Giada De Laurentiis has a show on the cooking network entitled Everyday Italian. Most of her recipes are pretty complex - think the polar opposite of Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals. Which is why I was plesantly surprised to come across her recipe for Mushroom Parm - which I now call Portobello Parm, because I like the way it sounds.

My parm is prepared a bit differently than Giada’s. I do not pre-grill the mushrooms (mostly because unlike Giada I do not have a fancy indoor grill) and I use sliced mozzarella from the deli counter (which is usually cheaper, since you can buy the exact amount you need for this dish, and easier to work with than a bag of pre-shredded mozz). I omit the butter on top of the mushrooms - mushrooms are so water logged as it is and the sauce provides more than enough liquid that I find the butter to be unnecessary.

I also add a secret ingredient….basil! Ok not so secret, pretty predictable actually. The last time I made this dish - less than a week ago - I was able to use the fresh basil from my garden. In the winter months I buy fresh basil from the produce section of my local supermarket - when they have it in stock.

I like this recipe for a few reasons: it is vegetarian; it is very simple to make; the ingredients are reasonably priced; and it cooks quickly. This is a great dish for vegetarians to make when they are having meat-eaters over for dinner. I often find myself making multiple meals during family gatherings because we all have such different diets. This is a simple and quick dish you can have on hand for yourself or other vegetarians who might be at your table. And if you are having vegans over for dinner you can probably get away with substituting vegan cheese and keeping the rest of the dish as is.

I usually serve this with Near East rice or cous cous. It would also go well alongside a salad or pasta dish.

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