Portobello mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and cashew cream… three amazing flavors put together for one amazing dish. So rich and delicious. I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time and yesterday, I finally got in the kitchen and decided to make it happen.

This recipe kind of has a back-story. A long time ago, before my vegan path began, I waited tables at a restaurant specializing in California cuisine. The chef, Kathleen Minahan, who’s since passed away, has always had a huge influence on the way in which I cook. I often think of her when I’m in the kitchen. I want to call her up and ask questions, or share recipes (or, well, mainly just get hers lol). I think of her even more now because she was a vegetarian, and at the time that I worked for her, I was not. I wish I could pick her brain, and even more, thank her for her influence and inspiration, which I’m pretty sure she had no clue she gave to me. At the time, neither did I.

There’s a lasagna Kathleen made which I sometimes think about and miss. The lasagna had mushrooms, artichokes, and a white cream sauce. Yum! The flavors were off the hook! I don’t really eat regular lasagna noodles anymore, so I needed to figure out an alternative.

Usually, when I make lasagnas nowadays, I’ll use thinly sliced eggplant or zucchini in place of the noodles. I really didn’t want to add either of those flavors to this dish. I thought about trying to find some gluten-free lasagna noodles but decided the noodles themselves were really unnecessary.

Next, I had the idea of using portobellos to create lasagna-like layers, more like individual towers, rather than one, big lasagna. This sounded good, but I was a little worried, with portobellos being as big as they are, more than one in a serving may be too rich and filling. Then it hit me: Why not stuff them? It would work perfectly.

I was sure it’d been done already, so I started trying to find a recipe online. I couldn’t find anything vegan but found one appetizer recipe for artichoke stuffed criminis, which I could have veganized, but it really wasn’t quite what I was thinking. Somehow on my search, a recipe for crab stuffed portobellos came up. I liked the way it sounded, but with replacing the crab with the artichokes. This recipe used a cream cheese rather than a sauce. I considered using some vegan cream cheese, but have been trying hard to stay away from unnecessary processed foods, so instead, I made my own sauce out of cashews. I did add vegan Parmesan to the stuffing, but there are healthy alternatives to this if staying away from everything processed.

When I go back and look at it, I really didn’t follow that recipe at all, but it gave me a sort of guideline to refer back to. How many breadcrumbs did they use, how long did they cook for, etc. Even if I didn’t do it the same, I needed something to look at to tell myself I could do this! I was so nervous for some reason to even try and start this recipe. I remember getting into the kitchen to start and just kind of standing there frozen, not even knowing where to begin. I think because I had it in my head, how I wanted everything to taste, I was worried if I didn’t do it just right, I’d be more than disappointed.

My first step was rinsing the mushrooms and getting them ready to stuff. I removed the stems and gills, then brushed them with avocado oil. After that, I blended my cashews and worked on my sauce, adding the artichokes and breadcrumbs (gluten free) to it at the end. Once finished stuffing my mushrooms, I topped each with a mixture of more bread crumbs and vegan Parmesan. Then I sprayed the tops with cooking oil to help them brown.

What was the outcome? Obviously, a win or I wouldn’t be writing this, right? I did need to adjust the salt. And one tip: I don’t suggest overstuffing them because it throws off the mushroom/filling/topping ratio. The crispy topping, yum! I have to brag a little and say that was a really nice touch. I went back and forth whether or not to do a crispy topping or keep it like a lasagna and melt some vegan mozzarella on top. I’m glad I went with the bread crumbs and Parmesan because it really made things pop.

The kids were gone that evening and I wanted an extra opinion, so called on a friend to be my taste tester. That made this dish vegan-made, and omni approved! I think that’s the best because I know it can be made for a more diverse crowd. If you make this dish, let me know and snap a pic, then tag me on Instagram @veggiesattiffanis