These creamy, garlicky, spinach stuffed mushrooms are full of rich, meaty flavour, fresh green, creamy spinach goodness, and smothered in golden, bubbling parmesan cheese – they make a great summer appetizer or light lunch!

First things first, what the heck are you supposed to call these mushrooms?

Portobello? Portabella? Baby Bellas? Brown Cremini? Large Chestnut? Yeesh!

My local supermarket even manages to call them both portobello and portabella in the same packaging ← I’m so confused…

Around here, I’ve seen them sold as either mini portobello (just to confuse even more, this seems to cover anything from small to medium?!?) or as giant, size-of-your-palm beauties.

The bottom line? Whatever you prefer to call them and whatever size you can find them, they taste delicious!

I used medium sized mushrooms for this recipe, with a diameter of around 3 – 3.5 inches, but the recipe would work just as well with larger mushrooms, simply adjust the cooking time accordingly.

I’ve aimed for a base calculation of three small, two medium or one large mushroom per person, but the recipe is pretty forgiving, as it’s obviously impossible to standardise sizes of mushrooms!

As for the ingredients? If you like a lot of spinach, feel free to chuck a couple of extra handfuls in. Less garlic? – No problem. Extra creaminess? Sure, add a little more sour cream, or even swap for cream cheese – you really can’t go wrong.

Mushrooms are one of my all time favourite ingredients. A pile of garlicky buttery mushrooms on top of a thick slice of toasted bread ← my idea of food bliss!

The flavour and texture of portobello mushrooms is amazing – rich, juicy and almost meat-like – no wonder it’s often used as an alternative to a meaty burger!

By combining the mushrooms with a creamy, garlicky spinach filling, you get a tonne of extra flavour – garlic seems to have a natural affinity with mushrooms – and in my book, you can never go wrong by adding butter and cheese into the equation!

My book is the one that states that two portions of vegetables in a recipe totally balances out the addition of any butter, cream or cheese – I love my book!

I like to use my cast-iron griddle pan for this recipe. Firstly, the grooves will allow excess liquid to drain away (portobellos do tend to release a fair amount as they are cooking) and secondly, I can pop it under the grill to finish melting and bubbling the cheese – it’s the only oven proof pan I have, multi-tasking is a necessity round here!

These creamy spinach stuffed mushrooms make a great light lunch or appetizer – all you need is some fresh crusty bread to mop up the juices, and a chilled glass of your favourite warm weather drink to quench your thirst, enjoy!

CREAMY SPINACH STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Portobello mushrooms stuffed with creamy garlic spinach, then topped with grated parmesan - the perfect summer lunch!

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 17

Total Time 32

Course Sides

Cuisine American

Servings

Ingredients

10 medium / 5 large portobello mushrooms approx 350-400g*
3 tablespoons butter divided
2 teaspoons garlic puree or crushed garlic
200 g baby spinach leaves
3-4 tablespoons sour cream or could use softened cream cheese
4-5 tablespoons parmesan cheese freshly grated

Instructions

Remove the stems from the mushrooms (I just gently slide a knife around the base of the stem and it usually pops off quite easily) and wipe any dirt off with a paper towel.
Melt one tablespoon of the butter, and brush over the mushrooms, inside and out. Set aside.
Finely chop the mushrooms stems. In a large pan or skillet, heat the remaining butter, add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic puree, stir and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the spinach to the pan (it looks a huge amount, but will wilt down really quickly, just add it a handful at a time!) Stir to coat the spinach in the garlicky butter.
Once the spinach is wilted and reduced in size, remove from the heat, stir in the sour cream and then set aside.
Preheat your griddle pan over a medium/high heat. Spoon the spinach mixture into the centre of the mushrooms, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and place them on the preheated griddle. Allow to cook for 10-12 minutes - the mushrooms will be done when they are juicy, firm but tender and a glossy, dark brown colour.
To make sure your cheese is extra golden brown and bubbly, place the pan under a hot grill for the last two minutes of cooking time.
Let them rest for a couple of minutes, then serve warm, with lots of crusty bread!