Feta Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Valentine's Day. I did not propose. I made dinner. Chicken marsala — Megan's request, specific and unwavering. She saw it on a cooking show and has wanted it since December. Chicken breasts pounded thin, dredged in flour, seared in butter, finished with marsala wine and mushrooms and a silky pan sauce. Simple technique, big flavor. Babcia never made chicken marsala but she would have approved of the method: good ingredients, patience, butter.

I made dessert too: chocolate lava cakes. The kind where you cut into them and the molten chocolate flows out like a delicious science experiment. I watched four YouTube videos and practiced twice before tonight. The first practice, the center was raw. The second practice, the center was solid. Tonight, by some miracle, the center was perfect — warm, flowing, exactly right. Megan took a video of the chocolate flowing out. She posted it on her teacher Instagram. Her students will see it on Monday. I am famous among fourth graders.

She gave me a card that said, "To the best cook I know." Inside she wrote, "And the best everything else." I gave her earrings — small, silver, to match the necklace. We ate lava cakes and drank wine and watched a movie on the couch (with the blanket on Tom's old couch) and it was Valentine's Day the way Valentine's Day should be: not dramatic, not performative, just two people who love each other being in the same room.

The ring is in the coffee can. I looked at it this morning while Megan was in the shower. It's perfect. She's perfect. The Hoan Bridge is the plan. I just need spring. I need a sunset. I need the bridge. Soon.

The mushrooms in that chicken marsala were doing a lot of quiet, important work — earthy and tender, soaking up every bit of that wine and butter sauce. After a dinner like that one, I wanted a recipe I could hand off to anyone who asked “what did you make?” without walking them through a whole pan-sauce tutorial. Feta stuffed portobello mushrooms hit the same note: simple technique, big flavor, the kind of thing that looks like you tried harder than you did. Babcia would have approved. Megan definitely would.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and gills scraped out
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh basil or parsley for garnish

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush both sides of each portobello cap with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Par-roast the caps. Place mushrooms gill-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 8 minutes until they begin to soften and release moisture. Remove from the oven and carefully pat the gill side dry with a paper towel.
Build the filling. While mushrooms roast, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring until spinach is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Mix and fill. In a bowl, combine the spinach mixture with the crumbled feta, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine. Flip the mushroom caps gill-side up and mound the filling evenly into each cap, pressing it gently to hold.
Roast to finish. Return the filled mushrooms to the oven and roast an additional 10–12 minutes, until the filling is heated through and the tops are lightly golden. The feta will soften but keep its shape.
Serve. Let rest for 2 minutes before plating. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Feta Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms — The Mushrooms That Belong on Every Romantic Dinner Table