I don’t often choose meatless meals. If I’m presented with the opportunity to choose a dish, I’m usually inclined to go with something that at one time roamed the earth. Chicken, beef, fish, and seafood? These are all good things to me. I would make a terrible vegetarian because I like my bacon and steak too much to give them up. So while I appreciate the value others put on being meatless, I appreciate even more that they don’t try and convert the world to that lifestyle. That lack of pressure makes my occasional (mostly) meatless discovery all the more enjoyable.
Stuffed portobellos, how exciting could they be? I’d say they are exciting enough to prompt one of my friends to ask when she could get a dinner invitation after seeing that picture on my flickr. If it weren’t for the fact that she lives in Boston and I’m in Baltimore, I imagine she might have jumped in the car and come over looking for some leftovers. Here’s what I told her: each bite is a different set of flavors – smooth and creamy from the cheese, smokey from the bacon, sweet from the tomato, earthy from the mushrooms, and sharp from the balsamic. I don’t know about anyone else but that description makes me wish I had a stuffed portobello right now.
You could make this a completely meatless dish. You could. Me, I like it with bacon. Like I said, presented with a choice, I’m going to choose bacon each and every time. And I’m ok with that.
Stuffed Portobellos
Adapted from Jen @ How To: Simplify
BAH Note: You’ll want to serve this in a shallow bowl. Once you cut into the mushrooms, the juices mix with the cheesy filling to make a rich broth in your bowl. I recommend you use some french bread to soak it all up. As you start eating the the dish, it will look like a train wreck on your plate. But it will be delicious.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
- 3 shallots, diced
- 1/4 cup chevre or other soft goat cheese
- 1 medium zucchini, diced (1 generous cup)
- 1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 pound bacon
Heat your oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place the mushrooms on the sheet pan.
Whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops and bottoms of the mushrooms with the vinegar and oil. Place the pan in the oven and cook the mushrooms for five minutes, flip the caps over so that the gill side is facing up and cook for ten more minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large frying pan until it is crisp. Let the bacon cool and then crumble it into a medium bowl. Drain the bacon grease from the pan into a small bowl. Wipe out the inside of the frying pan and return one tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease to the frying pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat until they just start to soften, approximately three minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until they are tender and begin to become translucent. Transfer the shallot/zucchini mixture to the bowl with the bacon.
Add the diced tomatoes and cheese to the bowl with the bacon and vegetables and gently stir until the cheese has completely melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then scoop the vegetable/cheese mixture into the mushroom caps. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to heat through. Serve immediately.
Bon Appetit Hon 
Oh, nom nom nom!!! That looks spectacular and I would totally go with the bacon too.
Jennifer, I couldn’t believe how freaking easy and nom nom nom these were. Of course the idea of having a light supper went out the window when I decided the first one was so good I wanted a second. The melted cheesey brothy sauce was rich. And did I mention it had bacon?
What about adding crab?
Oh Beth, I think you are genius. Because crab is about the only thing that could make this even more better. And yes, I know more better is not grammatically correct. But that’s the only way to convey what adding crab would do for the dish.
Crab sounds so good my head just exploded a little just thinking about it.
Jennifer, if I do make these for Thanksgiving, as I just tweeted I might, they would totally be crabbified.
Those look beautiful! Adding bacon is never a bad idea!
Kitch, I think these are totally up your alley. If you go easy on the bacon and cheese, they are very figure friendly. I, of course, have no idea what the word moderation means.
like you, i’d make a terrible vegetarian. i do like my meat.
having said that tho, during our market meetup this saturday, i will be seeking out ingredients to make this and it will probably be all vegs. i have a strong hankering for some good veggies & methinks this dish will hit the spot. 🙂
btw, so looking fwd to meeting you!
Lan, you should also be able to find some localish cheese at the market. I’m kind of sad that I have already planned out my menu through next weekend because it would be kind of nice to come home from the market and make this. So dang, maybe I’ll turn it into lunch!
Looking forward to our farmer’s market adventure and hoping it doesn’t rain on us.
I love stuffed mushrooms. (And how easy they are to make.)
Boo, the important question is whether you like your stuffed mushrooms with or without le bacon.
I can’t believe you asked me that question. And here I thought you knew me.
Just checking hon ; )
I’m a fan of meat as a garnish with a mostly-veggie meal too: a little bacon with lentils, chorizo with garbanzos, or some prosciutto tossed with some pasta. I will have to try this while the tomatoes and zucchini are still really good.
Elizabeth, I recommend you try it this weekend.
Bacon with lentils? Is there any other way?
These look amazing Wendi.
Anna, they were out of this world good.
BACON< GOAT CHEESE AND PORTOBELLO? WINNER WINNER MUSHROOM DINNER!
I come from a long line of farmers and butchers. Still, though not a vegetarian I do NOT want to be up close and personal with my meat. I really like a fine barrier of plastic wrap betweern me and the meat! I CAN go to the real butchers and get meat…..but I have some headwork to do when I unwrap it! Silly, yes I know.
too many times I ended up looking at something on my plate at Mommy's that I had been petting the week before
Emily the stuffed portobellos are big winners. I’m going to pretend that you never mentioned having to eat something you had known.
Ihave no qualms with crabs however ………I just don’t like to watch them steam. and hear the scratching on the lid. Makes me afraid they are going to get out and act like something out of a 50’s horror movie LOL!
Even though most of my meals are veggie, I haven’t really fallen for the portobello as a main course. I mean, I’ve never been able to order a portobello burger at a restaurant because I didn’t think I would be satisfied. But these sound really good, and I like that they are stuffed with other things so it’s not just a big mushroom on the plate. I’ll have to give this picture a try! (Also, lovely picture! That mushroom looks scrumptious.)
Jen, think of this less as portobello as main course and more as portobello as delivery vehicle for damn good filling.
This photo alone is making my mouth water. Looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks hon. And that pound cake on your blog? How soon can you ship that to me? I will pretend to be ignorant of the amount of butter and sugar in the recipe. Adding P.G.F. to my reader pronto.
I want to eat these right now (minus the bacon)!!!! DE-LISH!
I am completely partial to bacon but these stuffed portobellos would be just as good without it. Hope you will give a try.