These vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms are filled with “cheesy” spinach ricotta and topped with hearty bolognese sauce to satisfy your lasagna craving. They’re incredibly delicious, flavourful, comforting and even though they look fancy, they’re simple to make.

This recipe was originally published in November 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
What’s better than a dish that tastes like absolute comfort food, but it’s low in calories, wholesome and nutritious??
That’s exactly what you’re getting here with these lasagna stuffed mushrooms.
But if mushrooms aren’t quite your thing, or you want a traditional style lasagna, check out this incredible, BEST vegan lasagna ever.
Here’s why you’re going to LOVE these!
- They’re easy to make. SO much simpler than traditional lasagna. No need for all that layering, and a far fewer steps here.
- They can be prepped ahead of time for ease of entertaining. These vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms make incredible party food.
- Wholesome and delicious! You’d never guess from a bite of these, how nutritious they are! Made using healthy ingredients like nuts, spinach and the perfect blend of seasoning to deliver BIG flavour.
- As all recipes here on the blog, they’re vegan and dairy free. But as an added bonus, they’re naturally gluten free, using mushrooms over noodles, they’re soy free, corn free, and oil free too! Perfect for all kinds of eaters.
These utterly delicious, vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms would make an absolute PERFECT dish for the holidays, entertaining, or any day you’ve got a lasagna craving to tackle.
How to make them
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
How to make the vegan ricotta cheese
Gather your ingredients.
Place your spinach in a skillet and wilt over medium heat. If the spinach is getting stuck to your pan, add a drop or two of water to get it started. (photos 1-2)
Now strain the moisture and liquid from your spinach. Use a nut milk bag, dish towel, or paper towels to squeeze out as much liquid as possible and set aside. (photo 3)
NOTE: Your 3 cups of spinach will wilt down to about 1 cup. If using frozen spinach, use 1 cup. Thaw and strain well.
Now add all of your vegan ricotta ingredients to a food processor, EXCEPT the spinach. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides, as needed. (photo 4-5)
Now add the strained, wilted spinach to your processed ricotta cheese and pulse, just a few times to incorporate. Set aside. (photo 6)
NOTE: Do not over process or the cheese will turn green. You want to see ribbons of green spinach throughout, so do not puree the spinach.
How to prepare the portobello mushrooms
Brush your mushrooms clean and very gently remove the gills. Use a metal spoon to scrape them, being very careful not to break the mushrooms. (photo 7)
Place them stem side down on a tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes. (photo 8)
Once baked, remove from the oven and flip your mushrooms stem side up. Blot the excess moisture using a clean dish cloth or paper towels. (photo 9)
NOTE: This first baking step will help reduce the mushrooms and remove their excess liquid so you won’t have watery mushrooms later.
How to make the vegan bolognese sauce
Gather your ingredients to make your sauce. All you’ll need is your favourite tomato or marinara sauce, chopped walnuts and some seasoning.
You may prep your sauce in just a couple of minutes while your portobello mushrooms are baking in the step above.
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. (photos 10-11)
How to stuff your mushrooms
Now, divide your vegan ricotta cheese between your six portobello mushrooms. Then top each one with 2-3 tablespoons of the bolognese sauce. (photos 12-13)
Then bake again, for about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese, if you’d like. (photo 14)
Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley, chili flakes, or enjoy as is.
Can I prepare in advance?
Yes, absolutely!
If you’re planning ahead, you may fully make the ricotta cheese and the bolognese sauce. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in separate containers. You may also prepare your mushrooms by cleaning and scraping out the gills, and baking them to release moisture.
However, these vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms taste best when freshly stuffed and baked, so don’t stuff them too far in advance.
How long do they keep?
These vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms taste best the same day they’re baked.
However, you may store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a sealed container. Warm them up in your oven or toaster oven until heated through.
Can I freeze them?
You may certainly freeze the vegan ricotta and the bolognese sauce, in separate air tight containers for 2-3 months. Then thaw and stuff your mushrooms when ready.
However, I don’t recommend freezing these once stuffed and baked, as they taste best when freshly made.
Expert Tips
If you don’t have a powerful food processor, soak the cashews in boiling hot water for 15-30 minutes, and then drain, before making your vegan ricotta cheese.
If using frozen spinach, measure out about 1 cup and thaw and squeeze out as much moisture as possible using a nut milk bag, dish cloth or paper towels.
Do not over process the spinach when making the ricotta. Just pulse a few times to get it mixed in. You want to see ribbons of spinach throughout your ricotta, and not green cheese.
To make these into appetizers, use about 2-3 times as many button or cremini mushrooms instead, depending on their size.
More stuffed recipes you’ll enjoy
- Italian Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce
- Low Calorie Mexican Zucchini Boats
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Walnut Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms with Italian Style Risotto
- Instant Pot Unstuffed Peppers
More vegan mushroom recipes
- Vegan Mushroom Soup
- Easy Mushroom Barley Soup
- Chickpea and Mushroom Curry w/ Rapini
- Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
- Mushroom Risotto Burger
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 portobello mushrooms brushed clean
For the Ricotta
- 1.5 cups raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup water
- 5 oz package baby spinach approx. 3 large handfuls or 1 cup wilted
For the Bolognese Sauce
- 1 cup tomato sauce or your favourite marinara sauce
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Optional Garnish
- vegan parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place your spinach in a large non stick skillet and wilt over medium heat. Add a drop or two of water to get it going, if needed. Stir often to prevent sticking. Once wilted, squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as possible using a clean dish towel, nut milk bag or paper towels. Set aside.
- Add the ricotta cheese ingredients EXCEPT the spinach to a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Once smooth, add the spinach and pulse 3-4 times to get it incorporated. Do NOT over process the spinach or the cheese will turn green.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush your mushrooms clean and scrape out the gills using a metal teaspoon. Use caution to avoid breaking the mushrooms. Then place them stem side down on your tray. Sprinkle the tops with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes. This step allows some moisture to escape the mushrooms so that they won't be watery later.
- While the mushrooms are baking, combine all the bolognese sauce ingredients into a small bowl. Mix and set aside.
- Remove the mushrooms from the oven and flip them stem side up. Absorb the excess moisture by blotting the mushrooms with a clean dish towel or paper towel.
- Divide the ricotta between your six mushrooms. Then top each one with 2-3 tablespoons of the bolognese sauce. Bake for another 10-12 minutes and remove from the oven and serve sprinkled with fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, and/or vegan parmesan cheese.
Debby
I just fixed these tonight & they were sooooo yummy!! The “ricotta” was so good I could have eaten that plain! I don’t think anyone would ever know it wasn’t real ricotta! This one is a keeper!
Rosa
Thrilled you enjoyed Debby! Thanks for the review. 🙂
Steven
I saved this recipe months ago and finally got around to making it last night. While it might be easier than making lasagna with noodles, it is still a little time consuming, having to remove the gills from the ‘shrooms. After baking my portabellas for 10 minutes, they flattened out immensely, so I wasn’t sure how well the stuffing was going to stay put. In the end, nothing ran off and it all stayed on top of the mushrooms.
I gotta admit…this is a WONDERFUL recipe! Extremely tasty! The “ricotta” was surprisingly good. I will be making this often (especially when I find portabellas on sale at Kroger, LOL). Thanks for the recipe!!!
Rosa
You’re welcome, Steven. So glad you enjoyed our “ricotta” and the stuffed portobello mushrooms! 🙂