Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Deliciously cheesy and saucy, these stuffed portobello mushrooms are my whimsical twist on mushroom-topped pizza! Roasted portobello mushroom caps are spread with a touch of marinara then filled with a savory stuffing prepared with spicy sausage, olives, basil, spinach and artichokes, then sprinkled with mozzarella cheese as a gooey finisher to create these “pizza" stuffed portobello mushrooms!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms "Filled to the Gills" with... Pizza?!

When I was a little kid, I was not a fan of mushrooms.

Anytime my parents would place an order for pizza, they'd often include mushrooms as one of the toppings (much to my chagrin). I'd find myself with the chore of picking those strange smelling and strange textured little fungi off of my slices, which was no fun.

Slowly, over the years, my aversion to mushrooms blossomed into a full-out love for them.

These days I'm a fan of all sorts of different varietals, finding mushrooms absolutely scrumptious in just about everything from risotto, to pasta, to burgers, and even roasted off and "stuffed to the gills"!

Since mushrooms are an actual must-have staple on my pizza these days (isn't it funny how taste changes?), this served as my inspiration for this quirky and whimsical little stuffed portobello mushroom recipe, one that takes the pizza and actually “stuffs” it into a portobello mushroom cap!

Roasted until tender, each portobello cap is spread with a touch of marinara sauce and stuffed with a tasty mixture of breadcrumbs, spicy sausage, basil, spinach, artichokes and olives, then topped with mozzarella cheese to create this classic, savory pizza flavor.

These stuffed portobello mushrooms are not only a super delicious and easy weeknight meal, they're a fun twist on a classic mushroom-topped pizza—turned “outside in”, you could say!

How to Make Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Everyone Will Love

Over the years, I've found that a terrific way to get folks to enjoy certain foods they may not otherwise be the biggest fans of is to give those foods a familiar, fun, and tasty twist, and the flavors of pizza are often just the ticket.

Since mushrooms can be a bit of an “acquired taste” for some people, especially kids, preparing them in a unique and delicious way, with ingredients that are reminiscent of other foods they love, can be the perfect way to go!

I have a real soft spot for whimsical recipes anyway, so whenever I can take two well-known or beloved foods and sort of “mash” them together, that's some culinary fun for me—it also makes dinner time a bit of a surprise!

And so, preparing these stuffed portobello mushrooms with a wink and a nod towards pizza seems a terrific way to go!

Here's a peek at how I prepare my stuffed portobello mushrooms: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To begin, I prep my stuffing mixture with all of my pizza-inspired ingredients, and have that ready.
2. Next, I roast off my cleaned portobello mushroom caps on a wire rack for about 12 minutes, just until tender.
3. Once tender, I spoon some marinara sauce into each cap, fill with the stuffing mixture, then bake for a few more minutes to warm the stuffing through.
4. To finish, I sprinkle each cap with mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is melted, then serve the stuffed portobello mushrooms while hot with some extra marinara on the side!

Recipe

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These stuffed portobello mushrooms are filled with lots of pizza-inspired ingredients such as spicy sausage, artichokes and mozzarella cheese!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 4

Nutrition Info: 565 calories

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (firmly-packed) roughly-processed fresh breadcrumbs (about 2, 2 ¼ ounce French rolls)
• ½ cup chicken stock/broth
• 2 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter
• 2 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed, and cooked and crumbled
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup chopped baby spinach leaves
• ¼ cup chopped marinated artichokes
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped Kalamata olives (pitted)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch black pepper
• 4 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and gills scraped out
• Olive oil
• Salt
• ½ cup marinara sauce, plus extra to serve on the side, if desired
• 1 ½ cups shredded, whole-milk mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with foil and a wire rack.
2. Prepare the stuffing mixture by combining all of the ingredients beginning with the fresh breadcrumbs up to and including the pinch of black pepper; toss together to combine well, and set aside for a moment.
3. Drizzle the trimmed and cleaned portobello caps with a little olive oil, plus a couple of generous sprinkles of salt and pepper; place onto the wire rack, gill-side down, and roast just until slightly tender, about 12-14 minutes. (If you notice that your portobellos look a little flat after roasting, don't worry about it; this can happen. Just top the caps generously with the stuffing, and bake as directed.)
4. Take the caps out of the oven, and spoon about 2 tablespoons worth of the marinara sauce into each cap, and fill/top each with ¼ of the stuffing mixture; bake for about 10-12 minutes.
5. Then, top each cap with a generous portion of the shredded mozzarella cheese, and place back into the oven to bake for another 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
6. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves, and serve with a little extra marinara on the side, if desired.

Tips & Tidbits for my Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:

• Use larger portobello mushrooms for easier stuffing: Using the larger portobello caps for this recipe makes for easier stuffing, plus it offers a heartier portion. The caps that I purchase usually come 2 large caps per package, so I'll typically buy two packages. If choosing loose portobellos, opt for the larger caps.
• Scrape the gills out for a cleaner presentation: Carefully scraping out the gills underneath the caps with a small spoon will help not only clean the portobello cap, but create the space needed to fill it. Gently scrape around the edges with a spoon, and you should see the black gills easily come off. Brush clean with a paper towel, if needed.
• Choice of “topping” ingredients: For this recipe, I opt for spicy sausage and lots of other savory, pungent ingredients like artichokes and olives. Feel free to use the stuffing mixture as a base (the breadcrumbs and binding ingredients), and then add your favorite topping ingredients. Other options/substitutions are pepperoni, sweet sausage, bell peppers, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.
• Ooey-gooey cheese: For a nice cheesy experience, using shredded whole milk mozzarella is the way to go here. You could also sub provolone cheese, or even jack cheese—just make sure it's a highly meltable cheese for that pizza experience!
• Prep ahead for easy stuffed portobello mushrooms: You can prepare your stuffing/filling a day ahead of when you'd like to serve these, and even roast off your portobello caps and cool them, then keep on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap. Then, simply add marinara sauce, stuff with filling and bake off when ready to serve.

Hungry for more whimsical pizza recipes? Check out this French Bread Pizza, this Flatbread Pizza, this Chicken Fajita Pizza, or this Mexican Pizza!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015, and has been updated with even more love!