Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Goat Cheese & Sundried Tomato

The beefy flavor or portobello stands up well to the strong flavors of the stuffing ingredients in this recipe, and the end product is a taste explosion perfect for a light dinner (served with green salad) or an excellent side dish for a heartier meal.

Goat cheese gets kinda clumpy while it’s heating.  If you want to make life really easy on yourself, heat it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds in a glass mixing bowl or measuring cup before you stir it into the saucepan.  Or if you’re feeling particularly lazy and trying to avoid dirtying extra dishes, just slice it up before you add it to the pan.

Ingredients:
4 portobello mushroom caps (or 2 really large ones)
1/4 c. julienned sundried tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. chopped green & kalamata olives (I get the herbed pitted olive mix from Whole Foods)
5-6 oz. herbed goat cheese (I like Laura Chenel, but the Trader Joe’s brand isn’t bad either)
2-3 c. spinach leaves, chopped
seasoned bread crumbs (Italian)
extra virgin olive oil

To make:
Preheat the oven to 375.

Set the sundried tomatoes in just enough hot water to cover them and set them aside to soften.  (If you bought whole, dry, sundried tomatoes, use a pair of scissors to cut them into thin strips crosswise before you put them in water.)

Rinse the mushroom caps and trim the stem of each so that it is at least no higher than the ridge of the cap.  Using a soup or serving spoon, scrape the ribs out of the undersides of each cap, much as you would remove the seeds from inside a pumpkin.  You will have to be careful with the edge of the mushrooms, as they’re fairly fragile, and it’s best if you can keep the bowl shape of each.  Set the caps aside to dry.

In a sauce pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and then press a clove or two of garlic in and turn the heat down to medium while the garlic toasts, about 60 seconds.  Give it a good stir or two so the garlic heats evenly and doesn’t burn.

Add the chopped walnuts, turn it back up to medium-high, and give it a few more good stirs while the walnuts toast, about 3 minutes.

Add the sundried tomatoes and stir it again.  If you didn’t use much water to soften the tomatoes, they will have absorbed most of it.  It’s okay if there’s a tablespoon or two still in the dish.  Pour it all into the saucepan.

Chop the olives and toss those in.  Give it all a good stir and let it heat up.

Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the goat cheese.  Keep stirring while the goat cheese melts.  You do not want it to bubble or burn.

Throw the chopped spinach leaves into the pan and cover the whole thing with a lid.  Keep an eye on it; when the spinach wilts but is still bright green, give everything a good stir to mix it all well and turn off the burner or turn it down to low.

Give the tops of the mushroom caps a light coating of olive oil.  Spoon the goat cheese stuffing mixture into each cap and set them top down (so that the stuffed insides are facing you) in a glass baking dish.

Top each cap with a tablespoon or 2 (or 3, if like me, you really love breadcrumbs) of breadcrumbs.

Add a splash or two of water to the bottom of the baking dish so it won’t break from the liquid in the mushrooms when it gets hot.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft, which should not take longer than maybe 30 minutes, if your oven temperature is at least in the ballpark.

Serve it up with a nice tossed salad and some crusty bread and enjoy!

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