What are the benefits of Portobello Mushrooms?

Welcome my beautiful, strong and sexy Self-Care Goddess to my blog post. In this post I will be sharing with you some background to my obsession with stuffing vegetables, particularly mushrooms – these nutritional beauties.

What are portobello mushrooms?

Portobello, or open cap mushrooms, are just one type of numerous varieties in the fungi family of mushrooms. This type of mushroom, is the most mature variety of button mushrooms, and have a big cap that is completely open, exposing the gills underneath. Depending on the recipe, I tend to either keep the gills or scrape them off, but the entire mushroom is edible. These beauties have been my meat substitute because of their meaty texture, since I stopped eating meat. They are super versatile and can be either grilled or stuffed, or can be replaced for a burger bun, but stuffing them is my favourite way of enjoying them.  They also make a perfect side dish with your steak or fish.

It can easily measure 4-6 inches in diameter and due to their lower moisture content, these beauties are more flavourful than their younger counterparts the white button and cremini mushrooms.

The Chinese were the first civilizations to cultivate mushrooms around 1100AD, then France grew white button mushroom by 1650.  Today, the US is the world’s largest producer of fresh mushrooms.  Due to the missing presence of chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, mushrooms can proliferate without sunlight.  They feed from secreting digestive enzymes into their surroundings, and ingested into their cells walls once they are broken down. Super cool right! 

Fun Mushroom Facts:

  • The DNA structure of these amazing fungi is closer to humans than it is to plants.
  • There are over 2000 species of mushrooms but only about 25 are used as food.
  • Powerful source of natural medicines, such as penicillin.

What are the benefits of eating portobello mushrooms?

There are many benefits to eating these plant-based beauties, here are some of my favourite and somewhat surprising benefits:

  • Low in saturated fat and cholesterol
  • High in dietary fiber
  • Excellent source of phosphorous
  • Offer Vitamin B2 for energy production, B3 for enzymatic support, and B5 to help in fatty acid production
  • Have the potential to release at least 15 different vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients – especially potassium, and selenium

Some studies also indicate their powerful anti-inflammatory properties, as well as minimizing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and even protecting your DNA from oxidative damage. 

What is the best way to cook these giant button mushrooms?

The easiest way to cook them is to lightly sauteed them, in water and then towards the end reduce heat to a minimum add minced garlic, your favourite spices, and extra virgin olive oil and sauté for a few more minutes. Voila – your side or main dish is ready to serve.

Here are some quick tips on how to get the best flavour from your mushrooms:

  1. Avoid cleaning them with water, use paper towel instead.
  2. Aim to have consistency in size & shape when cutting them up so they cook better
  3. Avoid overcrowding them in your pan or else you will end up steaming vs sautéing them
  4. Add salt at the end to help bring our more moisture

So I hope I have made a solid case to always have mushroom in your kitchen ready to whip up in a salad, soup, side dish or as a main.

Click here for my favourite healthy portobello stuffed mushroom recipe.

References:

What are Portobello Mushrooms Good For? (2001, November). Retrieved on January 7th, 2020, from, https://foodfacts.mercola.com/portobello-mushroom.html

Portobello Mushroom Nutritional Value and Facts (2020, July). Retrieved on January 7th, 2021, from, https://mushroomsite.com/2020/07/29/portobello-mushroom-nutrition/

No-Fail Method for How to Cook Mushrooms (2019, March). Retrieved on January 7th, 2021, from, https://www.inspiredtaste.net/36274/how-to-cook-mushrooms/