Stuffed Portobello Melts

Hearty and comforting, giant stuffed portobellos are a perfectly wonderful meal on their own or great as a side dish. On the table in 30 minutes, nutritious, and packed full of umami flavor, these meaty melts are sure to be a favorite and impress your dinner guests.

Todd and I love portobello mushrooms though I don't often serve them myself. We really enjoyed them grilled as 'steaks' at an upscale restaurant in downtown Cleveland (they were absolutely amazing). However, they really were a standout dish when we had them stuffed with a delicious bread filling at a charming little eatery in Hawaii. I knew I just had to try to recreate them. About a year ago, I made my own stuffed portobello mushroom caps a couple times but they were really underwhelming. I decided to take a break on trying to live up to our Hawiian portobello encounter... until now!

Third time's the charm; enter this fantastic fungi fête! This is redemption at it's finest. These portobello melts are comforting and gooey with melty cheese and savory bread crumbs, meaty mushrooms and sausage, and just the right balance of seasonings. I love how quick they come together and are so simple even our little Oliver was able to help out! These are definitely going to be on regular rotation in our house. I hope you love them as much as we do!

Stuffed Portobello Melts

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

Hearty and comforting, giant stuffed portobellos are a perfectly wonderful meal on their own or great as a side dish. On the table in 30 minutes, nutritious, and packed full of umami flavor, these meaty melts are sure to be a favorite and impress your dinner guests.

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 4 large portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup vegan breadcrumbs (I use panko)
• ½ cup shredded vegan cheese
• 1 Tofurky Kielbasa sausage link, chopped small
• 3 tbsp white wine (or vegetable broth)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp large-flake nutritional yeast
• ¾ tsp seasoning salt or table salt + extra for sprinkling
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 4 slices of vegan cheese (I like Field Roast Chao)
• sprinkling of fresh lemon thyme, for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Clean the mushroom caps with a dry towel; remove and discard the stem. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and arrange the portobellos gills side up. Sprinkle each with a dash of salt and roast for 15 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients except for the slices of cheese and thyme. Spoon and pack the bread crumb filling within the cap of the mushrooms dividing it evenly between the four caps. Top each mushroom with one slice of cheese. Roast for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and garnish with lemon thyme. Serve hot.

Smoked Gouda and Butternut Pasta

Sweet, roasted butternut squash coat this warm and comforting pasta while garlic and smoked gouda add a bit of richness. With so few ingredients, the stars of this dish really shine. Simple and bursting with flavor yet incredibly easy and hands off; great for a weeknight dinner. I love that this pasta is sophisticated enough for a proper dinner with company, but casual enough for a Monday meal after work. It’s one of my very favorite meals. *If smoked gouda isn’t your thing, any 4 oz of cheese will do.

Wow, it's been awhile! Summer is always a busy time: visiting with friends, doing work around the house and yard, playing with our wee man, and in general spending as much time as possible outside enjoying our gorgeous summer in Alaska. 

Now that the leaves have started to fall and the air is bitingly crisp, I feel excited to spend more time here on the blog as winter starts to slink in. I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the fall season than with a recipe I've been meaning to share for a long time.

One of my BFFs makes a butternut squash pasta with just those two ingredients and a splash of olive oil... it's to die for! I knew smoked gouda and roasted garlic would really marry beautifully with the sweet squash so I just had to experiment. This recipe will not let you down. Normally I don't cook with oil (due to Todd's rheumatoid arthritis), but don't skimp on the one tablespoon. There's no sauce in this dish, so you really need that little bit of olive oil to coat the squash and pasta. Happy cooking!

