Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellos

Every once in a while I’ll be flipping through a magazine or cookbook and a recipe will stop me dead in my tracks. That’s what happened the moment I laid eyes on this recipe. Roasted portabello mushroom caps topped with a spinach and artichoke filling. Are you kidding me?! There was no doubt in my mind that we would love this meal and of course, we did. What I did not love, however, were the awful photos that resulted from my first attempt at this dish. It was late, I was tired from work, and I had no time or energy to achieve decent lighting. They did not do the meal justice in the slightest. Thankfully this meal is so wonderful we were happy to enjoy it a second time in the same week in order to get some proper photos.

So, what’s not to love here? We’ve got a hearty roasted portabello cap, a creamy spinach and artichoke filling, and a crisp topping of breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Another plus is that you can have the whole thing on the table in under 30 minutes from start to finish. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking the mayo in the filling could be easily substituted with Greek yogurt to lighten it up a bit. Both times I’ve been able to stuff five large portabello caps with the filling mixture. With three of us eating them for dinner, that makes two portions of excellent leftovers. In fact, guess what I’m having for lunch today?

Ingredients

3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
4-5 medium-large portabello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (reduced fat is fine)
3 tbsp. mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine)
1½ tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves, divided
9-10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
9 oz. frozen artichokes, thawed, patted dry and coarsely chopped
½ cup coarse breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

01
Preheat the oven to 450˚ F. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with two thirds of the minced garlic. Scrape the gills from the inside of the mushroom caps. Set the mushroom caps on a baking pan, gill side up, and brush lightly with the garlic-oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.
02
Meanwhile, mix the filling. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, remaining garlic, ½ teaspoon of the thyme, and the spinach in a medium bowl. Stir together until evenly blended. Gently stir in the artichokes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the filling mixture over the roasted mushroom caps.
03
In another small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme. Stir with a fork to blend. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the filling mixture on each mushroom. Bake for 10 more minutes or until golden and warmed through. Serve immediately.

Source

Fine Cooking