Pork Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms with Artichokes & Spinach (Paleo, Whole30 & Kid-Friendly)

Before the morning sickness kicked in, I purchased a few pounds of ground pork to make my Egg Roll in a Bowl.  Now that I am out of the first trimester and thankfully able to eat meat again, the thought of Egg Roll in a Bowl takes me back to a very nauseous time.  I’m hoping it will pass, but for now, I need to use up that ground pork.  I went through all of my cookbooks and settled on this one.  I LOVE ME some artichokes, and the thought of the hidden spinach for the kids together was a win-win.

If you don’t care for portabella mushrooms (I was on the fence at first too) please give them a try – the mushroom doesn’t add much flavor, but houses the stuffing mixture perfectly and gives the dish more depth.  I knew my kids would freak out at the sight of the huge mushroom, so I served it to my son on a gluten-free bun and my daughter in a bowl with plantain chips mix in.  They both gave me a thumbs up!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time:  15 minutes
Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: Julie Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1-pound ground pork
• ½ medium yellow onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ cup artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 cups spinach, chopped
• 4 portabella mushroom caps, ribs and stems scraped out with a spoon
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 Tablespoons almond flour
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon (optional)

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set a wire rack on top.
2. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, combine the ground pork, onion, garlic and salt. Cook, breaking the pork into pieces with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 10 minutes. Drain fat.
3. Add the artichoke hearts, tomato paste and garlic powder and mix well to combine.
4. Add the chopped spinach, cover and cook for about 1 minute, until the spinach has wilted, then mix to combine.
5. (To make kid-friendly) Set aside 1 cup of the mixture.
6. Add the red pepper flakes to the main mixture and mix well.
7. Place the scraped-out portabella mushrooms on the wire rack. Scoop the main mixture into the mushroom caps, dust with the almond flour, and then drizzle a bit of olive oil over each stuffed mushroom.
8. Bake the stuffed mushrooms for 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft.
9. Serve with sprinkled bacon bits on top (optional).
10. Serve the kid-friendly mixture as desired, suggestions below.
    

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Additional Notes

• Double this recipe for leftovers.
• Great for breakfast leftovers.  Slice up, reheat and serve with an egg on top.
  

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MAKE IT KID-FRIENDLY

• Serve on a gluten-free bun with choice fruit and/or vegetables.
• Serve in a bowl with broken plantain chips sprinkled in.
• Serve over gluten-free noodles or zoodles.