Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms

I love trying new recipes.  Easy and taste good... that's my motto.  The stuffed portobella mushrooms were so good, I've made them twice in a week and a half!

Veggie Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 loose c. baby spinach, chopped
3 cloves chopped garlic (3/8 tsp. minced)
1/2 med. onion (approx. 1/3 c.)
1/2 sweet red pepper (approx.. 1/3 c.)
3/4 c. part skim ricotta
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
4 large basil leaves, chopped  (1/2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
4 large portobella mushroom caps
1/2 c. marinara sauce
1/2 c. part skim shredded mozzarella
Salt and Pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  For easier clean up, cover sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil.  Gently remove the stems, scoop out the gills.  Brush the tops of mushrooms with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  The oil will soak into the mushrooms pretty fast.

Over medium heat, saute  onion, garlic and red pepper in oil and season with salt. Cook until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the spinach and saute until wilted, about 1-4 minutes, stirring as it cooks.

In medium bowl, add the ricotta, parmesan cheese and egg.  Mix well. Add the cooked vegetables, basil, and oregano.  Mix together until well combined. Using a regular tablespoon, stuff the mushrooms with ricotta mixture.  Top each mushroom with 2 tbsp. marinara and 2 tbsp. mozzarella.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  Broil on high during last 1 1/2 minutes of baking.

NOTES:

•  I’ve used regular spinach unchopped and it works fine.  I imagine you could use frozen spinach (well drained) also.
•  Look for large caps with high walls with no cracks on the sides so your filling doesn't come out as it bakes.
•  I saved (froze) the gills and stem to put in other recipes such as soup, casserole, or stuffing.
•  Any sweet peppers will work (red, orange, yellow, etc).
•  Chop the pepper and onion pretty small – about the size of a pencil eraser.
•  I’ve substituted parmesan cheese with mozzarella (on accident!) and it is just as tasty.
•  It’s okay to mound the veggie/cheese mixture into the mushrooms.  I’ve not had it “boil” over as bakes.
•  The marinara and mozzarella toppings are approximations.  If using smaller mushrooms, use less; larger use more.

• Servings: 4. • Size: 1 mushroom cap • Calories: 236 • Fat: 13g • Carb: 13g • Fiber: 2.5g • Protein: 20g • Sugar: 4g • Sodium: 522mg  • Cholest: 83mg

Adapted from www.skinnytaste.com