Mexican Stuffed Portobellos

Mexican Stuffed Portobellos

Since we've started eating mushrooms, I usually order portobello mushrooms when I get a Green Bean Produce Delivery.  I made these last year - it was just a throw together meal of whatever ingredients we had - and we really liked it so I wanted to try it again.  As usual, I don't really measure things, but there is little room to mess anything up.  The filled made more than we needed for these, so I froze the rest for us to use for tacos or whatever some other night.  I highly recommend that everyone get a cast-iron pan (10-12 inches).  Amazon has pre-seasoned Lodge Cast Iron (made in USA) for really good prices ($18 and $21), and locally World Market usually has them as well.  These pans will literally last forever if you take care of them - it's easier than you think (see below for our care instructions).

Mexican Stuffed Portobellos

4 portobello mushrooms, wipe any dirt off the outside and scrape out gills with a spoon
1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 bunch of kale
1/3 bag of frozen corn
1/2 jar of salsa
handful of fresh spinach
2 green onions, chopped
onion flakes or chopped onion
taco seasoning or fajita seasoning
splash of Braggs Liquid Amino Acid (can use soy sauce or leave out completely)
red pepper flakes, to taste, optional
shredded cheese of your choice, for topping
avocado for topping, cubed
Half of a lime

Clean/prepare your mushrooms.  Add beef (and onion if using a real one) to a large skillet (preferably ovenproof) and cook until beef is just done, stirring every minute or so.  While meat is cooking, chop all veggies.  Drain beef in a metal colander if there's a lot of grease.  Return beef to skillet and add taco/fajita seasoning mix, dried onion, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of water. Stir well.  Add corn, kale, spinach, green onions, and any other veggies you want.  Add salsa and a splash of Braggs or soy sauce if using.  Put lid on skillet and cook until kale is wilted (stirring occasionally), 5-7 minutes.  If the mixture looks dry at any point, add a few tablespoons of water. 

Post-broil

If you have a second oven-proof skillet, arrange portobellos in the second skillet.  If you don't have a second skillet, transfer filling to a bowl and scrape out skillet (no need to wash) and arrange mushrooms in the pan.  Add about 2 tablespoons of water to the pan around the mushrooms.  Mound filling into each mushroom and sprinkle with cheese.  Cover skillet and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes until mushrooms look tender.  If you have an oven-proof skillet, turn on broiler and place skillet under the broiler for a few minutes (watching carefully) until cheese is browned. Squeeze a half of a lime over the mushrooms and carefully transfer to plates.  Top with avocado. 

Mexican Stuffed Portobellos

 I have a 10.25 inch cast iron pan that my mom gave me - I think she said it belonged to one of my grandmas and I remember cooking with it all of my life at home - so it's pretty old, but it is smooth as a baby's bottom on the inside.  We also have a 12 inch one that I got from Amazon.  We recently bought lids for them (also at Amazon, $20 and $25), which I highly recommend.  If you want to be really careful about seasoning and caring for your cast iron, read these "real" instructions of proper care.  We basically wash with hot water, no soap, oil it on the inside, and put it on the stovetop and turn on the burner for a few minutes to help it dry.  You could also wipe off any water before oiling lightly.  My oiling/drying, you'll help prevent rusting and help keep it "seasoned".  You should also re-season it every now and then, which entails oiling it really well and baking it in the oven for an hour.  We also have this Lodge handle mitt, that makes it easy to pick up and transfer to and from the oven, as the handle gets really hot even when cooking on the stovetop.  And don't worry - if you accidentally use soap every now and then, it should be fine.  When I lived at home, I didn't know you couldn't use soap on them, so I'm sure that the older one that we have was soaped plenty of times and rarely re-seasoned.  It's fine, but I would recommend caring for them properly so they will last forever.