Love Stuffed Portobellos? Butternut Squash & Ricotta is the BEST

Why it works:

Oven roasted butternut squash with caramelized, sweet shallots blended with whole milk, ricotta cheese, creamy mascarpone, and salty cheese makes an amazing, rich filling for the flavorful mushroom base. It’s like a stuffed pasta without the pasta. A little healthier but no-less satisfying version. Like the skinny me, long ago. I firmly believe it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right? Okay, I digress. Let’s get back to the dish.

This stuffed portobello mushroom is truly one of those dishes that won’t have you missing the meat and has all the little presentation touches you’d expect from a holiday dish – breadcrumbs and all. It’s savory and decadent. I’d put it up against a sausage stuffed portobello any day. What? And this is coming from a meat lover who adores sausage stuffed mushrooms. Truly, I can’t be trusted alone with a pan of sausage mushrooms without some real soul searching. So, these are some serious words. But all posturing aside, this vegetarian roasted butternut squash and ricotta portobello mushroom is the absolute perfect main dish or side dish for your holiday table when you may need a vegetarian dish or two to round out the meal. It’s good like that – adaptable and fulfilling- in all the right ways.

Do Ahead Steps

• Marinate the mushrooms. Mushrooms are very porous and absorb flavors well. They are also a bit bland on their own so marinating ahead of time makes a big difference.
• Roast the butternut squash and shallots
• Make the filling
• Dry out your bread for the breadcrumb topping or use day-old bread. Herbed bread or good quality ciabatta makes it even better
• Fry the sage and make the breadcrumb topping

Tips for Roasting Squash & Shallots

• Preheat your oven for at least 20 minutes
• Cut the squash into small even, cubes and the shallots into similar sized pieces as the squash so they don’t burn
• Bump up the heat by a few degrees if you aren’t sure if your oven holds an even temp
• Roast until the veggies are super soft and the edges are beginning to get caramelized. Under roasted veggies won’t blend as well

Cheesey Goodness

Why do we use three different cheeses? Is it worth it? The ricotta cheese is a light, mild flavored cheese that gives this delicious filling a lighter, more airy texture. Do use a whole milk ricotta instead of a low-fat and the better the quality the better the overall dish. One ingredient not to skimp on. Similarly, the mascarpone is a mild flavored but creamier cheese that gives this dish a bit of lusciousness and melty factor. You could substitute cream cheese here if you can’t find mascarpone.

And, since neither of these two cheeses has a whole lot of flavor going on, the nuttiness from freshly grated real Parmesan and/or Pecorino (I used half of each) makes a world of difference in the flavor of the butternut squash filling. Yet, both Parmesan and Pecorino are still mild enough to let the butternut squash shine through as the star flavor. Note, Pecorino is a bit saltier so if using all Pecorino be careful on the salt factor.

Butternut Squash & Ricotta Stuffed Portobello Ingredients:

Mushrooms

• 6 portobello mushrooms
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

Filling

• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed in ¼ inch pieces
• 1 large shallot bulb, skin removed roughly chopped into large pieces (approx. ¼ cup)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
• ½ tsp ground pepper, divided
• ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup mascarpone cheese (at room temp)
• ¾ cup Pecorino & Parmesan cheese blended (grated), divided

Sage Breadcrumbs

• 10-12 medium sage leaves
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup fresh cubed breadcrumbs (very small cubes or pulsed in food processor)
• ¼ tsp salt

Makes: 6 Servings

Marinate Mushrooms

1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and gently wipe the outside of the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.  Scoop out gills with a small spoon, if desired.
2. Mix olive oil, balsamic, garlic clove, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine and drizzle evenly over both sides of the mushrooms. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Squash Filling

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Remove skin and cube squash into ¼ inch cubes. 
3. Add cubed squash, roughly chopped shallot, oil, nutmeg, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper to a bowl and stir to coat.  Place on sheet pan and roast for approximately 30-35 minutes until very tender.
4. Remove from sheet pan to food processor and add in the ricotta, mascarpone, ½ cup of the cheese mixture and remaining ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.  Blend until well combined and a smooth-like consistency. Taste for seasoning.  Add more nutmeg, salt and pepper if desired. Reserve final ¼ of grated cheese for topping.

Sage Breadcrumb Topping

1. In a medium skillet add butter until melted and bubble a little bit.
2. Add in sage leaves and fry until just crisp, turning once.  Approximately 1 minute per side.  They will still be green (not dark brown).  Remove to a paper towel.
3. Add in breadcrumbs and salt and gently stir to combine.  Cook breadcrumbs until lightly golden brown as they will cook longer in the oven.  Crumble ½ the fried sage back into breadcrumbs and set aside the rest for garnish.

Par Bake Mushrooms

1. Preheat oven to 400 and line baking sheet with parchment.
2. Remove marinated mushrooms from fridge and shake off any excess marinade. Place stem side down on baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes to remove some of the moisture from the mushroom.  Remove from pan to paper towels to drain off moisture. Set aside until ready to fill or refrigerate if done ahead.

Assemble and Bake

1. Preheat oven to 350.  When ready to serve add the ricotta squash filling to each mushroom, top with sage breadcrumbs, and remaining grated cheese. Bake until warmed through. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and place under the broiler (watch carefully) to brown the topping.

Presentation:

These stuffed portobello beauties are colorful on their own can be quite dramatic when presented on a long wooden board or large round wooden board. Here’s a few that I really like that are also very versatile for other dishes like Pizza Night or my Roasted Grape and Ricotta Crostini! I also like the marble and wood look if your taste is a little bit more modern. Use some the extra fried sage as well as fresh sage leaves and more toasted breadcrumbs to create a rustic feel.

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What to serve with Butternut Squash Stuffed Portobellos:

These stuffed portobello mushrooms are great on their own as the main dish or work as a side dish to a larger dinner party. If you are going for more of a sit-down, cozy Fall or Winter dinner party I’d serve:

• Fall Caesar Salad or Roasted Beet Salad (Both have do ahead components and are seasonal)

• Seared Scallop with Brown Butter over Farro or something meaty and hearty like Pasta Bolognese (for the meat lovers at the table)
• Pear Crisp or Creme Brule for Dessert

As always, you want to pick a menu that is impressive but doable. So look for recipes with do-ahead component and steps. It’s okay if one dish has ingredients that have to be done at the end (like searing scallops), but you don’t want every dish to require your undivided attention.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!