A large portobello mushroom filled with meltingly tender eggplant, garlic, chili, oregano and preserved lemon, then baked.
These stuffed portobello mushrooms come out of the oven tender and juicy, their caps filled with soft eggplant studded with little pieces of preserved lemon. Garlic, a little chili and oregano flavor the filling, which holds together without breadcrumbs or starch. For one serving, allow half an hour to cook the eggplant in a frying pan, then about 20 minutes in the oven. This recipe joins my collection of keto main dishes.
What Are Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms ?
A portobello is a brown mushroom of the same species as the white button mushroom, harvested when fully mature : its wide, meaty cap is a natural vessel for a filling. Here, it is stuffed with eggplant slowly cooked in a frying pan, then baked for about 20 minutes at 200 °C, until the mushroom is tender and the filling is piping hot.
A little Parmesan, pecorino or Grana Padano can be browned on top ; nutritional yeast flakes, on the other hand, are added after baking. Each serving contains about 240 kcal.
The Inspiration Behind This Version
Stuffed mushrooms are served hot, with a contrast between the tender cap and a soft filling, sometimes browned on top. This version replaces denser fillings with almost creamy eggplant, brightened with salt-preserved lemon, garlic, chili and oregano.
Serve as a generous appetizer or a side dish, allowing one portobello per person. For a strictly vegetarian meal, choose nutritional yeast or a cheese made without animal rennet.
The Main Ingredients
The portobello provides the structure : choose a wide, intact cap deep enough to hold the filling. There is no need to precook it, as it softens in the oven in contact with the filling. For another way to cook mushrooms, try these braised mushrooms in soy sauce.
One whole eggplant, diced, makes up the filling ; it cooks in a generous amount of avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil. A quarter of a salt-preserved lemon, not to be confused with sweet candied peel, is finely chopped, skin and all, to add flavor and seasoning. A garlic clove, a quarter of a red chili and a teaspoon of dried oregano round out the filling.
As an optional topping, allow 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes, with their umami flavor, or a small handful of Parmesan, pecorino or Grana Padano instead.
Cooking Tips and Serving
Cook the diced eggplant in a frying pan with a generous amount of oil for half an hour : the pieces should squash easily under a spatula, as they will barely soften any further in the oven. Add the pressed garlic for the last ten minutes, along with the thinly sliced chili and oregano, and a little oil or water if the mixture starts to stick. Add the preserved lemon to the pan for the last five minutes.
Fill the portobello with the eggplant, sprinkle with cheese at this point if using, and bake at 200 °C for about 20 minutes, checking after fifteen minutes. The mushroom should be tender and the filling piping hot ; add the nutritional yeast once it comes out of the oven. Serve immediately with a green salad or stir-fried bok choy.
For everyday keto cooking, browse all my low-carb recipes.
Stuffed portobello mushrooms with eggplant and preserved lemon
Print Recipe Pin the recipe Add to my listIngredients
- 1 portobello mushroom
- 1 eggplant
- 1 wedge preserved lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.25 red chili pepper (chili or Spanish pepper)
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- oil avocado, mild olive or high-oleic sunflower oil, for cooking
Optional
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- A small handful Parmesan or pecorino or Grana Padano, instead of nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Dice the eggplant and cook it in a generous amount of oil for half an hour, until tender. The eggplant really needs to be fully cooked. It won’t cook much more in the oven (and there’s nothing worse than slightly undercooked eggplant).1 eggplant, oil
- Press the garlic and add it for the last ten minutes of cooking. Slice the chili into thin rings and add it along with the oregano. Add a little more oil or water if needed.1 clove garlic, 0.25 red chili pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano
- Cut the lemon into small pieces (including the peel). Add it for the last five minutes of cooking.1 wedge preserved lemon
- Stuff the portobello with the eggplant. Bake for about 20 minutes, but check after fifteen minutes to make sure everything is cooking nicely.1 portobello mushroom
- If topping with Parmesan, sprinkle it on before putting the portobello in the oven. Nutritional yeast flakes are best added after baking.A small handful Parmesan, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
