Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Italian Style
Mushrooms are versatile when planning a menu. They can be used in an appetizer, salad or main course. While traveling in Europe, I have had a delicious salad topped with warm wild mushrooms and roasted pears, had mushrooms cooked in a cream sauce and served over pork and mushrooms stuffed with meat and bread crumbs along with other roasted vegetables accompanying a main course.
My Portobello mushrooms are prepared with an Italian stuffing of fresh homemade bread crumbs and hot Italian sausage and served on a bed of spinach wilted in olive oil and garlic. This recipe is a play on a wilted spinach and mushroom salad but much better and filling enough that it can be a served as a main course.
Portobello Mushrooms, Italian Style
- 2 large Portobello mushrooms or 4 medium
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil for brushing, plus an extra 1 Tbsp. for sautéing, if needed
- 6 oz. Italian sausage, hot or regular, removed from their casing
- 1/2 c. chopped onion
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted
- 2 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1/4 c. grated pecorino romano cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg, beaten
Preheat the over 350 degrees.
Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and remove the gills with a spoon. Brush with olive oil and place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for five minutes. Remove for the oven and let cool while preparing the stuffing.
Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking into small pieces until just cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add the onion to skillet, adding the additional 1 Tbsp. of olive oil if needed. Cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the sautéed onions and garlic to the sausage and mix. Add add the remaining ingredients except the egg. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary. When the taste is correct add the egg a little at a time until moist (you may not need all the egg) but not wet. Stuff the mushrooms and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until you have a nice golden crust.
Wilted Garlic Spinach
Take 2 or 3 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil and heat. Add 1 or 2 cloves of sliced or minced garlic and simmer until the garlic has become soft but not brown. When the oil has become flavorful, add one bag (8 – 9 oz.) of baby spinach and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the garlic oil until just wilted. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss again. The spinach should just be wilted for the best flavor.
This recipe is very easy and flavorful. It is versatile in that you can use smaller white or cremini mushrooms for an appetizer. It is easily doubled for entertaining. You can also make it vegetarian by eliminating the sausage and adding a little extra oil and vegetable broth to keep it moist. As a finishing touch, you can drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the mushrooms and a sprinkle of cheese, or serve with marinara sauce on the side.
Buon Appetito!
I’m making this next week. I was thinking about portobellos last week, but none of my usual recipes sounded good to me. This one, however, is perfect! 🙂
I glad you like the recipe, Kristy. The mushrooms were delicious on top of the garlic spinach.
Karen, this is up my alley again – your file are getting bigger and bigger. You have done a fantastic job with the spinach – because that’s something really difficult to do – to get a good photo. Perfect! To take photo on food isn’t easy .. when the professionals do it – the food is raw and their stylists use tea to browning the meat – oil to get it glossy. Been there – one dish takes a full day. McDonald’s can spend 2 days on one burger and it cost mega bucks. You have done a really good job here with your photo. This a file dish for me. Thanks ..
Thank you so very much Viveka, for your lovely comment. I hope you will enjoy the dish. I love your description of it taking 2 days for a food shot. I’m trying to have the photo done as fast as possible because this is our evening meal and I don’t want it to get cold. I must admit that I don’t think I will ever eat piping hot food again, more like room temperature by the time I get it to the table.
Yes, absolutely nightmare to work with food photo’s – not allowed to do anything yourself neither – just looking at the ready shots and adjust and adjust and adjust. This is a very impressive photo, Karen. Sure it taste so good as it like. As a chef you are use to eat cold food standing up most of the time. So soon you take a bit – a new ticket arrives – better today, when you as a chef not allowed to eat in the kitchen, because risk for cross con-termination. We shouldn’t eat piping hot food – poor stomach … 63C is perfect serving temperature for food.
Grazie altretanto! That is an amazing photo of the mushroom in all its glory. I adore mushrooms and if I could work out a way to use them in a dessert I would 😉 Lovely recipe, and something I could easily recreate here if I can track down some portobellos…
Prego Tanya. You can make this dish with smaller mushrooms as well…maybe some that you discover when you go foraging again. Thank you for your nice compliment.
