Cheesy Italian Mushroom Bake with Focaccia & Pine Nuts

Transport the family to Italy for a delish meat-free meal that is loaded with flavour! Portobello mushrooms baked in a tomato based sauce topped with toasted pine nuts make for the perfect warming dinner. Even better, you can dip warm sliced of fluffy focaccia in the saucy goodness!

Cheesy Italian Mushroom Bake with Focaccia & Pine Nuts

Servings 4
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Bake

  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 130 g cheddar cheese grated
  • 2 cans cherry tomatoes
  • Spices (1½ tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp Italian herbs, ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp ground fennel, 1 tsp sweet paprika)
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup vegetable stock
  • 100 g sundried tomato pesto store-bought
  • 400 g portobello mushrooms
  • 200 g ricotta cheese
  • 1 drizzle oil
  • 20 g pine nuts

Salad

  • 150 g frozen peas
  • 100 g rocket
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

To Serve

  • 1 loaf focaccia bread
  • 1 bunch basil leaves picked

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 230°C (or 210°C fan bake). Bring a small pot of water to the boil with a lid on. Set aside a large baking dish.
  • Prep garlic and cheese and set aside. Add canned tomatoes to baking dish. Using the back of a spoon, squash tomatoes to release their juices. Add garlic, spices, cornflour, salt, stock and pesto and mix together.
    Arrange mushrooms in tomato sauce mixture and season with salt and pepper. Dollop over ricotta, sprinkle with grated cheese and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Cook mushroom bake on upper oven rack for about 25 minutes, until golden on top and mushrooms are tender. Add pine nuts to baking dish for final 5 minutes of cook time.
  • Place focaccia on an oven tray and heat on lower oven rack for 5-8 minutes, until warmed through. Cut into wedges.
  • Cook peas in pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, until tender. Drain and refresh under cold water to cool. Just before serving, toss peas in large bowl with rocket, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Prep basil.
  • Serve mushroom bake topped with basil. Serve salad and focaccia on the side.

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