Meatless Monday: Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

The first cookbook I ever purchased was Moosewood Restaurant, based on the recommendation from a family member. The book is mostly vegetarian with a few fish and turkey recipes scattered throughout. My favorite recipe in the collection is one for Italian Stuffed Portabellos. It's delicious and easy to make, so I've made it for friends and company in the past. The recipe I'm posting here is almost directly from the book, although I've made a few slight changes to keep things simple.

My Safeway grocery store often runs out of common ingredients, especially produce. They never seem to carry basic, yellow onions and often don't have eggplant, kale, pine nuts and portabello mushroom caps. It drives me crazy! I was craving some portabellos, and, thankfully, they had some in stock, but they didn't have the large ones. I bought the medium ones instead and just made more. The recipe still worked fine. End grocery store rant.

Italian Stuffed Portabellos (serves 4)

4 large portabello mushroom caps, cleaned and stems removed
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 small onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil. Lightly oil the foil-lined baking dish.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and peppers and saute for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. In a bowl, mix together the basil, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Stir the sauteed vegetables into the cheese mixture. Brush the portabellos with the remaining tablespoon of oil and place them gill side up in the prepared baking dish. Mound cheese mixture on each. Sprinkle each filled mushroom with remaining Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the mushrooms release their juices and the cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Per Serving:
Calories: Approximately 280
Protein: Approximately 17 grams
Cost: Approximately $3.40