Pesto Portabellas

Years ago I made some version of this recipe with friends in their Brooklyn apartment. One of them found the original recipe in a cookbook she had. I have no idea which cookbook it was, nor do I use the exact original recipe. As you'll see, there's not really a need to reference the cookbook anyway; this recipe is so easy to make.

Ingredients: makes 4 servings
Portabella caps- about 8 good sized ones, 2 per serving.
4 average sized carrots- peeled
4 small zucchini or equivalent volume
1 package of white mushrooms- cleaned, stems removed
Pesto
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Prep portabella caps. Remove stem, and scrape all ribs from the underside. Place caps upside-down on a baking sheet. (Optional, drizzle with olive oil.) Place baking sheet in a 350 degree oven.

2. Prep stuffing. Either hand dice or food processor grate all carrots and zucchini. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Add grated veggies.

3. Chop white mushrooms. Add them to the skillet when zucchini and carrots are getting soft.

4. Cook mixture in pan until all veggies are soft and zucchini is sort of translucent. Stir in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pesto. Stir just long enough to soften pesto and "glue" stuffing together.

5. Remove baking sheet from oven. Tilt to pour any water from the center of the mushroom caps. Equally divide stuffing among all portabellas. Place baking sheet back into the oven.

6. After about 10 minutes, remove baking sheet. Use a vegetable peeler to shave a few large pieces of Parmesan onto each mushroom. Put pan back in oven.

7. After about 5 minutes the cheese should be just melted. Remove from oven. Done.

We like to serve this with orzo and salad. It's a great vegetarian option.