Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

Let's be honest, that essay ain't happenin. I don't have time for that, there's too much Friday Night Lights to be watched. 

I love stuffed mushrooms. I love the way you can put whatever you want in them, I love how they are a well rounded meal with very little effort and I love that portabello mushrooms almost taste and feel like meat. However, I do not know how to spell portobello. Spell check is underlining both options so I'll just mix it up. For this round, I used wheat orzo as the grain because that's what I had. Any small grain works though; couscous or quinoa would both be delicious. 

Start by cooking the orzo and draining it. I was stuffing four big but weirdly shaped mushrooms so I made a cup and a half of wheat orzo.

Set that aside. In a large skillet saute a diced onion and garlic in some olive oil. 

Add in any other chopped veggies you like. I used tomatoes and watercress. I originally planned to use spinach but it looked gross at the store and watercress was surprisingly the same price. 

Once all the veggies look tender and wilted, plop on a big hunk of creamy goat cheese. I suppose this is optional if you are vegan or crazy, but it adds a nice creaminess. If you leave out the goat cheese, you could stir in some broth if you'd like. 

Once the goat cheese is stirred in, add the grain to the skillet and mix it all together. Season to taste with salt, pepper and basil. 

And the final step, stuffing the mushrooms to the brim. Pile it on there! I told you my mushrooms were weirdly shaped. They were the only pieces left in the bin at the store. I promise I didn't take bites out of them before photographing. 

Bake these puppies in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes and enjoy! To really put them over the top, crumble more goat cheese on top right before serving. I had leftover stuffing that could've filled another mushroom if I'd had it. 

The Recipe

• 1.5 cups of cooked grain- orzo, couscous or quinoa
• 1/2 of a large onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 small tomatoes diced
• 1 bunch of spinach or watercress, tough stems removed
• 2oz. goat cheese
• 1 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and gross black stuff scooped out

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the roasting pan with non-stick spray. Cook the grain according to package instructions and set aside. In a separate skillet, saute the diced onion and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil until translucent. Add in the tomatoes and watercress. Once the watercress has wilted, stir in the goat cheese. When desired creaminess is achieved, mix in the grain. Add basil, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps and roast face up for 25-30 minutes. Crumble more goat cheese on top before serving.