After a few weeks of meat-filled gluttony, we're vegetarians again, at least temporarily. You know my philosophy about how we eat better quality meat and poultry less often, and we'd recently spoiled ourselves with steak fajitas, grilled chicken with peach barbecue sauce, and flank steak with rosemary olive oil. My oh my, it was good.
But I wanted to take a little break from the red meat, and this recipe was the perfect opportunity. It immediately called my name when I flipped to it in October's Everyday Food. It looked hearty, satisfying, and healthy. Nevermind that meat doesn't make an appearance. I had a log of goat cheese in the fridge, so I substituted that for the feta. Thyme is especially wonderful with the mushrooms, but I'd imagine rosemary would be delicious as well, if you already have it on hand.
WHITE BEAN STUFFED PORTOBELLOS
This hearty dish is a great vegetarian main course, and even non-vegetarians will love it. You can cut back on calories by omitting the breadcrumbs, but they provide a great textural contrast between the creaminess of the beans and goat cheese. Serve alongside garlicky spinach or kale.
Recipe adapted from Everyday Food, October 2010
Serves 3-6, depending on whether everyone gets one or two
Ingredients
6 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 teaspoon
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) cannelloni or Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place mushrooms, stem side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Brush mushrooms with oil mixture until lightly coated and season with salt and pepper. (You will have olive oil and lemon juice leftover; reserve it for cooking the beans.)Roast mushrooms until tender and beginning to release their juices, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil and lemon juice mixture in a sauté pan over medium high. Add the garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Discard garlic.
To the breadcrumbs, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and the remaining 1 teaspoon fresh thyme. Stir to combine.
Top each mushroom with 2-3 tablespoons of the beans, and top with 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Divide the goat cheese evenly on top of each mushroom.