Smoked Gouda and Butternut Pasta

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

Sweet, roasted butternut squash coat this warm and comforting pasta while garlic and smoked gouda add a bit of richness. With so few ingredients, the stars of this dish really shine. Simple and bursting with flavor yet incredibly easy and hands off; great for a weeknight dinner. I love that this pasta is sophisticated enough for a proper dinner with company, but casual enough for a Monday meal after work. It’s one of my very favorite meals.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and deseeded and cut into ¾” cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, left in their peel
• 12 oz dry spaghetti
• ½ of one 8 oz. package of Miyoko's Creamery Smoked VeganMozz or vegan cheese of choice, shredded
• 1-2 tsp Johnny’s Seasoning Salt or regular table salt
• 2 tsp fresh lemon thyme, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Add the cubed squash to a large casserole dish and toss with oil. Roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes until the squash is fork tender. When there’s 20 minutes left, toss in the garlic then bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
2. Cook the pasta according to package, drain and return to pot. Peel the roasted garlic and smash it into a puree with a spoon in a small bowl. Stir the garlic, cheese, salt, and roasted squash into the pasta.
3. Serve hot and topped with fresh lemon thyme and fresh cracked black pepper.
   

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 00:50
Total time: 00:60
Yield: 4 servings

Cauliflower Mac & Cheeze

I received the most beautiful, purple-hued cauliflower from my stepmother the other day. It was gifted from a friend's garden and somehow, lucky for me, found it's way into my little hands. I plucked off a few florets for a soup (the thing was giant!) but kept the remainder safe in the fridge. Pondering what to do with such a special brassica, I knew it had to be the star of a unique dish.

“We need to find a way to solve our problems and our differences with other people without hurting our killing them. This should extend to all living creatures as well...there is also a way to find a cure without hurting animals in the process and that is the track that we need to get on.”

— Paul Graham of The Las Vegas Informer

Instead, a wicked mac & cheese craving hit and it ended up in a cheesy cauliflower sauce for shell noodles. So, it might not have been the most proper dish to showcase a purple cauliflower...but it was so tasty and satisfying. I guess I'll just have to wait for my next fun-colored veggie to come along!

This dish is slightly adapted from my recipe for mac and cheese made with sweet potato. The cauliflower version is slightly less sweet tasting than the potato one, but still just as creamy and delectable. 

If you follow the recipe as is, there's a lot of sauce. I prefer my mac and cheeze exceptionally saucy so I add it all, but if you prefer, only add half and save the rest for later or just cut the sauce ingredients in half. 

Isn't she a beaut? 

I know you're going to love this non-dairy, 100% vegan mac & cheeze. It's a tricksy way to sneak some healthy vegetables into a child's/husband's diet and also on the lighter side of the calorie scale too!

Cauliflower Mac & Cheeze

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

This lightened vegan mac and cheeze made with cauliflower is creamy and rich, and as always the nutritional yeast lends that proper "cheesy" flavor. Notes: For a very saucy dish, add the entire cheeze sauce or save half for later if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dry pasta
• 1 small head of cauliflower (8-12 oz), florets only
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 cup unsweetened, plain coconut or soymilk
• heaping ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ Tbsp. liquid aminos or soy sauce
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. turmeric
• ¼ tsp. mustard (optional)
• pinch of ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add and cook according to package, then drain.
2. Break apart the cauliflower florets and steam for no more than 10 minutes, until just tender, in an electric or stovetop steamer. Transfer the florets to a blender.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender as well and blend on high for several minutes, until smooth and creamy.
4. Add half or the entire amount of the sauce to the pasta and stir well to combine. Serve hot.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 00:10
Total time: 00:20
Yield: 6

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here. It’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb in the bulk bin (!) at our local grocery store, Fred Meyer!

More Mac and Cheese Recipes and Cauliflower Recipes

Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

Creamy Fettuccine Miso Alfredo

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

Creamy Spiced Cauliflower Soup

German Word of The Day

Cauliflower --> Blumenkohl (bloomen-coal) - Blumen means flowers and Kohl means cabbage!

Good Deed of The Day

No doubt you've seen the ALS challenges your friends and family have posted online. Have you thought about what it would mean with regards to animal rights? If not, read this article It's very thought-provoking and it's information we all need to know.