Spinoff - 3 Ingredients +

[LeighDear]

There were some posts about stuffed Portabello mushrooms on the 3 ingredients thread.....

I use stuffed Portabellos as a side dish at LEAST 2-3 times a week, with lots of variations.....Thought I'd share them here....

For using Portabellos for stuffing, I first pre-cook them this way.....Boil a huge kettle of lightly salted water, and drop your trimmed Portobellos in...(Remove the stem and use a paring knife to trim down some of the dark "gills").....let them simmer for about 4 minutes (up to 6 if they are very large), then fish them out and let them drain, and cool......

Stick them in a ziplok and keep them in the fridge for up to a week.....ready to stuff and just heat through....

I always keep several "main" filling ingredients in my freezer......Depending on my mood, and what main dish I'm serving, I pull out 1 or 2 caps per person as a side dish.......

For the basic filling, soften 2-3 OZ. cream cheese in a small bowl, add 1-2 finely chopped green onions and a tsp. finely minced garlic....

For all variations, to the cream cheese filling, add your pre-cooked protein, seasonings then a generous scoop of the "topping" cheese.....Pile the filling into the mushrooms caps & then bake at about 425 in a greased pie plate til the filling gets bubbly & browned....about 20-25 minutes...

For an Italian side dish, add a generous TBS of prepared pesto sauce and a scoop of crumbled and browned Italian sausage.....top caps with grated Parmesan, Romano or Italian blend cheese.....

For a French taste, add cooked crumbled bacon and a shake of nutmeg, plus some shredded swiss cheese.....top with additional shredded swiss...

For Greek, add browned ground beef, oregano, fresh chopped mint and grated lemon rind...top caps with finely crumbled feta cheese....

For a seafood option, add crab meat or finely chopped shrimp, a BIG shake of Old Bay seasoning, and a dash of Sherry wine....top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese.....

All American is crumbled pork "breakfast" sausage, a bit of shredded cheddar cheese, then top with more shredded cheddar.....

Mexican is ground beef or Chorizo, with some chili powder & cumin, a generous TBS of prepared salsa and topped with either shredded cheddar/Jack, or preferably queso fresco......

Portabellos are a GREAT side dish for almost any meal....they have such a "meaty" presence, they can actually BE a main dish, with a great filling......just add a salad, and you can make an incredibly satisfying meal with a couple of stuffed "bellas".....

I hope that all of you enjoy the adaptablilty of these "shrooms" the way I do.....I'm trying to come up with MORE variations!

[cjack1]

These look great. I have always liked stuffed mushrooms, but never really had a good base formula for the flavors. I'll give these a try.