When I’m cutting back on the carbs for a meal, I like to use hearty vegetables to take the place of the potatoes and pasta I love so much.  So forgoing the baked potato with our ribeye steaks tonight I opted for this Italian-inspired baked mushroom and tomato dish.  A friend of mine, Todd – a fellow food connoisseur, made a similar dish almost 7 or 8 years ago for a dinner party and I haven’t forgotten about it.  I know you’ll love the combination of sweet tomatoes, nutty mushrooms and salty parmesan breadcrumbs.

RUSTIC ROASTED MUSHROOMS W/TOMATOES

Ingredients

• 2 Quarts Button Mushrooms
• 12 Small Campari Tomatoes or 15-18 Large Cherry Tomatoes
• 6 Tbs. Olive Oil, Divided
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tbs. Italian Herb Seasoning (dry works well here)
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Dry Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Wash trim and quarter mushrooms.  Place into a large bowl.
• Wash and dry tomatoes.  Slice each one in half and squeeze gently to remove the seeds.  Add to mushrooms.
• Pour 4 Tbs. olive oil over vegetables.  Add minced garlic, italian herbs, salt and pepper.
• Toss gently to evenly coat vegetables and place into a 2-quart baking dish with high sides.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan and remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle this mixture over mushrooms and tomatoes and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until topping is browns and veggies are bubbling.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately.

There’s a lot of liquid rendered from this dish so it’s best served with a slotted spoon.  If you want to take advantage of all that liquid, you can also toss in 1 1/2 cups stale bread cubes before baking.  Think of all that Italian-herbed earthiness soaked up in tender bread!  Of course that defeats the purpose of going no-carbs.  Either way, you’ll forget all about the missing potato and savor the flavor of this rustic side dish.  I can’t wait to put a few over-easy eggs on the leftovers tomorrow.  Dig in!