Game day in our house is always a good day.

I’m usually pretty into football, but when the game loses its energy with endless penalties or Eli has thrown his fifth interception, it’s the perfect time to whip up some game day food.

Though I love me some Buffalo chicken spring rolls or mozzarella sticks, when we are talking game day dinner, we are talking chili!

But sometimes chili can be a bit meat heavy, which is not exactly my cup of tea...

The solution?

Stuff it into a portabella mushroom cap, of course! The moist, meaty mushroom plays perfectly in the sandbox with the spicy chili and provides a nice base and texture to the dish.

With a dollop of sour cream to cool it all down, it’s exactly what you want as your team wins--and it’s exactly what you need when they lose.

You can’t win them all, but you can always have Chili Stuffed Portabellas to make you smile.

Go Giants!

(And Bills! Love you, Dad!)

Chili Stuffed Portabellas

servings: 4; makes 3 cups of chili and 4 stuffed mushroom caps

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chipotle puree
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
Half 15-ounce can kidney beans
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 portabella mushroom caps
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped scallion, green parts only

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, poblano, garlic, and ½ teaspoon of the salt and cook until tender-–5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the veggies from the pan, turn the heat to high and add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan. Then place the beef and ½ teaspoon of the salt into the skillet. Break up the meat as it cooks, and cook until the meat is brown and all the pink is gone–-3 to 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium and transfer the veggies back into the pan along with the chipotle puree, cumin, and chili powder and cook 1-2 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper and cook until the chili has a saucy and thick consistency–-10 to 15 minutes.
While the chili cooks, prepare the mushrooms. Remove the gills with a spoon. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the mushrooms; cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt on both sides and continue to cook until tender--2 to 4 minutes more.
Remove the mushrooms from the pan and top them with the chili, sour cream, and scallions. Serve immediately with a knife and fork.

Notes:

You can use 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder instead of chipotle puree.
Substitute all spices for 2 teaspoons chili powder instead.
Lots of beans are great in this chili, so feel free to throw in whatever bean you have on hand.

: @NikkiDinki

: @NikkiDinkiCooking