Ham Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms w Buttery Bacon Broccoli

About

This Keto meal prep recipe has your main and side dish all in one. Simply adjust the recipe to how many servings you want to make for the week. Large portobello mushroom caps are rubbed down with olive oil and spices. Then, they’re stuffed with a savory filling of buttery cauliflower rice and pre-cooked chopped ham. A crunchy topping is made with toasted pecan and ground pork rind breadcrumbs. If you’ve never used pork rinds as breadcrumbs before, directions are included further down in this recipe introduction. The stuffed mushrooms are served with a side dish of broccoli florets coated in butter with crispy bacon. This Keto lunch or dinner is easy to reheat in a meal prep container and can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How To Make Pork Rind Breadcrumbs

Pork rinds are a very Keto-friendly ingredient that has become as versatile as cauliflower rice. When finely ground, pork rinds are the perfect breadcrumb substitute. This makes pork rinds perfect for Keto breadings on pan-fried or air-fried items. You can also use ground pork rinds as loose breadcrumbs for creating crunchy toppings, like they were used in this recipe. The best part is pork rinds have zero carbohydrates. The easiest way to make pork rind breadcrumbs is to quickly blend a bag of pork rinds up in your food processor. Just be careful not to over-blend, or the grease from the pork rinds with turn the crumbs into a mushy mix. If you don’t have a food processor, use a bullet blender. You can also smash pork rinds in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin like the old fashioned way!

Achieving Perfect Portobello Caps

Portobello caps are the ultimate way to turn some Keto ingredients into a filling main course. These large mushrooms can hold a serving of cauliflower rice and many other ingredients. When scooping out a mushroom cap, start by removing as much of the stem as possible without damaging the cap. Use a spoon from your silverware to gently scoop out the insides by using a scraping motion. The inside will come out easily, but be careful about large chunks coming out. If too large a chunk is removed, it will rip your mushroom cap. The best way to ensure the mushroom cap doesn’t collapse in the oven is to keep the walls as in-tact as possible. Keep the walls thick but make a deep well in your mushroom cap to hold the most filling without breaking open.

Ingredients

3 ounce portabella mushrooms, raw
4 teaspoon olive oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
6 ounce cauliflower rice
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon rosemary, dried
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 ½ ounce oscar mayer ham water added smoked cooked
4 leaf basil
½ ounce pecans, raw
½ ounce fried pork rinds
2 slice – 6" long bacon
6 ounce broccoli frozen unprepared
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

Prepare portobello mushroom caps by removing any large stems and scooping out the insides with a spoon. The weight listed in the ingredients is the yield after removing the inside parts from the caps. Rub one teaspoon of olive oil into the outside flesh of each mushroom cap and one teaspoon of olive oil on the inside of each cap. Sprinkle the first amounts of salt and pepper on the inside of the caps. Arrange each mushroom cap open-faced on a well seasoned sheet tray or a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Set the tray aside for later.
Make the cauliflower rice filling by mixing the rice together with the second amount of salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, and rosemary. Place the seasoned rice in a pan set over medium-high heat. Cook the rice until it is lightly golden – about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add in the butter and chopped or diced ham.
Once the butter has melted in the pan, return the stove heat to a medium. Toss the rice with the butter and ham in the pan until the rice is coated in butter and the ham gains a light caramelization. Take the pan off the stove heat and mix in chopped basil until the heat from the pan turns the basil leaves bright green. Turn on your oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Scoop the cauliflower rice filling evenly into each mushroom cap on your sheet tray. Gently press the rice into the mushroom caps so it holds its form. Return your empty pan to the stove over low heat. Add chopped pecans to the pan and cook until they’re toasted – about 60-90 seconds. Scoop the toasted pecans onto the top of the filling of each mushroom cap. Top off each mushroom cap with about ¼ oz crushed pork rinds. Bake the tray of stuffed mushroom caps in your oven for 15 minutes.
While the mushroom caps are in the oven, make the broccoli. Return your pan to your stove once more, and cook the bacon slices to a crisp. Set the bacon slices aside to cool. Once cooled, chop the bacon. It’s your choice if you want to cut the bacon into bacon bits or chop into bite-sized pieces. Hold the bacon aside for later.
In the same pan, toss THAWED broccoli in the leftover bacon fat with the final amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook the broccoli over medium-high heat on the stove until the broccoli is charred golden brown. Reduce the heat to low heat and stir in the butter and chopped bacon. Once the broccoli is coated in melted butter, return the stove heat to medium and cook for about 2 more minutes. Serve the hot broccoli and bacon with the finished mushroom caps.