This looks amazing! I am always seeking new ideas and vegetarian options.. I see that the recipe has sausage in it but I am going to try it without.. Thank You Karen
Thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice comment. It can definitely be made without the sausage. Just use a little more olive oil and some vegetable broth for moisture.
Oh you have my mouth watering with this gorgeous dish. This is just my kind of meal. I’ll be making this soon. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for your nice compliment…I hope you will enjoy the recipe.
WOW Karen, these look amazing! I love portobello mushroom, bookmarked and can’t wait to make!
Thank you Jessica for stopping by and your nice compliment. The mushrooms really have a lot of flavor. I hope you enjoy them.
I’ll bet that’s good! And garlic spinach! I’d be happy to eat the spinach alone.
Hi Rosemary, Thank you for your nice comment. I love spinach prepared this way and could easily eat a whole bowl of it.
That looks delicious – great photography too!
Thank you Mad Dog for your nice compliment. It was a delicious dish.
What a nice treatment for stuffing portobellos–great photograph as well!
Hi Victoria, Thank you for your nice compliment. I like to make meals every so often that use meat as one of the components but not the main ingredient. The Italian sausage gives the stuffing so much flavor.
This sounds like the perfect stuffed mushroom, Karen, and your presentation is excellent! Add to that a beautiful photo and you’ve shared a great post. Well done!
Thank you John for your nice compliment. I thought of you when I made this dish…you made a delicious spinach salad earlier this year.
Hello Karen I love those mushrooms, they are my favorite! The Italin sausage is the key to success although I’m making them using herbs and cheese and they are also great that way!
Have a wonderful day!
Hi Eri, Thank you for your nice compliment. You are right, they are also delicious without the sausage. Have a lovely day as well.
I love Portobello mushrooms, Karen. LOVE them! I even prepare them on the grill with hardly a thing added and love them, so this is like a magic dish! 🙂 I have out of town guests arriving for a weekend soon, and I already know their love of Italian sausage, so this is a must! You go the extra mile…I wouldn’t have thought to put the lovely spinach as a beautiful color contrast! Debra
Hi Debra, Thank you for your nice comment. I hope you and your guests will enjoy the mushrooms. I think it is important to have some color on your plate. It just makes food more appetizing.
Fantastic, what a delicious veritable tower of food! Incredible. I adore spinach – what a great combination 😀
Thank you Frugal, for your very nice compliment.
I love the idea of putting sausage in the stuffing Karen. With this fabulous combination, I know it is going to be delicious…and easy to make. Win, win!!
Hi Jenny, Thank you for your nice comment. Adding the Italian sausage to the stuffing really adds a wonderful flavor. You are right…they are very easy to prepare.
Oh, dear, I made the same wilted spinach salad last night and was going to post it.. but I think yours is over the top with that stuffed Portobello.. so I’ll just sit here and admire yours:) Lovely!!!
Thank you Smidge for your lovely comment. Please do post your wilted spinach salad, I know everyone will enjoy it.
I haven’t done anything with portobello mushrooms in so long – this looks so good – a real centerpiece for a fresh evening meal!
Thank you T.W., for your nice comment. It was a very nice meal indeed.
I haven’t done anything with portobello mushrooms in so long – this looks absolutely delicious! The perfect centerpiece for a fresh, healthy meal!
What a delicious dinner! I love stuffed anything 😀
Yum!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Latest: Maple Raisin Ice Cream
Hi Choc Chip Uru, I’m with you…I really enjoy stuffed anything as well.
You know, strangely I think I have never seen portobello mushrooms in Switzerland or France (I do grocery shopping in both), but I will remember your recipe when I see huge button mushrooms. It sounds delightfully Italian and has a summer touch I love 🙂
The garlic spinach reminds me I have to go and buy young spinach which is now in season! Thanks for the great ideas.
Hi Sissi, One of the things I enjoy about blogging is finding out about what foods and products are available all over the world. I have to agree with you about portobello mushrooms. We alway enjoy going to the markets when in Europe and I don’t remember them either. You do have a much larger variety of of other mushrooms though.
