Make RecipeTin Eats’ ‘meaty’, cheesy stuffed mushrooms for meat-free Monday

Name: Make RecipeTin Eats’ ‘meaty’, cheesy stuffed mushrooms for meat-free Monday
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4 as a main or 8 as a starter
Ingredients: 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 280g baby spinach (8 heaped cups); 8 large field mushrooms (about 9cm diameter); 2 spring onions, finely sliced; 1 garlic clove, finely minced; ½ tsp cooking salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 1 cup ricotta (270g); 150g colby cheese, grated (or tasty cheese, gruyere or cheddar)

Nagi Maehashi

October 9, 2023

Spinach and ricotta-stuffed mushrooms with a crunchy topping.Rob Palmer; Styling: Emma Knowles

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4 as a main or 8 as a starter

My current favourite way with big, meaty mushrooms: stuff them with a creamy spinach ricotta filling, cover with a crunchy topping then bake until golden. It’s filling and fabulous and makes a great meal for 4 or a starter for 8.

This is a great one to assemble today and bake tomorrow, or the day after. Love getting ahead!

SOS checklist

12 ingredients or fewer (excluding oil, salt, pepper and water) ✔
Less than $20 for 4 servings ✔

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
280g baby spinach (8 heaped cups)
8 large field mushrooms (about 9cm diameter)
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
½ tsp cooking salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup ricotta (270g)
150g colby cheese, grated (or tasty cheese, gruyere or cheddar)

Crunchy topping

½ cup (30g) panko breadcrumbs
⅛ tsp cooking salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
Step 2
Mix the crunchy topping ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 3
For the filling: heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Working in batches, squeeze excess residual water out of the spinach using a wooden spoon against the side of the pan. Place the spinach in a mixing bowl. Add spring onion, garlic, salt, pepper and ricotta and mix until combined.
Step 4
Prepare the mushrooms: Trim off the stalks (reserve to toss into your next stir-fry), then cut a 2cm X incision in the cap, all the way through (see note). Rub the top of the mushroom caps with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Step 5
Stuff the mushrooms with the filling. Top with colby, followed by the crunchy topping.
Step 6
Place the mushrooms on a rack set on a baking tray (see note). Bake for 30 minutes. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Note: The X incision, and roasting the mushrooms on a rack elevated off the tray, allows the watery mushroom juices to drain out while cooking − because nobody wants a soggy spinach-ricotta filling in their mushrooms.