach
- 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
- 1 Cloves chopped garlic
- 1/2 Diced onion
- 3 TBLE Olive oil
Instructions:
- Hollow out the mushrooms and remove stems. I used a spoon to scoop out the gills, it was easy. Don’t stress if the mushroom tears a little on the sides. Feel free to chop the extra mushroom stems to use in mixture. You can also use the gills, but I scraped mine off.
- In a medium frying pan over medium/low heat, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic till fragrant (about 3 minutes), then add in spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms stems, balsamic and onion and cook down for a few minutes – about 5 minutes or so and set aside.
- Meanwhile heat the grill to medium/high
- Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil and place face down on grill for 10 minutes.
- Remove and fill with mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top
- Grill for 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is slightly melted
- Remove, eat and enjoy!
This recipe could become a small dinner or lunch easily by just increasing quantities per person. The Portabellas are so meaty and hold up great under the heat the of grill.
When I made them I also made some grilled pizza and the portabella dish was a great side, and it felt great to eat something so healthy and full of fresh ingredients.
Notes/Tips:
1. I would recommend using fresh spinach if you can. However, if all you have is frozen spinach just make sure it is drained really well
2. Above quantities and ingredients are approximate and you can feel free to change things up a bit if you want. You can try stuffing the mushrooms with different ingredients and seasonings too.
3. When grilling, I grilled with the grill opened rather than closed, but I’m not sure if with this recipe it makes much difference.
If you have any variations of this dish, I’d love to hear it as would our readers. So please feel free to chime in!
Wishing you the best with your grilling success!
Buon Appetito,
