These Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms are ideal as an easily prepared starter, a side dish, or a light, meat-free meal. Portobello mushrooms are filled with a flavoursome mixture of spinach and crumbled feta, then topped with slices of fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and chilli. They are quickly prepared from ingredients that are readily available in most supermarkets.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
My Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms are a family favourite recipe. This recipe is simple to prepare and packed full of flavour.
This is one of our favourite side dishes, or you could even serve it as a starter or part of a brunch spread.
You will love these Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Spinach and Cheese because:
- They are quickly and easily made from ingredients that are readily available.
- You can have them on the table in about 30 minutes.
- The ingredients complement each other perfectly. Garlic has a natural affinity with mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes, and you can never go wrong by adding a topping of cheese which becomes golden and crispy in the oven.
- To make extra, you can double the ingredients.
- They are ideal as a side dish or sufficiently hearty to be a satisfying meat-free main course.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Portobello mushrooms – portobello mushrooms are brown, with a rich, savoury flavour and a meaty flesh.
Garlic – for the best flavour, I use a clove of fresh garlic.
Olive oil – we use olive oil, combined with the garlic, to brush on the mushrooms.
Spinach – for convenience and to save time, we use frozen spinach. However, you could use baby spinach if you prefer.
Feta – we use crumbled Greek feta.
Cherry tomatoes – they generally are less acidic than larger tomatoes and therefore more reliably sweet. For the best flavour, check that they are perfectly ripe. They should be a vibrant shade of red.
Bocconcini – these are small, round balls of fresh mozzarella that are generally made from cows’ milk. They range in size from cherry size to very large. Choose cherry or baby bocconcini.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – add seasoning to taste.
Red cayenne chilli – adds colour and a gentle, spicy flavour.
Basil leaves – fresh basil leaves complement the other flavours and add a pop of colour.
How To Make Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Grill/broil the mushrooms:
To begin, preheat the grill/broiler in your oven.
Clean the mushroom caps and remove the stems. Finely chop the stems and set aside.
Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the mushroom with the garlic oil.
Place the caps onto a rimmed baking tray and grill/broil for 5 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms and brush the inside of the caps with the garlic oil mixture and place back under the grill for 2 minutes.
2 – Sauté the mushroom stems:
Heat a medium-sized non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Add the remaining garlic oil and the chopped mushroom stems. Cook for 2 minutes and stir.
3 – Sauté the spinach:
Add the drained spinach and cook for a minute or two until any excess moisture has been removed.
4 – Add the feta to the spinach mixture:
Set aside to cool. To speed up the process, transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl.
When the spinach mixture is cool, add the crumbled feta.
5 – Season and add the filling:
Season the inside of the caps with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Top the caps with the spinach mixture, gently pressing the mixture down to make it firm.
6 – Top with the bocconcini:
Add the sliced cherry tomatoes and sliced bocconcini to the top, and place in the oven for 15 minutes to heat through and become slightly golden. Serve immediately.
Tips for success and FAQs:
My preference is to use portobello mushrooms. I have found that after grilling the mushroom caps, white mushrooms tend to release more moisture than portobellos.
After grilling the mushrooms, before filling the caps, it is important to tip off any moisture which has formed to avoid them being soggy. It is also important to drain the spinach well to remove excess moisture.
To avoid the mushrooms becoming soggy, I recommend that you prepare the mushrooms, the filling, and the topping separately up to a day ahead and store in the fridge. Assemble them just before baking.
The best mushrooms to use for this recipe are ones that have a large flat cap.
I have, however, also made this recipe using smaller mushrooms, such as button or cremini. They’re equally as delicious but a little more fiddly to prepare.
The mushrooms require cleaning as they often have some grit attached. I prefer to not wash them, as they are like a sponge and will absorb water. To clean the mushrooms, I use a piece of damp paper towel, or a pastry brush to remove any dirt.
