Quinoa & Zucchini Stuffed Mushrooms

I’ve made peppers and mushrooms stuffed with rice mixtures, meats and veggies, but hadn’t tried quinoa yet.  So I decided to take what I had in my fridge and put together quinoa-stuffed Portobello mushroom caps.

They turned out really great, and I added some red pepper flakes to give them a little bit of heat.  We also ended up adding some hot sauce on top which added even another level of yummy spicy flavor.

I added sliced mushrooms to the filling inside of the caps, too, so these are pretty hearty and filling.  I served these as a main course with a few other nibbles on the side, however you could fill them a bit less and serve them as a side dish, too.

This is another recipe you can’t really “mess up” so feel free to add other ingredients like diced tomatoes or anything else that sounds good to you.  You could also add more or less cheese to your liking – I just like the way it holds the mixture together. The mixture is really yummy on its own, too, so if you could easily serve the quinoa mixture as a side dish without the mushroom caps, or serve any leftover mixture on the side.

What you’ll need: quinoa, veggie broth or water, olive oil, mushroom caps, onion, garlic, zucchini, red pepper flakes, thyme, mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper.

In a medium saucepan, cook the quinoa in the veggie broth (or water) until it has absorbed all of the liquid.  Drizzle the mushroom caps with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and cook for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven until the caps start to soften a bit.

Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil and cook the onion, garlic, zucchini and mushroom slices until softened.

Stir in the red pepper flakes and thyme and cook another two minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Turn off the heat.

Add the cooked quinoa and shredded mozzarella to the pan and stir until everything is combined.

Stuff the mushroom caps with the mixture and return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until the top starts to turn golden and the cheese is nice and melted.

Quinoa & Zucchini Stuffed Mushrooms
makes 4 stuffed mushroom caps

Ingredients

• 1 cup of quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
• 3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 Portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 zucchini, diced
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Steps

1. In a medium saucepan, add the quinoa and vegetable broth (or water) with a dash of salt.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid.  Fluff with a fork and keep covered.
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. Drizzle the mushroom caps with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and cook for 10 minutes until the caps start to soften a bit.
4. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil and cook the onion, garlic, zucchini and mushroom slices until softened.
5. Stir in the red pepper flakes and thyme and cook another two minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Turn off the heat.
7. Add the cooked quinoa and shredded mozzarella to the pan and stir until everything is combined.
8. Stuff the mushroom caps with the mixture and return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until the top starts to turn golden and the cheese is nice and melted.

Hugs, kisses & yummy dishes… xoxo
Lauren