Goat Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Do you like spinach and artichoke dip? In other words, are you human? These portobellos are stuffed with a lighter but just as decadent spinach and artichoke dip inspired filling using goat cheese instead of cream cheese. I find goat cheese to be less heavy but also more flavorful than cream cheese – it gives these shrooms some funk and tang while making them irresistibly rich and creamy.

For as tasty as these bad boys are they are very straight forward to make. Because spinach cooks so quick, the filling takes less than 10 minutes to make and the shrooms cook for just about 15-20 minutes. Using a high heat to cook the stuffed portobellos allows the parmesan cheese topping to crisp up and brown because crispy cheese is where flavor lives.

I find these are best right from the oven because the filling is soft and you want to maintain that crisp texture of the parm on top. You can prep them but keep in mind the mushroom will not have the same bite and the filling gets a bit mushier. If you do prep them, the best move is to not top with the parm until you reheat them in a hot oven to get that same texture. Anyway you do it, these goat cheese spinach and artichoke stuffed portobellos are pure comfort and sure to please.

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Goat Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Servings: makes 2 large stuffed portobellos

Time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large portobello mushroom caps
• 1 8 ounce bunch of spinach, chopped (about 5 cups packed)
• 2/3 cup of artichoke hearts
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 2.5 ounces of plain goat cheese
• 2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• squeeze of lemon juice (optional – see note)
• 1 tbsp. butter
• cooking oil
• black pepper
• salt

How-to:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large sauce pan, heat butter over medium. Add garlic and cook until golden and fragrant. Add artichoke hearts, onion powder, and some black pepper. Cook another minute, then add spinach and cook down until spinach has wilted and all liquid has been released and cooked off, 5-8 minutes.
3. While the mixture is cooking, scrape the gills and remove the stems from the mushroom caps. Rinse, dry well, and add some cooking oil to the outside. Season lightly with salt.
4. Remove spinach and artichoke mixture from heat, add goat cheese and heavy cream. Stir until completely melted and incorporated. Taste and add salt. If desired, add lemon juice to bring some more acid.
5. Stuff mushroom caps with filling and top with parmesan cheese.
6. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put into the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until mushrooms are tender and parmesan topping is crispy and browned.

Note: I suggest tasting the filling before adding the lemon juice. Some goat cheese is already really tangy, in which case you will not need it. Other kinds are less so and therefore will benefit from the additional acid.