The breeze is crisp with the chill of autumn; golden trees adorn the hillside announcing the end of summer sun and tank tops. Though your oven may be wooing you to rekindle your love of baking, there’s still plenty of good grilling weather left before the grill covers come out. Healthier than a stuffed baked potato and quicker to make, Portabella Mushrooms with Vegetable Stuffing cook in only 8-10 minutes once the stuffing is prepared and can be kept warm in the oven even longer if your steak isn’t quite done.
Don’t have a grill? That’s okay, you can put them in a 350° oven for 10 minutes instead (your summer-neglected oven will be happy). The filling is already cooked, so you’re just looking for the mushroom to soften and the blue cheese to melt. Oh yeah, there’s blue cheese mixed into the vegetables—why not, right? Meaty tasting portabellas stuffed with sautéed zucchini, red pepper, onion, celery, garlic, and savory blue cheese pair nicely with grilled or roasted meats of any kind. Of course, these palm sized mushrooms will hold any favorite combination of vegetables or herbs you can toss in a sauté pan and crown with cheese, but this is a delicious start.
Meaty tasting portabellas stuffed with sauteed zucchini, red pepper, onion, celery, garlic, and savory blue cheese pair nicely with grilled or roasted meats of any kind.
Ingredients
- 4 medium portabella mushrooms -- cleaned, dark
- 1/2 large sweet onion -- chopped fine
- 3 ribs celery -- chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic -- minced
- 2 cups zucchini -- cut into 1/4" cubes
- 3/4 cup red bell pepper -- diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup blue cheese + more for garnish -- crumbled
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel, remove stem and set aside. Remove dark gills by running a teaspoon under the gills; scrape and discard. Brush mushroom generously with olive oil on the inside and outside; set aside until stuffing is ready.
- Sauté onion and celery in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook 3-4 minutes or until garlic is fragrant. Transfer onion, celery, and garlic from the skillet to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add zucchini and red pepper to the same skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook over medium heat until vegetables soften and release extra moisture, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook for 2-3 more minutes to meld flavors. Transfer to the mixing bowl with the onions and celery, stir to combine. Allow mixture to cool slightly while grill is preheating.
- Just before grilling, toss blue cheese into vegetable stuffing then salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon evenly into the mushrooms. Top with additional blue cheese and grill over medium-low heat or in a preheated 350° oven for 8-10 minutes. Mushrooms will soften and wilt slightly when done. Use a spatula to remove from the grill and serve immediately or transfer to an oven safe dish to keep warm in a 200° oven until ready to serve.
Notes
The dark gills on the under side of the mushroom can cause an off flavor and a muddy appearance when using these mushrooms in sauces. Here we remove them to make more room for the filling and to allow the clean, distinct mushroom flavor to shine through.
Grilled Portabella Mushrooms with Blue Cheese & Vegetable Stuffing
Want to make it a meal by itself? Replace part of the vegetables with quinoa, browned sausage, or chopped prosciutto and serve two mushrooms per person. Oh yeah, that’s good stuff right there!
Check out the other September Sides in this series:
Quinoa Confetti Pilaf
Savory Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli-Cauliflower Gratin
Shared on the following Blog Hops:
Mom Trends Friday Food
Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday
Hearth & Soul Hop
The Healthy Home Economist Monday Mania
These look so good, Judy, with the melted blue cheese bringing so much to the party. And if someone doesn’t like a particular ingredient, it can be swapped out easily. Great tip, too, about the portabella’s gills. They can really affect the dish’s flavor.
ChgoJohn recently posted..Fig Preserves with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper
Thanks John, yes, the blue cheese really does it up right. Removing the gills was something I learned in the last few years. I used to avoid them for cream sauces and such because it make it so muddy, but not anymore.
Judy
I would love to try this recipe but I do not like blue cheese or similar type of cheeses. I know that this cheese makes or breaks this recipe but is there some other cheese you can recommend that i can substitue it for and still have it come out as good?
Thank You,
Mary
Hi Mary,
I completely understand how you feel about blue cheese, you are not alone, my daughter is no fan either. I think a worthy substitute would be feta, Parmesan, brie, or even an extra-sharp cheddar would be great. The vegetables and mushrooms need a stronger flavored cheese, even a smoked Gouda or Spanish Manchego would be great.
Let me know what you decide to go with, and how you like the recipe.
All the best,
Judy
These look awesome Judy!! I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be in a place where I have a grill again.
Jed Gray (sportsglutton) recently posted..Thirsty Thursday: The Great Pumpkin Beer Review II
I think I’d be lost without my grill — glad you have been reunited.
These mushrooms look absolutely delicious! Love the use of the blue cheese.
mjskit recently posted..Experimenting With Pizza Stone – Pizza with Poolish Method by Alterkitchen
Thanks MJ, the blue cheese really does the trick here.
I love portabella mushrooms. They have such a wonderful earthy flavor. Your recipe certainly dresses them up.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Pick Your Own Apples
Thanks for sayin’ so Karen.
Love portabella! and the way you presented it makes me even want it more, I love the mixture of flavors there
Raymund recently posted..Egg Pie
Thanks Raymund, we really enjoyed them this way — great fall colors too.
I can’t believe I neglected to include mushrooms on my list of fall flavors! Any variety that’s good to eat is good by me, and stuffed portobellos are a real treat. No matter the filling, you can’t go wrong with such an umami-rich edible container.
Hannah recently posted..Fall Flavors
Those look so good! I’m putting portobella mushrooms on my grocery list for this week, and blue cheese, too.
Barb @ Frugal Local Kitchen recently posted..if I were a minimalist: my 5 essential kitchen tools