Looks delicious. I love stuffed mushrooms.
Thank you for your comment, Low Fat Chick. The Italian sausage gives a lot of flavor to the stuffing.
Hi Karen – great photo! I love portobello mushrooms and will have to try this recipe. I have a recipe I use that “stuffs” the portobello with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and tomato – great for the summer.
Hi Cher, Thank you for your nice compliment. I can’t wait for summer when our cooking changes so much. My husband and I will be at our summer cottage where we have our garden. Fresh tomatoes, and fresh herbs will be going into so many recipes and well as preparing food on the grill.
A lovely looking dish.
Thank you Boleyn, for your nice comment
That is one of the most gorgeous stuffed mushrooms that I have ever seen. I need to try your recipe–I’m stuck in a rut with my typical stuffed mushroom recipe.
Thank you Cucina, for your very kind compliment. I appreciate it very much. It is very easy to stay in our comfort zone when it comes to food. We prepare dishes that everyone likes and we continue to make them. I think you will enjoy adding this recipe to your repertoire.
Your mushrooms look fabulous!
And I agree, they’re one of the most versatile vegetables.
Thank you Beth, for your nice compliment. Mushrooms are a much overlooked ingredient but have so much to offer.
I love how tall that mound of stuffing is. Great recipe.
Hi Greg, Thanks for the nice compliment. Stuffing is a good thing so pile it high.
Sounds fabulous, as usual, Karen. I am drinking a glass of merlot right now as I read blogs…so this sounds particularly good right now. : )
Thank you for your nice compliment, Bliss. I’m glad the recipe sounds good…it was a nice meal.
Your recipe photos make me hungry!! What a yummy looking recipe.
Hi Becky, Thank you for stopping by and your nice comment. I’m glad you like the photo and recipe.
What a delightful meal Karen. This would hit the spot for a lunch and then again dinner for me.
🙂 Mandy
Thank you Mandy, for your very nice compliment. This was a nice meal, perfect for lunch or dinner.
this sounds amazing and I could eat that for supper any night of the week 🙂
Hi Tandy, Thank you for you nice compliment. My husband and I really enjoyed this meal.
Those stuffed mushrooms look so inviting on top of the wilted garlic spinach! A wonderful meatless meal that I’d love to try.
Thank you Susan, for your nice comment. I prepared the mushrooms with Italian sausage but it is so easy just to eliminate the meat and still have a delicious meal.
This looks delicious, Karen. It’s going into my saved blogs folder. Thanks.
Thank you Sharyn, for your nice compliment. I hope you will enjoy the recipe.
I love mushrooms of any kind! I try to use them in my cooking as much as possible. These stuffed ones look extremely appetizing, making me wish I had one in front of me right now! Also the addition of spinach to the dish creates a great counterbalance!
Hi Katerina, for your nice comment. I sometimes stuff the mushrooms with spinach and cheese so I thought a bed of wilted garlic spinach would be good.
That looks so yummy! I’m not a fan of mushrooms (at all), but I have been known to just eat the stuffing and leave the mushroom behind (shhh!). Love the wilted garlic spinach!
Hi Ducky, I know that there people who don’t like mushrooms at all…my son being one of them. This stuffing would be good for any vegetable, to stuff inside a chicken or just baked in a casserole my itself. The wilted garlic spinach is very good.
A lovely meal Karen, and I have plenty of spinach at the momentso this would be nice and easy (and fresh) !
Thank you Claire, for your nice comment. Spinach fresh from your garden would be wonderful.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for visiting my blog -I’m quite happy to follow you – I’m sure I’ll enjoy your stories- seems like we have a lot in common! These mushrooms look like they would not last long on my plate! Wonderful recipe!
Thank you Nicole for stopping by for a visit and your nice comment. I agree that we do have a lot in common with our love of food and travel. I look forward to your visits in the future. The mushrooms are great…hope you enjoy.
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for coming by my little Welsh blog-or should I say my blog based on my garden and food here in ‘sunny’ Wales and leaving a kind comment-much appreciated indeed! Will have to have a go at making the veggie version of your delicious looking dish and perhaps with some of my black garlic too for an extra dimension!!
