Moosewood Italian Stuffed Portabellas

Tish's Note:

These are good for an everyday supper since they're so easily prepared, yet look no further of you want something elegant enough to present at a dinner party. This dish is nice served on a bed of pasta topped with Tomato Sauce.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 large portabella mushrooms (4 1/2 to 5 inches)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup minced onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2/3 cup minced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly oil a baking dish.
3. Carefully brush or wipe off any soil from the mushrooms.
4. Twist off the stems and discard.
5. Rinse the mushroom caps and pat dry with a towel.
6. In a skillet, warm 2 Tbs of the olive oil and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
7. Add the garlic and peppers and sauté for 5 minutes more.
8. Remove from the heat and set aside.
9. In a bowl, mix together the basil, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, and bread crumbs.
10. Stir the sautéed vegetables into the cheese mixture.
11. Brush the portabellos with the remaining Tbs of oil and place them gill side up in the prepared baking dish.
12. Mound cheese mixture in each.
13. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the mushrooms release their juices and the cheese is melted.
14. Serve hot.

Reviews

[Rhiannon&Matt.gauci]

We love this recipe. We use light ricotta, dried basil & tasty cheddar cheese instead of the mozzarella. We think the filling would also be great in other vegies, such as capsicum or tomato - We'll give it a go some time. Update: We have since made this a few times & have included spinach & also swapped it around, stuffing red capsicum (bell pepper) with mushrooms in the ricotta mix. Originally 4 stars, now 5! :D Thanks for sharing, Tish.

[Missy Wombat]

Excellent easy recipe that is quite filling. I used thai basil, homemade ricotta and a green bell pepper but it still looked pretty good. Tastes delicious too.

[KLBoyle]

These are really good! I was afraid to add much salt because I thought it would get plenty of salt from the cheeses but I was wrong, in the end it definitely needed more salt. Thanks for sharing!