Portobello Mushroom

A buttery stuffing of sautéed onions, prosciutto, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan brings big flavor to this recipe for portobello mushrooms.

Roasted squash and mushrooms are the perfect building blocks for a week's worth of lunches. Here they're used as a taco filling for whole wheat tortillas.

This is a fine Christmas Day vegetarian dish, a serious centerpiece packed with rich flavor. The recipe may look a bit epic upon first glance, but the sauce and caramelized onions can be made in advance.

These are earthy, hearty, and an elegant medley of flavors that please not just vegetarians who want something more “meaty” for their meal, but meat-lovers as well.

This saffron-infused, vegetarian version of the traditional savory Iranian rice cake is made with earthy portobello mushrooms and meaty eggplants.

Instead of butter and cream, cashews provide richness and creaminess to the sauce for this vegan pasta dish.

Grilled portobello mushroom burgers with grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, red onion, arugula, and pesto sauce.

With sweet potato as a binder, quinoa for protein, and meaty mushrooms for depth, this veggie burger beats anything in the frozen foods aisle.

Portobello mushrooms add hearty flavor to these creamy vegetarian enchiladas.

An easy fancy meal with a bonus: Mushrooms and tomato may fight cancer.

Choose portobello caps with dry, firm gills—damp and soft ones mean the mushrooms are old.

Like most Francophiles, when we are not traveling to French-speaking (and -eating) destinations, we are at home, dreaming of them and inspired by them as we cook the foods we love. Steak frites is the definitive French bistro dish; our portobello version features a juicy red wine reduction that sings with tarragon and a touch of Dijon. You can easily make restaurant-crisp fries at home with the Vedge method: start with baked potatoes, then crisp them up in a little oil.

You know the Juicy Lucy, right? It's a cheese-stuffed burger that was born in Minneapolis in the 1950s, and legend has it that it got its name when the first patron took a bite and exclaimed, "That's one juicy lucy!" Well, my friend Erin Meister, who blogs as The Nervous Cook, sent me her take on it: a marinated portobello mushroom cap stuffed with a runny-yolk egg. A total umami bomb and, like the Juicy Lucy, a mess to eat. But when you're cooking for yourself who cares if you have egg on your face? Erin marinates the mushroom in a miso-vinegar mixture, but since I usually have Sesame Miso Vinaigrette on hand, it's perfect to use here, too. If you don't have it, substitute 1 tablespoon of white miso in 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar. If you don't have a grill, don't sweat it; you won't get the smoky tinge, but this works just fine instead, using a cast-iron skillet or grill pan fitted with a lid (or aluminum foil).

Low-cal 'shrooms up the heartiness factor of these patties, for burgers that are backyard barbecue-worthy.

This grain-based veggie burger is an excellent change from traditional bean or tofu varieties. Cooked kasha’s firmness balances the soft sautéed vegetables for a robust texture.

When I make a vegetarian entrée, it is always in the back of my mind that a minority of people eat this way, so I try to come up with things that are interesting and balanced for a vegetarian but that someone who does eat meat would find filling, or at least a satisfying side dish to their protein of choice. I try to use kale often, as its nutritional profile is quite impressive. In this dish, its short time in the oven helps it to retain most of its structure, but make sure that the oil really coats the kale, since if you use too little you will get something more like kale chips. If you use curly kale, which is less tender than lacinato kale, or you prefer your greens more wilted, you could sauté it quickly instead. I use lots of liquid in the millet, so the result is nice and soft but bound together by the sharply flavored cheese. The bits of millet are still detectable, but it has a comfort food texture. Whether you serve it as an entrée or a side is up to you.

Tuna and 'shrooms contain two different umami compounds that work synergistically to enhance the savory flavor. This dish is the lightest of this noodly bunch, with only 350 calories per bowl.