Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushrooms are relatively new to my food rotation because I always had a healthy aversion to them growing up. But over the last five years, I’ve found them to be one of the most delicious and versatile foods and, as a result, have them on a near-constant rotation. Normally for Thanksgiving we get one of those tofu turkeys (my husband, like, genuinely looks forward to them), but this year I wanted to keep it to whole-ish foods. Sorry (#notsorry), husband. Enter Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms. Mushrooms stuffed with lentils, cranberries, celery, carrots and onions all sautéed with the usual Thanksgiving spices. Top with Easy Mushroom Gravy and you have the perfect Thanksgiving entrée sans the turkey coma.

Makes: 4 mushroom caps
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 4 portobello caps, washed and stems removed*

• 2 tbsp vegan butter

• 1 celery rib, diced finely

• 1 carrot, diced finely

• ½ yellow onion, diced finely

• ½ tsp rosemary

• ½ tsp thyme

• ¼ tsp ground sage

• ¼ tsp fennel

• ½ cup breadcrumbs

• ½ cups fresh cranberries or ¼ cup craisins

• ½ cup cooked green lentils

• salt & pepper

For the Marinade

• ½ cup of vegetable broth

• ¼ cup of olive oil

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar 

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp maple syrup 

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Make the marinade. Whisk together ½ cup of vegetable broth, ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Place mushroom caps in large dish, gills facing up. Pour the marinade over the mushrooms making sure to coat evenly. Let marinate for a minimum of 1 hour.

3. Melt 2 tbsp of vegan butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and carrot and sauté until the veggies are soft, 10 minutes. Add ½ cup of cranberries and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes or until the cranberries start popping. Add ½ tsp of rosemary, ½ tsp of thyme, ¼ tsp of ground sage and ¼ tsp of fennel seeds and ½ cup of panko bread crumbs and cook for 2 minutes more, just to toast the spices. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Once the veggie mixture is cool enough to work with your hands, add the mashed lentils. Use your hands to mix the stuffing together. You should be able to form it into a ball, if it’s too dry add water or vegetable broth. If it’s too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Taste and adjust for seasoning. 

5. “Stuff” each mushroom cap by placing spoonfuls of the stuffing into the gill side of the mushroom. Gently press down on the stuffing to keep in place. Place the mushroom into a large baking dish. Optional: roughly chop up some veggies of your choosing — potatoes, parsnips, carrots, etc. Mix with the leftover marinade from the mushrooms and pour into the bottom of the baking dish. Nestle the mushrooms on top.

6. Cover and bake the mushrooms for 30-40 minutes. If cooking with extra veggies, test for doneness by piercing with a fork. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes to brown the top of the mushrooms. Top with the gravy of your choice and give many thanks for a very veggie Thanksgiving.