Thank you Dragonette, for your visit today and your nice comment. We have a lot in common with your love of gardening and food. I think the black garlic would add wonderful flavor to a veggie version of this recipe.
This looks very savory! (And I really enjoy wilted spinach with garlic – adds a nice touch to this recipe.)
Thank you Karen, for your nice comment. The wilted garlic spinach goes very well with the mushrooms.
This looks pretty much perfect for lunch … so hungry now!
Hi Pumpkin, This would make a great lunch. Thank you for the nice comment.
Just look at this dish.. it looks so filling and definitely hearty. I could use a meal like this right now.. since I’m hungry lol. Love this Karen
Hi Kay, Thank you so much for your comment. This makes a lovely lunch or a healthy dinner.
Love stuffed mushrooms! I have to try your recipe, looks fantastic!
Thank you Carol. I appreciate your nice comment…I hope you will enjoy the recipe.
Karen – When you stuff a mushroom, you really stuff it. It looks super good and I’m sure I’d love the flavors in the stuffing.
Hi Larry, Thank you for your comment. I’m glad you liked the recipe. My husband loved this meal even though it is really a healthy meal. There is only 6 oz. of meat in this recipe that serves two people.
This is our very favorite appetizer to make for parties. Yours looks spectacular!
Thank you Geni, for your nice comment. Stuffed mushrooms are always popular at a party. Using white button or cremini mushrooms, this would be a lovely appetizer for a party.
These look so good! I love mushrooms, especially portabellos, but hubby doesn’t, so I try to sneak them in or eat them when he isn’t around! 🙂
Hi Jane, Thank you for your nice comment. If your husband doesn’t like mushrooms but likes other vegetables, you could stuff them or simply bake the stuffing in a casserole dish.
Great recipe! I’d love to put this over pasta.
Thank you for your nice comment, Cupcakes.
This looks so good….and doable on a weekday.
Hi Wendy, This is an easy recipe, very doable for a meal during the week.
The only way I can really get myself to like portobellos is to stuff them with lots of deliciousness. Love the sound of this filling!
Hi Joanne, I’m happy to have a stuffing recipe to disguise the portobellos for you.
thanks so much for stopping by my blog today, so I can come here and see this delicious recipe. I really do love portabello mushrooms and this recipe is very impressive. I could eat it as a meal just the way you prepared this. This is a real winner-, saving it so I can enjoy at my house-yum! Have a great weekend.
Hi Tina, Thanks for stopping by and your nice comment. I hope you will enjoy the recipe. Have a nice weekend as well.
You really captured my attention with this recipe, Karen. The stuffed mushrooms are so pretty sitting on a bed of spinach and I love that this can be made early in the day and baked just before serving.
Thank you Cathy, for your nice comment. This a great dish to prepare ahead of time and then bake right before serving. Preparing the spinach takes just a matter of minutes.
YUM! I love stuffed mushrooms and these look perfect!!
Hi Simply Life, Glad you stopped by for a visit….it is always nice to meet another person from New England. Thanks for the nice compliment.
What a great way to make a meal out of portobello mushrooms, and such a pretty and complete meal. This would be fun to try…I might even sub italian chicken sausage to make it even healthier, although since there’s so little in there you sure don’t have to worry about it. I love this!
Hi Betsy, Thank you for your nice compliment. I use chicken sausage a lot…but as you said there isn’t that much sausage so I say go for whichever makes you happy.
I think this caliber of recipe needs to be posted on pininterest. Im on my way now!!! Take Care, BAM
Thank you Bam, that is very kind of you.
Though stuffing a portobello can be difficult, this mixture sounds like heaven Karen…exactly what I could use right now for lunch. 🙂
Hi Jed, Thank you for your comment. I scrape out the gills with a spoon and don’t have any problem stuffing them.
Hi Karen
This looks amazing! I cannot wait to try this one at my next family dinner.
Hi Peggy, Thank you for your nice compliment. I hope you will enjoy the meal.
That looks divine and I love the addition of hot Italian sausage! 😀 And even though it is 6:22am at the moment I really want some!
