Looking for a quick and tasty vegetarian meal? Try these pizza-inspired vegetarian stuffed Portobello mushrooms filled with marinara sauce and topped with creamy goat cheese. Perfect as an entrée or side, this easy recipe is sure to please.
If you’re looking for an easy meatless main that can also double as a side then you’ll want to try these vegetarian stuffed mushrooms. Topped with marinara sauce and creamy goat cheese these pizza inspired stuffed mushrooms are an easy weeknight option.
These stuffed mushrooms work well served as an entrée along with a salad or simply as a hearty but healthy side. It’s a simple vegetarian recipe that doesn’t require a lot of time or ingredients but doesn’t skimp on flavor.
I like to think of mushrooms as culinary blank canvases. Their mild taste and texture makes them easily adaptable to all kinds of preparations. In this case we’re using large Portobello mushroom caps as the base for a tomato sauce and cheese filling similar to pizza. It’s an easy way to prepare Portobello mushrooms that everyone will love.
The caps are pre-roasted before being filled and popped back into the oven. Baking the caps before topping them allows the excess liquid to release and eliminates sogginess. The result is a silky tender mushroom base topped with a bubbling tomato sauce and melty cheese topping. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Portobello Mushrooms – Choose large Portobello mushroom caps, twist the stems off and use a spoon to scoop out the gills inside before baking and stuffing them.
- Olive Oil – Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil.
- Marinara Sauce – Use your favorite marinara sauce either store-bought or homemade, preferably one that’s on the thicker side.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – A few sun-dried tomatoes add loads of flavor to these stuffed mushrooms. Choose an olive-oil packed version for the best flavor.
- Olives – Use pitted Kalamata olives.
- Garlic – If your marinara sauce already has a lot of garlic you can skip this, otherwise a little extra fresh garlic goes a long way in adding flavor.
- Cheese – You’ll need a log of fresh goat cheese and some pecorino for grating over the top (make sure to choose a pecorino that’s not made with animal rennet). For a vegan option you can substitute cashew cheese for the goat cheese and use vegan parmesan.
- Fresh Herbs – Use either a few torn basil leaves or some freshly chopped parsley to sprinkle over the mushrooms.
How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- If you’ve ever cooked mushrooms before you’ll know that they are packed with water, so to avoid watering down the filling you’ll want to use a knife to make a shallow x on the mushroom caps before roasting them. This will allow the excess water to drain to the pan while the caps cook.
- To prepare the caps, brush or rub them with the olive oil, salt them and place them stem side up on a wire rack placed onto a baking sheet. Elevating the caps off the pan by placing them on a wire rack will also help with draining and prevent the mushrooms from sitting in their own juices as they cook.
- Place the caps in the oven to roast while you prepare the filling.
- Remove the pan from the oven, drain any excess liquid and fill the caps with the sauce and top with cheese.
- Return the mushrooms to the oven to roast until silky and tender and cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle with a little basil or parsley and dinner is served!
Variations:
- Use cashew cheese for the goat cheese and use vegan parmesan instead of pecorino to make vegan stuffed mushrooms.
- Add roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts to the marinara sauce before filling.
- Add a dollop of pesto on top before roasting.
More Mushroom Recipes:
Vegetarian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Looking for a quick and tasty vegetarian meal? Try these pizza-inspired
vegetarian stuffed Portobello mushrooms filled with marinara sauce and topped with creamy goat cheese. Perfect as an entrée or side, this easy recipe is sure to please.
Ingredients
- 4 large Portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup/125ml marinara sauce
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 8 Kalamata olives, finely chopped
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
- 4 ounces/113g goat cheese
- 2 ounces/56g grated pecorino cheese
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley or basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place a wire rack onto the
parchment. - Using sharp knife, cut a very shallow X on the top of the caps of the mushrooms. Brush mushroom
caps with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place mushrooms gill-side up onto the wire rack and place in oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the mushrooms have released some of their
juices and softened (baking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of your mushrooms). - Meanwhile make the filling by combining the marinara sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and drain any excess liquid from the mushrooms by briefly tipping the caps if necessary.
- Distribute tomato sauce filling evenly among mushroom caps and top with goat cheese and grated pecorino.
- Place in oven for another 15 minutes or until filling is warm and goat cheese is softened.
- Top with chopped herbs and serve warm.
Notes
Variations:
- Use cashew cheese for the goat cheese and use vegan parmesan instead of pecorino to make vegan stuffed mushrooms.
- Add roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts to the marinara sauce before filling.
- Add a dollop of pesto on top before roasting.
Storage:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Mushrooms can be re-heated if desired.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Egg-Free, Nut-Free
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 304Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 796mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 12g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Joyti says
Wow. This. Looks. SO. Good.
I really wanna try the pesto/spread - yum!
jean | Lemons & Anchovies says
Shiitake mushrooms coming out of the oven smell so good and taste even better. I've never thought to pair them with olives and sun-dried tomatoes but I can imagine the flavor explosion--wow! Now I must try your recipe, and soon!
Jodye @ Chocolate and Chou Fleur says
The filling itself would find itself gone before I got the chance to assemble the final dish. This sounds so wonderful, Sylvie! And, as always, your photos are just stunning!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Love mushrooms and I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy it. This is going to go on my menu planning next week! 🙂
Sarah @ SimplyScrumptiousBySarah says
These look soo yummy! LOVE that you added walnuts to this! yum!
sippitysup says
Simple flavors layered together texturally. It's a work of art. GREG