What's For Dinner: Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Sauteed Veggies

I haven't had a portobello mushroom in a while, so I decided it was about time I added it back into my cooking repertoire. Since I was going to roast the mushrooms in the oven rather than grilling them as I have previously, I decided to amp up the flavor a little bit by stuffing them with some sauteed eggplant, onion, and tomato in addition to marinating them in a balsamic vinaigrette mixture. And while I was at it, I opted to add in some fresh mozzarella as well. Because who doesn't love some ooey-gooey mozzarella? To finish 'em off, after roasting in the oven, I drizzled the stuffed mushrooms with a little pesto. Though they might not look all that appetizing, the end result was a rather satisfying dinner entree.

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Sauteed Veggies

makes 2 servings

For the marinated portobello mushrooms:

1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

freshly ground pepper

2 portobello mushrooms, destemmed

1. To make the marinade, combine the balsamic vinaigrette, mustard, and minced garlic cloves in a bowl. Stir to combine. Season with black pepper. Set aside.

2. Clean off the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.

3. Brush the mushrooms with a generous amount of the marinade (cover both sides). Place the mushrooms on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in the fridge for at least one hour.

For the sauteed veggies:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/3 eggplant, peeled and chopped

6 cherry tomatoes, halved and deseeded

oregano

freshly ground black pepper

1. Add the olive oil to a large saute pan and heat over medium heat.

2. Add the chopped onions, eggplant, and tomatoes.

3. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the onions and eggplant are slightly browned.

4. Season with oregano and black pepper.

For the stuffed mushrooms:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Cover a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil.

3. Brush the aluminum foil with olive oil.

4. Remove the marinated mushrooms from the fridge and place on the foil, stem side up.

5. Add a layer of fresh mozzarella cheese atop the marinated mushroom.

6. Add a generous amount of the sauteed eggplant, onion, and tomato mixture atop the mozzarella cheese.

7. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes, remove the mushrooms from the oven and add another layer of mozzarella atop the sauteed veggie layer.

9. Roast for another 10 minutes.

10. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

11. Add a drizzle of pesto to garnish and mangia!