Vegetarian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
These stunning Vegetarian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms are filled with a delicious mixture of sun-dried tomatoes, olives, panko, feta, and toasted pine nuts bursting with Mediterranean flavor. They’re easy to make and serve as an elegant appetizer, side dish, or meatless main course.
I like big stuffed mushrooms, and I cannot lie; these vegetarian stuffed portobello mushrooms are quickly becoming my new favorite stuffed mushroom recipe -though I can’t deny my Italian Stuffed Mushrooms and Gluten-Free Stuffed Mushrooms are also crazy good.
So what makes these vegetarian stuffed mushrooms so special? First, they’re made with large portobello mushroom caps instead of baby portobellos. Of course, you can serve them as an appetizer or side dish, but they’re also a perfectly suitable and satisfying meat-free entree.
These super-sized stuffed mushrooms are also filled with simple, healthy ingredients inspired by the fresh, fragrant flavors and delicious textures often associated with Greek food. Enjoy these mushrooms on your patio on a warm sunny day with a crisp glass of pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, and it’s the next best thing to a Mediterranean vacation!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy. You can have these mushrooms prepped, stuffed, baked, and on the table in under 30 minutes.
- Baked or air fried. If it’s a hot day and you can’t be bothered with the oven, you can just as easily cook them in your air fryer.
- Versatile dish. These crowd-pleasing mushrooms are an excellent appetizer or side dish for small gatherings, but they’re also perfect as the main dish with healthy sides.
- Easy to make gluten-free. When made with gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, this recipe is inherently gluten-free.
- Great for making ahead. You can prep the mushrooms and make the filling ahead, and then assemble and bake when you’re ready.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Portobello mushroom caps – This recipe makes enough filling to stuff four portobello caps generously. Look for large, flat, dark brown caps about 5” in diameter.
- Extra virgin olive oil – EVOO comes in handy a few times throughout the recipe. As always, try to use a good-quality EVOO with a rich, fruity flavor.
- Pine nuts – Toasted pine nuts add a mildly sweet buttery taste to the filling mixture. If you need a substitute, cashews resemble pine nuts in appearance, taste, and texture (and they’re significantly cheaper).
- Onion and garlic – Red onion is best, but sweet onion or shallots also have great flavor. I wouldn’t recommend substituting the freshly minced garlic cloves for jarred minced garlic or garlic powder.
- Baby spinach leaves – Feel free to substitute chopped kale leaves.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – Gives the filling a pop of sweet, tart, and tomatoey flavor.
- Kalamata olives – Brings a pleasantly briny element to the filling.
- Feta cheese – Feta helps the filling stay moist during baking. You can also use goat cheese, gorgonzola, freshly grated parmesan, or mozzarella.
- Panko bread crumbs – Helps bind the filling ingredients while adding a crispy textural element.
- Sea salt and black pepper – To season the mushroom caps.
How to make vegetarian stuffed portobello mushrooms
Step 1: Preheat the oven and clean the mushrooms. Preheat the oven to 425℉. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms by wiping away the dirt and debris with a damp paper towel. Once cleaned, place each mushroom, gill side facing up, in a baking dish and rub them with olive oil.
Step 2: Pre-bake the mushroom caps. Transfer the baking dish to the oven, and bake for 8 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside while you prepare the filling.
Step 3: Toast the pine nuts. In a large dry sauté pan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Set aside in a small bowl.
Step 4: Sauté the aromatics and spinach. Heat the EVOO in the same pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft. Then add the garlic and sauté for one more minute before adding the spinach, and stirring until wilted.
Step 5: Finish the stuffing. Now add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, olives, panko, feta, and toasted pine nuts to the pan, and cook, stirring often, until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from the heat.
Step 6: Bake stuffed mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and fill them a little past the top with the filling. Drizzle olive oil over each, and return them to the oven at 425℉ for 10-12 minutes.
Recipe tips
- To clean portobello mushroom caps, wipe them well with a damp paper towel, so they stay as dry as possible. If you rinse them under running water, moisture will get trapped in the crevices, making the mushrooms soggy during baking.
- The gills of a portobello mushroom cap are completely safe to eat, but they tend to turn to mush when cooked, creating an unappetizing presentation, so it’s best to scrape them out before making stuffed mushrooms.
