Mexican Stuffed Portobellos

In line with my goal of trying to enjoy mushrooms more, I ordered Portobello mushrooms from Grean B.E.A.N. Delivery. I’ve had Portobellos prepared before at restaurants and liked them just fine, but I've never made them. In that produce delivery, I also got zucchini, red onion, cilantro, and green pepper. I found a similar recipe that had more of an Italian-flare, but I knew Lo would prefer a Mexican-style, since he was more wary of mushrooms than I.  I also had cooked black beans in the fridge, along with quinoa and cooked ground beef in the freezer that I pulled out and defrosted.  Sorry - the picture kind of sucks and isn't that appetizing, but I promise it tastes good!

This recipe is completely customizable – use whatever veggies that you want, change up the grains or beans (or leave them out), and change up the meat (or leave it out). The ingredients look like a lot, but it didn’t take long at all (with Lo chopping and me getting everything together and cooking). All of the chopping could be done ahead of time, and obviously it’s always nice to have the meat and grains cooked. I like cooking extra grains and meat and storing them in the freezer to pull out for quick meals.

Also - note that I had a lot of this mixture leave over that didn’t fit on the mushrooms, but we’ll just use that in another way – or just eat it separately.

Mexican Stuffed Portobellos

3-4 large Portobello mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1/2-1 cup of cooked ground beef or shredded chicken (omit for vegetarian)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa or rice
1/2 cup black beans
Fajita or Taco Seasoning Mix, to taste (ortega is gluten-free)
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 Spanish or red onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 medium tomato, chopped (or some salsa)
Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs or crushed tortilla chips (I used blue corn tortilla chips for gluten-free)
1/2 cup cheese of your choice – I used muenster because that’s what we had
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Extra salsa for topping if you’d like

1.Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.Remove stems from mushrooms and set aside. Clean mushroom tops with a paper towel to remove any dirt. Scrape out the gills with a spoon (I don’t know if that is the proper way to do it, but I didn’t know what to do). Set aside.

3.Heat oil in a medium skillet. Chop mushroom stems and add to skillet with zucchini, pepper, onion, garlic and vinegar. Sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes, until onion and zucchini start to soften. Add tomato or salsa, quinoa or rice, black bean, meat (if using), and seasoning mix. If mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of water. Heat through, about 2 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and transfer to a bowl. Stir in cilantro, bread crumbs, and cheese. (If you prefer a drier mixture, simply add more bread crumbs.) Season with salt and black pepper and more taco seasoning or red pepper, if desired.

4.Fill mushroom tops with vegetable mixture and bake for 15 minutes or until mushrooms look tender and cheese is slightly melted. Top with salsa to eat, if desired.