Hi Lorraine, Sorry to make you hungry so early in the morning but I’m glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for the nice compliment.
This looks like a recipe that is going to become one of my favorites. Looks delightful!
Thank you PW, I’m so happy that you like the recipe…I think you will really enjoy it.
OMG these look so good!! I’m going to the store to get the ingredients I don’t have on hand and these are MINE! 🙂
Hi Maureen, Thank you so much for your nice compliment. I really hope that you will enjoy the meal.
I love portobello mushrooms! I usually prepare them meatless, but this sounds like a delicious recipe I’d like to try. Thanks, Karen!
Hi Pat, Thank you for your nice comment. I too sometimes prepare them meatless, usually with spinach and cheese. Since this was our evening meal I wanted some protein. There is just a small amount of sausage but it gives so much flavor and turned the mushrooms into a wonderful meal.
I love stuffed mushrooms, their possibilities are endless! You’ve just provided me with another type to try out! 😉
Hi Jasline, Thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice comment. I hope you will enjoy the recipe.
I would love this I cant get enough mushrooms. It looks completely delicious with spinach
Hi Tania, Thank you for your nice compliment. I hope you will enjoy the stuffed mushrooms and spinach.
Karen, sorry I have missed a few posts of yours I think. I have been uber busy on some really fun photo shoots in places where there was no computer signal worth a darn. No, I was not in Katmandu, but in buildings with thick walls and little available in the way of wireless! But I am happy to have caught up with you again as always and want to say how very much I love this recipe and the ease of preparation and how beautiful they look.
Thank you Teresa, for your nice comment. I really do understand about how hard it is to get a signal for your computer when traveling. It is a real challenge, especially when I travel out of the country. This really is an easy recipe to prepare and nice enough to serve guests.
I love it! It is like an appetizer on steroids!
beautiful photo and delicious idea (also looks like a great way to use to sneak “turkey sausage” past my husband!)
Hi Carol, You made me laugh…”an appetizer on steroids”. I think using turkey sausage would be great!
wow looks amazing your recipes are great and love the pictures 🙂
Hi Rebecca, Thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice comment. I’m so happy that you enjoy my posts and recipes.
I had an incredible stuffed portobello this weekend…it was stuffed with goats cheese. I love the ingredients in your recipe Karen, I will have to give it a go.
Thank you Eva, for your nice comment. I often stuff mushrooms with spinach and cheese or breadcrumbs and cheese…all delicious. I hope you will enjoy the recipe. The recipe is also good make with Italian sausage made with chicken.
mushrooms and spinach – Yum some of my favorite foods >8)
Hi Shelley, Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and your nice comment. Spinach and mushrooms are a perfect marriage of flavors. I look forward to your visits in the future.
I love stuffed portobellos; these sound fabulous!
Hi Laura, Thank you so much for your nice compliment. I hope you get a chance to try this recipe and enjoy it.
Karen, this looks fantastic! The stuffed mushroom itself sounds incredible, but served over a bed of spinach makes a wonderful meal 🙂
Thank you so much Liz, for your very nice compliment. The spinach not only gave great color to the dish but also added a nice flavor to the overall meal.
You know I saw portobello in the grocery store and thought that I really need a good recipe for this baby before I buy it.
Yours looks fantastic, I will be making this soon…
Delicious!!!
Thank you Reem, for you nice compliment. I hope you will enjoy the recipe.
This looks heavenly
Hi Irish, Thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice compliment. I hope to hear from you again.
Beautiful photo and delicious recipe.
Thank you Richard for your visit and nice compliment.
These look so delicious! I’m definitely going to try them!
Hi Kimberly, Thank you for stopping by to visit and your nice compliment. I hope you enjoy the meal.
thanks for visiting my blog – your’s has some great recipes too! I can’t wait to try this with some gluten free breadcrumbs and sausages! Looks amazing (and I bet it will taste even better!)
Hi Sarah, Thank you for stopping by for a visit and your nice comment. I hope you will enjoy the recipe. The mushrooms really have a lot of flavor.