We really are swimming in basil this time of year. All of our cherry tomatoes are gone, but we're still bringing in a couple romas a night. Our lettuces are gone too, but I still have a little bit of kale that isn't too woody. But, I digress, back to the basil. Pesto is great and all, but most people use it to dress hot pasta. I'm low-carb'ing it, so that's not an easy option for me. What other low carb ways could I enjoy pesto and use up all this basil? Stuffing it into mushrooms and adding lots of rough chopped walnuts sounded pretty delicious. Here's what I came up with.
Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 large button mushrooms
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto (store-bought or homemade* see recipe below)
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced or grated
- olive oil
- salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove stems from mushroom, removing tough bottom portion. Coarsely chop and set aside in a medium bowl. On a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil, place mushrooms stem side up, rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 15 minutes or until liquid fills the cap and begins to reduce. In the bowl with the chopped mushroom stems, add walnuts, pesto, garlic and a pinch of salt. Fill the mushroom "cups" with the filling, and cook for 20 minutes. I served mine on a bed of freshly made marinara, you could also add these to a salad, or eat on their own.
*Pesto
Makes 4 servings,
Recipe from Serious Eats
Ingredients
- 4 medium cloves garlic
- Generous pinch coarse sea salt
- 3 ounces basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 ounce grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 ounce Pecorino Fiore Sardo
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mildly flavored extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a mortar and pestle (see link above), or in a food processor.