Baked Portobello Mushroom Fries {Secret Recipe Club}

Baked Portobello Mushroom Fries with Pesto

This is my third month joining in on the fun with the Secret Recipe Club, created by Amanda of Amanda's Cookin. This club has been growing each month and now has over 100 participants. The idea behind the Secret Recipe Club is to give bloggers the chance to try each other's recipes without the other bloggers knowing it until everyone posts their results.

This month I was assigned to Angie of Big Bears Wife, where Angie blogs about baking, decorating, crafts and party ideas. After looking through Big Bears Wife, it is apparent that Angie loves to cook and bake, and that she has a special thing for making cute pops, whether they're pudding pops, brownie pops, or s'more pops. In addition to cooking, baking and crafting, Angie loves photography (she photographs weddings), scrapbooking, the beach, traveling and web design.

I was looking for a lighter recipe on Angie's blog, and one recipe that caught my eye was her Portobello Mushroom Fries, which actually came from A Cozy Kitchen. These portobello mushroom fries reminded me of something similar that I had when my husband and I were out to dinner in New York City one day last year. Meaty and crunchy, I could have made a meal out of these Portobello Mushroom Fries.  What I liked about this recipe was that these Portobello Mushroom Fries were baked, not fried.

I made a few changes to this recipe, including using Whole Wheat Panko Breadcrumbs and fresh garlic that I picked up from the Farmer's Market. I also served these Portobello Mushroom Fries with some Pesto made with fresh basil from the local Farmer's Market. These "fries" came out super crunchy, and the Pesto went nicely with them. My sister-in-law and family were in town when I made these Portobello Mushroom Fries, so everyone got a taste - thumbs up!

Baked Portobello Mushroom Fries

Instead of regular bread crumbs, I used Whole Wheat Panko Breadcrumbs which are nice and light in texture. I also used fresh minced garlic in place of garlic powder, and served these "fries" with Pesto. For a gluten-free version, try crushed crispy brown rice cereal.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Panko Breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 2 Portobello Mushrooms, cut into 1/2" slices
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Pesto for serving, optional
• fresh minced chives, for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Mix Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Creole seasoning, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
5. Dip the portobello slices in the beaten eggs, letting the excess drip off. 
6. Transfer to the bowl with the bread crumb mixture, coating boat sides of the mushrooms thoroughly.
7. Place the breaded mushrooms on the baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes, turning over about half way through.
8. Sprinkle with minced chives and serve with Pesto, if desired.