- If the mushroom caps release moisture while baking, blot it away before stuffing.
- Switch your oven to BROIL for the last 2 to 3 minutes to toast the top of the filling and get it nice and crispy.
Variations
Stuffed baby portobello mushrooms – To make them bite-sized, remove the stems and gently carve out the center of 16 baby portobellos with a small spoon. Add the filling, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 375℉ for 30-35 minutes.
Vegan stuffed mushrooms – Swap the feta cheese with vegan feta crumbles to make this recipe dairy-free and vegan.
Add fresh herbs – For an extra boost of Mediterranean flavor, add fresh chopped herbs, like basil, Greek oregano, parsley, chives, and dill weed, to the filling mixture after removing it from the heat.
Serving suggestions
Whether you serve these stuffed portobellos as an appetizer, side dish, or vegetarian main course, I highly recommend serving fresh lemon wedges and tzatziki on the side. Here are some of the many main courses and side dishes to choose from:
- Lemon Balsamic Grilled Asparagus
- Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
- Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad
- Mediterranean Grilled Sirloin Steaks
- Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets
- Mediterranean Halibut
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Keep leftover mushrooms refrigerated in a single layer in a shallow airtight container for 3- 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftover stuffed mushrooms at 350℉ degrees until the cheese is remelted and bubbly and the mushrooms are warm. Keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn.
Freezing: You can freeze the stuffed portobello mushrooms before baking. To do so, freeze them on a baking sheet and transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Keep frozen for 2 to 3 months. Then, bake the mushrooms from frozen until cooked.
Recipe FAQs
I haven’t tested this recipe specifically in the air fryer, but you should be able to air fry the mushrooms at 375℉ for 20-25 minutes with the same great-tasting results.
Mushrooms are naturally porous and absorb a ton of moisture. So drying them as well as you can before adding the filling helps keep the mushrooms from becoming watery because there isn’t any excess moisture.
Yes! To save time, prep the mushroom caps and make the loaded mashed potatoes the night before. Then, when you’re ready, assemble the stuffed mushrooms and bake.
More stuffed vegetable recipes
- Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Tex Mex Stuffed Yellow Squash
- Old-Fashioned Stuffed Mushrooms
- Beef Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potato
If you love these mushrooms, I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!
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Vegetarian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 large portobello mushrooms
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion finely chopped (red onion is best)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives chopped
- 1/4 cup gluten-free panko bread crumbs
- 6 oz feta cheese
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wipe off mushrooms (they get soggy if you rinse them) and place, gill side up, in a baking dish rubbed with olive oil.
- Cook for 8 minutes and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large sauté pan, toast pine nuts, stirring rapidly over medium heat until fragrant and lightly golden.
- Place toasted nuts into a small bowl and set aside.
- In that same warm pan, heat the EVOO and add onions.
- Cook onions until soft then add garlic and stir for about a minute before adding spinach to the pan. Cook spinach until wilted, then add all other ingredients, stirring often, until cheese begins to melt. Sprinkle mushroom caps with salt and pepper and top evenly with stuffing mixture.
- Drizzle each mushroom with a little olive oil and bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes more.
Notes
- To clean portobello mushroom caps, wipe them well with a damp paper towel, so they stay as dry as possible. If you rinse them under running water, moisture will get trapped in the crevices, making the mushrooms soggy during baking.
- The gills of a portobello mushroom cap are completely safe to eat, but they tend to turn to mush when cooked, creating an unappetizing presentation, so it’s best to scrape them out before making stuffed mushrooms.
- If the mushroom caps release moisture while baking, blot it away before stuffing.
- Switch your oven to BROIL for the last 2 to 3 minutes to toast the top of the filling and get it nice and crispy.
Nutrition
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These mushrooms are fabulous! They are simple to make and the results are far greater than the effort put in. I was testing this for adinner party I am hosting next month, and they will definitely be on the menu. I’m sure that the components could be made ahead, which is what I would do. The only suggestion I would have is to list your ingredients in the order they will be used when making the dish. It makes it much easier to follow. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you Vivian! I’ll make that change, usually I do them in order. I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! I hope that they’re a party hit!