Ragu Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
A rich sofrito-based, meaty tomato ragu piled high into portabello mushroom caps and topped with fresh shredded mozzarella cheese is the pasta free dish you've been craving!
Equipment
- Saute Pan
- Casserole Dish/Pan
Ingredients
The Sauce or Filling
- 2 - 3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Medium/Large Celery Stalks, diced fine
- 2 Medium/Large Carrots, diced fine
- ½ Medium/Large Sweet or Yellow Onion, diced
- 2 - 3 cloves Garlic, diced or minced
- 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
- 28 oz. San Marzano Tomatoes 1 large can
- 2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
- 15 oz. Tomato Sauce 1 small can
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Basil, torn
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped fine
- 1 tbsp. Dried Oregano
- Salt, to taste
The Mushrooms
- 4 Portabello Mushrooms, gills and stems removed Reserve stems and chop (they get added back into the sauce)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil For brushing the mushroom caps prior to oven
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 6 oz. Low Moisture Mozzarella Cheese, freshly shredded
Instructions
Start the Sauce
- Heat a pan with olive oil on medium heat. Saute the celery, carrots, and onions for 6 - 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, and until beginning to soften. Mix in the diced mushroom stems and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes, again stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes.
- Mix in the ground beef, breaking up with the sides of a wooden spoon, and cook for 5 - 7 minutes, or until browned.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Mix well and add the herbs. Break up the tomatoes with the side of a wooden spoon as they cook. Stir occasionally for 5 - 7 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Cook the Mushrooms
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- While the sauce is simmering, brush the mushroom caps with olive oil. Grease or oil a casserole dish and place the mushrooms.
- Cook for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Spoon out any excess liquid the mushrooms have released.
Finish the Sauce
- Uncover the sauce and give it a good stir. Simmer uncovered for an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce will thicken.
Stuff the Mushrooms and Finish the Dish
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350℉
- Fill each mushroom with sauce about as high as you can pile it up without overflowing the caps (likely will have leftover sauce, see notes below). Top the mushrooms with cheese.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is fully melted. Remove from oven and top with any leftover basil or parsley. Let cool 4 - 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
Note: For this recipe there is more sauce than can fill 4 mushrooms. We only have 4 on hand. You can either increase the number of mushrooms and follow the same steps, save the sauce for pasta, or it can be frozen for later use.
Note 2: Calorie count is based on 4 mushrooms plus all of the sauce. As noted, the sauce will fill more than the mushrooms. If doubling up the mushrooms you will want to double up the cheese. That would bring the calorie count over 8 servings to 382 calories per serving.