A delicious combination of meaty portobello mushroom, herby pesto orzo, and mozzarella cheese.
Servings 6mushrooms
Prep Time 15 minutesmins
Cook Time 30 minutesmins
Total Time 45 minutesmins
Equipment
1 Baking Tray
Parchment Paper
1 Medium saucepan
1 Spoon
Ingredients
6Medium-large portobello mushrooms
6ozHomemade or store bought pesto
1cupOrzo
8ozFresh mozzarella
¼teaspoonCrushed red pepper flakes
3tbsPine nuts
2tbsOlive oil
½cupFresh basil
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Clean mushrooms off and scoop out insides and stem, reserving mushroom pieces in small bowl.
Rub the mushrooms all over with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the mushrooms cap-side down on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the orzo to the boiling water. Cook according to package directions until al dente (usually 9 minutes). Drain the orzo, and return back to pot. Add 6 oz of pesto, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add reserved mushroom pieces. Stir well.
Remove mushrooms from oven. Flip mushrooms over and bake another 10 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms from the oven and carefully spoon orzo evenly among the mushrooms.
Top with mozzarella cheese and pine nuts.
Bake mushrooms 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 3-4 minutes longer.
To serve, spoon the mushrooms onto plates. Top each plate with fresh basil.
Notes
You can create an appetizer version of this dish by swapping the medium-large mushrooms for small portobello. You should be able to easily make 18-24.