To remove the stem, place your thumb firmly against its base, and press forward. That may be sufficient to remove the stem for most mushrooms. Some of the larger ones are more difficult to remove and you may need to use a sharp knife. If so, simply slice in a circle around the base of the stem and use your fingers to remove it. If some of the stem is left behind, use a small teaspoon or sharp knife to remove the remainder.
Variations and substitutions:
Cheese – you can vary the types of cheese to suit your taste.
Nuts – you could add some pine nuts or slivered almonds for additional crunch.
Basil – you could use fresh marjoram or thyme if you prefer.
Fresh chilli – add some dried chilli flakes instead.
Spinach – frozen spinach can be substituted with baby spinach – see the notes in the recipe card.
Serving suggestions:
These Stuffed Spinach and Cheese Portobello Mushrooms are extremely versatile. They can be served as a starter or, alternatively, use small mushrooms and serve them as a delicious appetiser with a glass of wine.
They also make:
- An excellent side dish, perfect with a barbecued steak or roast chicken.
- An ideal meat-free meal. Just serve them with a side salad and you have a nutritious meal.
- A great addition to a picnic or potluck.
In addition, the filling combinations are infinitely variable, so you can customise them to suit your taste. For instance, you may like to choose crab meat, chicken, onion, bacon, basil pesto, some rosemary or thyme.
I am sure that you will love these Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. Let me know in the comments below if you try them!
Alex xx
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Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 4 large portobello mushrooms See Note 1
- 1 large garlic clove – finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil See Note 2
- 200 g (7 oz) frozen spinach – defrosted See Note 3
- 40 g (¼ cup) feta cheese – crumbled
- 6 cherry tomatoes – sliced thinly
- 100 g (½ cup) bocconcini – sliced thinly See Note 4
- sea salt and black pepper – to taste
Garnish: (Optional)
- 1 long red cayenne chilli pepper
- 6 fresh basil leaves – finely sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the grill/broiler in your oven. Line a rimmed baking tray with aluminium foil.
- Clean the mushroom caps by wiping them with a damp kitchen towel and remove any grit with a pastry brush.
- Remove the stems, chop them finely and set aside.
- Place the garlic and the olive oil in a small bowl and mix well.Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the mushroom with the garlic oil mixture.Place the caps onto your baking tray.Place the mushrooms into the oven and grill/broil for 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms.
- Brush the inside of the caps with the garlic oil and place back under the grill for 2 minutes. If the mushroom caps have filled with juices, tip the juices out so that they do not become soggy.Set aside the mushroom caps and the remaining garlic oil.
- In the meantime, use your hands to squeeze the moisture out of the spinach.Heat a medium-sized non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the remaining garlic oil and the chopped mushroom stalks. Cook for 2 minutes and stir, being careful to not allow the garlic to burn.Add the drained spinach and cook for a minute or two until any excess moisture has been removed. Stir occasionally. Set aside to cool. To speed up the process, transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200 degrees C (400 F).
- When the spinach mixture is cool, add the crumbled feta.
- Season the inside of the caps with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.Top the caps with the spinach mixture, gently pressing the mixture down to make it firm.
- Add the sliced cherry tomatoes and sliced bocconcini to the top, and place in the oven for 15 minutes to heat through and become slightly golden.
Notes
- Mushrooms: we prefer to use portobello mushrooms for this recipe. They’re a great size, have a lovely flavour and hold lots of the filling! Our mushrooms measured about 9 cm/3 ½ inches in diameter.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Spinach: you can also use fresh baby spinach – about 250 g/8.8 oz. Cook as described for the frozen spinach, until wilted and cooked.
- Bocconcini: come in various sizes. Choose cherry/baby bocconcini. If you can only buy larger ones, cut them to size to suit.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This post was originally published in May 2020. It has been updated with new photos and more information. The recipe has been altered slightly.
Sarah
We made these and the whole family enjoyed them. They were exactly like mini pizzas, but allergy friendly. Will make them again for sure.
Alexandra
Thank you, Sarah! I am so glad you enjoyed them!