photo courtesy Fine Cooking

Imagine a combination of spinach-artichoke dip and roasted portabellas! Over the summer I served these sinfully delicious stuffed mushrooms as a side with a grilled steak and husband couldn’t get enough. They’re so rich, though, you’d want to deploy the smaller portabellas – these days you can find a variety of sizes of these meaty mushrooms – if you are going to use them as a side.  At full size, they make a great main course for a vegetarian meal. Round out the meal with roasted butternut squash finished with a drizzle of balsamic and a green salad with feta cheese. Yummmm!! Fill smaller caps with the creamy mixture and you have a terrific appetizer. This recipe is adapted from my favorite cooking mag, Fine Cooking.
    – Adrienne

Portabello Mushrooms with Spinach-Artichoke Filling

3 T olive oil
1 T garlic, minced
4 portabello mushrooms, stemmed, gills removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 T mayonnaise
1½  t fresh thyme
½ t red pepper flakes (optional)
10 oz. bag fresh spinach, washed and chopped
14-oz can of artichoke heart, drained, patted dry and roughly chopped
½ C fresh breadcrumbs or panko
1/3 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450̊F. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. of the oil and about two-thirds of the minced garlic. Brush the insides of the mushroom caps with the garlic oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the mushrooms oiled side up on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until just tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave chopped spinach until wilted, about one minute, drain and squeeze out excess moisture. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and ½ t of the thyme with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the spinach and artichokes and season to taste with salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, combine the remaining garlic, 1 T oil, and 1 t thyme with the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Spoon the artichoke mixture evenly into the mushroom caps and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until the crumbs are golden-brown and the filling is hot, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.