We take beautiful hearty portobello mushroom caps and stuff them with a mixture of spinach, mozzarella, parmesan, and panko, roast them until they’re tender, and serve with a splash of balsamic for the perfect hearty but not too filling veggie burger!
We love burgers around here in a big way. The most popular recipe on this site is a burger {that would be this one, in case you’re wondering}. And as I was scrolling through the archives, looking for inspiration {I like to add a lot of recommended variations and ideas for future recipes in my posts that often become future recipes}, I realized that we’ve got burgers, chicken burgers, turkey burgers, sausage burgers, and all kinds of burgers on this site but that we hadn’t addressed one very important player in the burger arena.
The portobello mushroom burger. Portobello mushrooms are a great option if you want a main ingredient strong enough to hold its own in your typical meaty dish but lighter. They’re less caloric and less filling, and a delicious natural source of vitamin D and copper, which your body needs to create connective tissue and metabolize iron.
This giant meaty mushroom cap is hearty and delicious, perfect for meat and non-meat lovers. But even though it looks huge and you can easily substitute it for meat in many recipes, it’s not all that filling. So the perfect portobello mushroom burger is one piled high with delicious toppings, or in this case, stuffed with them!
For this one, we mixed together chopped baby spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and panko crumbs to give it a little bit of crunchiness, hollowed out our portobellos and stuffed them full of the mixture, and roasted them in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Served on a toasted sesame bun with drizzled Balsamic vinaigrette and you’ve got an amazingly delicious and hearty burger. Or you can serve up the stuffed cap by itself if you’re not feeling the bun. They stand alone just fine. But around here, like I said, we like our burgers, so we went with that option!
If you’re into burgers, here are some of our other favorites posted here:
- Steakhouse Barbecue Ranch Burgers
- Baked Crispy Chicken Sandwiches
- Cheddar Ranch Turkey Burgers
- Cabernet Gorgonzola Burgers
- Teriyaki Burgers with Grilled Pineapple Rings
- Lamb Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese
- Balsamic Caprese Burgers
Portobellos can hold a lot of moisture, so if you don’t drain them or you overcook them, they can come out soggy. I don’t like floppy soggy mushrooms, so I scrape out the gills and drain mine prior to cooking them. And I tend to roast them so that they come out still a little crisp. Because what good is a soggy burger that lets all your delicious filling escape all over the place?
Look at that – delicious, rich, Florentine goodness. Give it a try. You’ll thank me.
Spinach Stuffed Portobello Burgers
Ingredients
- 4 portobello mushroom caps
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves finely chopped
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1/4 cup parmesan freshly grated
- 1/4 cup panko crumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F.
- Cut out the stems and scrape out the gills of the mushrooms and turn them upside down to dry. Drizzle olive oil over the rounded side of the caps and rub to coat.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped spinach with the mozzarella, parmesan, and panko crumbs until well mixed. Flip the mushroom caps over and spread the mixture into the caps. Drizzle the stuffing lightly with olive oil.
- Roast the mushrooms in the preheated oven until the mushrooms are tender, 12-15 minutes.
- Serve on hamburger buns with a generous drizzle of Balsamic vinegar.
There you have it. Delicious, nutritious, filling but lighter than the meat you can substitute them for, and a great addition to your summer and fall roasting or grilling line-up!
What are your favorite ways to use portobello mushrooms in your cooking?
