Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
Balsamic vinegar adds a punch of flavor to these stuffed mushrooms, topped with umami-filled parmesan cheese and crispy panko breadcrumbs, made crispier by toasting them first in a hot pan. Makes a great make-ahead meal, or an easy weeknight dinner when served with a side salad and a crusty loaf of bread. You can use just wild rice or swap in a wild rice blend, if you’d like.
Servings: 4
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
- 1 small red onion sliced thin
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup cooked wild rice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 large portobello mushrooms
- 1/3 cup0 grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 ounce basil leaves chopped
Instructions
Prep Ahead:
- Brown and cook the sausage and onions with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Cook the wild rice according to the instructions on the package.
- Combine the cooked rice and cooked sausage and onions in a large sealed container.
- Scrape the gills out the mushroom caps and store the caps in a resealable bag or container.
- Add the panko to a large pan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until it has just started to brown. Remove from heat immediately and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Combine toasted panko with the parmesan and basil and store in a sealable bag.
- Panko/parmesan combo bags/containers can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months or the fridge for 1 month; the cooked rice and mushrooms can be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days or the freezer for up to 1 month.
Prepare From Prepped:
- If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F.
- Spoon the sausage, onions and cooked rice mixture into the mushroom caps, dividing evenly.
- Top with toasted panko and parmesan cheese mixture.
- Bake 8-12 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened and the cheese is melted.
Make From Fresh:
- Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package. Divide one cup of rice and set aside to use in this recipe; store the remaining rice in the fridge to use elsewhere.
- While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over medium heat until warmed, and then add the sausage and red onions.
- Cook, crumbling the sausage while you do so, until the sausage is completely cooked through and the red onion has softened, about 10 minutes.
- While the sausage is cooking, remove the stems and scrape the black gills from the inside of the portobello caps.
- Once the sausage and rice have cooked, combine together in a large bowl until well mixed.
- Set the caps, gill-side up, in a 9”x13” casserole dish and preheat the oven to 375*F.
- Place the panko breadcrumbs in a large saute pan over medium heat.
- Toast, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs have just started to brown. Remove from heat immediately and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Combine the toasted breacrdumbs, grated parmesan and chopped basil leaves until mixed.
- Spoon the sausage and rice mixture into the mushroom caps, dividing evenly.
- Top the mushroom caps with the panko, parmesan cheese and basil mixture.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and the cheese is melted.
Notes
Slice off the stem of the mushroom and make sure to scrape out the gills (those little black lines on the inside of the mushroom) Slicing out the stem helps make more room for your filling, and scraping the gills out will help the mushroom from getting soggy while it cooks.