Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

There’s something delightfully retro about a good baked portobello mushroom that’s stuffed with breadcrumbs and herbs. Popularized in the 1940s, when restaurants started filling different types of mushrooms with ingredients like crabmeat, the history of the form stretches back at least to the turn of the 20th century, but there’s no definitive point of origin for this flavorful dish. However they were born, though, stuffed mushrooms have thrived.

Portobello mushroom recipes tend to have a health food gloss thanks to the mushroom’s popularity as a meat substitute, but the truth is stuffed mushrooms can be downright rich, fun party fare. (For what it’s worth, you can also do better than an old-school portobello mushroom burger.) Here, for instance, we fill portobello mushroom caps with buttery sautéed onions, prosciutto, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese—not to mention a splash of sherry. These few simple ingredients come together for a plant-forward main dish with big umami. The key is devoting some prep time to the mushrooms themselves: Before you stuff, you’ll marinate the portobellos in a flavorful vinaigrette with more sherry, plus balsamic, shallot, garlic, and herbs like fresh thyme and parsley for as little as 30 minutes (and up to 2 hours).

These marinated stuffed mushrooms make a wonderful first course or light main. But don’t let that stop you from baking a batch and slicing them into strips to serve as appetizers. They’d also be a great side dish for pork chops, hearty seafood, or anything coming off the grill.