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Veggie Stuffed Portobello’s with Herbal Chimichurri

Posted by Lindsay Kluge on Thursday, April 25, 2019

Spring cooking is an invigorating time for me. Finally, the porch door is wide open, and the windows in the house are cracked to let in the fresh, cool air. The little farmer’s market in my town just opened up a couple of weeks ago, and new veggies are rolling in week by week. Days can go by when I’m uninspired to make anything new, but a good farmers market run is a sure fire way to get my recipe inspiration wheels turning. I like to go the farmer’s market sans shopping list. When I saw these portobello mushrooms in the market a couple of weeks ago, along with fresh cilantro: *bam*–  idea created.

I’m neither vegetarian nor vegan, but do tend to stick to plant based proteins in the spring because that’s what my body craves. Lots of vegetables, greens, bitters, and light proteins. In the past, I’d use a similar chimichurri sauce as a steak marinade and omg it was so delicious. On roasted portobello’s, just as good (and honestly, much more satisfying).

When I was recipe testing this, I literally enjoyed every single version (and basically ate stuffed mushrooms for a couple of days very happily). My spice cupboard over the years has been steadily stocked with herbs and spices from Mountain Rose Herbs, and I use these almost exclusively when I want an easy, flavor filled meal that tastes gourmet. Their spices are exceptionally fresh and aromatic, and make every single recipe 100 times better. This veggie stuffed portobello mushroom with herbal chimichurri is a favorite recipe of mine to serve for a simple lunch, or an addition to a light spring meal. It’s vegetarian based (but feel free to add bacon for an added savory twist). If you’d like to make these entirely vegan, omit the cheese. I love to use stuffed portobello mushrooms as a protein source for meals that’s both nutrient dense, and protein rich. Quinoa is one of the most protein packed whole grains, and when cooked in a broth, the flavor is much more robust and savory. You can easily double this recipe and have 6-8 stuffed mushrooms to serve for a crowd.

Herbal Chimichurri

Now, an ode to the herbs and spices in this recipe. They MAKE this dish. The quinoa combo contains smoked paprika, garlic granules, coriander powder, and cypress flake salt. When combine together it’s incredibly delicious, and the quinoa mixture tastes great all on it’s own to serve as a simple quinoa salad. The chimichurri flavors mainly come from the fresh parsley and cilantro, however the addition of a bit of the cypress flake salt and oregano mellow out the flavors and turn this sauce into an essential spring marinade, sauce, dressing or cleansing little side to anything you’re serving on the energetically “warmer” side to add a cooling balance.

Notes on cooking portobello mushrooms: Bake these separately first. Mushrooms have a high water content, and the pre-bake will remove the majority of the liquid from the mushrooms prior to baking them before they’re stuffed. Don’t skip this step, or you’ll be in for a soggy stuffed mushroom.

Notes on Chimichurri: Let this mixture sit for a bit (or even overnight) so the flavors meld and jive together. It’ll mellow out the longer it rests, but tastes delicious freshly made too. Chimichurri makes an amazing marinade for nearly all meats and tofu, and it’s my favorite thing to add to scrambled eggs and omelettes, btw.

Veggie Stuffed Portobello’s with Herbal Chimichurri

  • 3 large Portobello mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup tri-colored quinoa
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup filtered water
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic granules
  • Scant 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/4 cup chopped zucchini
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup green onions or scallions
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese (I used goat feta)
  • 1 tbsp coarsely chopped shallot
  • Scant 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar or (red wine vinegar)
  • 1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
Makes 3 Stuffed Veggie Stuffed Portobello's
Pre-heat oven to 450F. Wash mushrooms well and remove the stems. Pat dry with a towel and place on a lined baking sheet, stem (or gill) side up. Bake for 20 minutes. After about 15 minutes, check and if there is water pooling in the mushrooms remove from the oven and soak up the liquid with a paper towel. Return to oven and let bake another 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and pat dry any excess liquid from the mushrooms. The drier the better. Reduce oven temperature to 425F. While the mushrooms are baking, add the quinoa, vegetable broth and water to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, or until all of the liquid is soaked up. Remove from heat. Add the smoked paprika, garlic, coriander and cypress flake salt. Stir well to combine. While the quinoa is cooking, chop the zucchini, carrots and green onions and set aside. Once the quinoa is cooked and the spices are added, add in the chopped veggies and (optional) feta cheese and stir well. Distribute the quinoa mixture into the 3 mushrooms, filing them like a bowl, piling as high as you'd like. Place back in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. While the stuffed mushrooms are baking, make the Chimichurri. In a glass bowl, add the shallot, chili flakes, minced garlic and vinegar. Let sit for 7-8 minutes. Add the cilantro and parsley and oregano and combine well. Let sit another 5 minutes. Finally, add the olive oil and stir well. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and top with Chimichurri sauce and a pinch of cypress flake salt. Serve immediately and enjoy!

This post is sponsored by my friends at Mountain Rose Herbs. All thoughts and opinions are my own. It is my goal to use and recommend only the highest quality herbal products from companies that I wholly trust and fully support. Industry standards including sustainable harvesting, quality control, organic / fair trade standards and responsible sourcing are all things I care deeply about when working with herbs and herbal companies. I have been using Mountain Rose Herbal products for almost a decade, and have always been so impressed with their commitment to environmental stewardship. Thank you for supporting the brands that help to make this blog possible. This post contains affiliate links. Ginger Tonic Botanicals might earn a small commission on the goods purchased through those links.