Bacon and Blue Cheeseburger Stuffed Portobellos

This satisfying low carb entrée has all the elements of a classic blue cheeseburger, without the bun! This version may be a bit easier, as well, because you don’t need to form the ground beef into patties before cooking. On the plus side, you don’t have to worry about making sure the burgers fit on the mushroom caps. However, you’ll want to be careful not to overcook the beef with this method.

Tip: To prepare the mushroom caps, gently remove stems by hand. Then, carefully scoop out the gills with a spoon and discard. This will give you more room to add your toppings, plus it will remove any residual grit.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
6 large Portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed
6 strips, thick-cut bacon
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 T. Worcestershire sauce**
1 t. dried rosemary
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 oz. blue cheese (+ extra for garnish)

**Worcestershire sauce adds a lot of flavor to plain ground beef, but it does contain some sugar. Omit this ingredient if this is an issue.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set aside.

With a pastry brush, brush olive oil on outside of each mushroom cap, and around the interior and edges. Place oiled caps on prepared baking sheet and set aside.

Cook bacon, turning occasionally, in a large skillet set over medium heat until cooked through and crispy, approximately 8-10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and blot off excess grease. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Carefully drain and discard almost all of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, if using, and the dried rosemary. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. 

Cook over medium heat, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon while stirring, until the meat is mostly browned, but still a little pink in some places, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and drain excess grease from the skillet, if necessary.

Stir the crumbled bacon and blue cheese into the ground beef and stir to combine. Carefully spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps. Place the baking sheet into the pre-heated oven and bake until the cheese is nicely melted, and the mushrooms are golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately with a little extra blue cheese sprinkled on top, if desired. Enjoy!

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