Spanish Stuffed Mushrooms (Vegan Modifiable)

My Spanish Stuffed Mushrooms are an absolute delight on the palate – because of the silky textures from the portobello mushrooms and the delicious filling.

Cream cheese provides the PERFECT base for tying together the wonderful warm flavours such as garlic, caramelised onions, chilli and Spanish paprika.

My herb of choice was coriander due to its fresh punchy flavour it brings.

Most of us, love stuffed foods – it just transforms the main ingredient into something so much better flavour wise and texturally!

Stuffed potato skins, Stuffed jalapeño poppers, Stuffed Dates, Stuffed Peppers – the list goes on..

These vegetarian stuffed mushrooms are just INCREDIBLE as sides, appetizers and even mains! They will make your vegetarian guests feel very special and as if countless hours went into creating this dish. (I promise you it will be prepared and ready in less than 1 hour and this includes the 30 min chill time!)

Note - this recipe is GLUTEN FREE & VEGETARIAN!

Check ingredients for Vegan Modification

Portobello Mushrooms Profile:

Portobello mushrooms are large and flat in size with a thick stem on the underside. Their smooth caps are normally coffee coloured with different hues of dark brown.

When cooked, these mushrooms have a pronounced chewy and meaty texture with a slightly smoky, deeply earthy flavour.

Portobello mushrooms are the older and more intense version of swiss brown mushrooms that are more popular at supermarkets and home kitchens.

They are available throughout the year, so seasonality is not an issue

Let's look at the nutrients in 100g/1.5 cup of raw chopped mushrooms

(this recipe has 375gof raw mushrooms):

Source – Newtown Nutrition

Choosing the perfect Portobello Mushrooms:

The mushrooms caps (surface) should be firm and uniform in color, not spotty.

Mushrooms should be dry, with little moisture and certainly not slimy.

For a stronger earthy taste, choose mushrooms that are darker in color.

For a more delicate flavor, choose mushrooms that are lighter in color.

Mushrooms should be stored unwashed, in a brown paper bag, in the refrigerator for 4-7 days.

Ingredient Notes:

-For my mushrooms, I use FRESH, unpackaged Portobello mushrooms because packaged mushrooms sometimes spoil more quickly and I like feeling the mushrooms and picking them myself.

-For my cream cheese, I use Philadelphia Full Fat Cream Cheese.

-For my caramelised onions, I made them myself however you can use pre-made store bought ones (pick a good quality jar).

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Serves : 10-12 mushrooms depending on size

Ingredients:

1 Red Onion Finely Chopped

375g Portobello Flat Mushrooms

250g Full Fat Cream Cheese Softened At Room Temperature (Vegan Cream Cheese option)

1 Tbs Garlic Paste (I use Gourmet Garden Brand)

1 Tsp Red Chilli Flakes

1 Tsp Hot Paprika Powder

2 Tbs Fresh Coriander Fine Chopped

2 Tbs Caramelized Onions (Store bought is fine)

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Black Pepper Ground

Spray Oil – Olive/Vegetable

1 Tbs Fresh Coriander Fine Chopped for Garnish

Directions:

1.Wash mushrooms well, then immedietely pat dry until completely free from moisture.

Liquid is not our friend when it comes to baked stuffed mushrooms, so make sure to pat dry these washed mushrooms super well to avoid soggy mushrooms after baking!

2.Cut the stems off the mushrooms and mince them until they resemble medium coarseness breadcrumbs

3.Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add the red onion, mix for 2 minutes until softened, then add the garlic paste, mushroom stems minced, red chilli flakes, paprika powder, 1 tsp salt.

Fry for around 5 minutes on medium flame until mushroom has softened and mixture is dry.

4.In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, mushroom mince mixture, coriander, caramelized onion, pepper and mix well until completely combined. Taste for seasoning – adjust salt if needed.

5.Place mushrooms on the tray, spread out so there is a gap between each one. Use a spoon to fill each mushroom until the filling is level with the surface of the mushroom.

6.Refridgerate the stuffed mushrooms for 30 minutes to firm up.

7.Preheat oven to 200 deg C fan forced and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

8.Spray the stuffed mushrooms all over with spray oil and place inside the oven. Bake for 15 minutes until the filling is golden brown.

10.Garnish with more fine chopped coriander and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes:

-Vegan Modification : Use Vegan Cream Cheese

-Cleaning mushrooms properly : Wipe the mushroom caps and stems with a damp paper towel.

If you are preparing many mushrooms at once, you can run them under water very quickly and then immediately pat them dry with a paper towel.

Never ever soak mushrooms in water for more than a minutes because they will absorb the liquid and become spongey.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful vegetarian recipe, do let me know how you go!

Tanya.

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