Mushroom Marinara Stuffed Collard Greens

Collard greens stuffed with mushroom and vegan grounds, smothered in marinara, and baked to perfection. Perfect for an elevated plant-based dinner!

Hi, friends. 

Since we last spoke, I submitted my cookbook manuscript! 

I hovered my computer cursor over the “send” button on the email to my publisher’s email, wavering. 

When my index finger finally made contact with a *click*,  sweet relief washed over me. 

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of edits, formatting, and measurement conversions to match the publishing style guide. 

Not to mention mixing and matching 60 recipes into a 6-week meal plan. 

I shifted recipes back and forth across the weekly grid like puzzle pieces, waiting for that perfect fit. 

On a Zoom this evening, my friend Laura asked me what I was doing to celebrate my cookbook submission. 

I’m honestly torn between going to sleep at 6 PM and popping open a bottle of champagne. 

Here’s a plan C– make these Mushroom Marinara Stuffed Collard Greens.

They feel fancy and elevated for a nice plant-based dinner at home with simple ingredients! 

Let’s stuff some collard greens! 

This recipe is another outtake from the original cookbook recipe lineup. 

At the last minute I decided to omit it because, while delicious, I didn’t think it made the most sense for my meal prep them.

Which kind of broke my heart but also made me smile because I can share it all the sooner with you! 

This recipe has a lot of steps, but they’re easy to follow with a simple assembly. 

First, we steam collard wraps then stuff them with a cooked mixture of vegan grounds and mushrooms, covered in spaghetti sauce!

The result is a deliciously “meaty” wrap that is high in protein, low-carb, and entirely plant-based. 

Here’s what you need:

• collard greens 
• avocado oil
• plant-based ground
• small onion, diced
• baby bella mushrooms, sliced 
• garlic, minced
• ground flaxseed
• ground cumin
• smoked paprika
• cayenne pepper
• Eden Foods Organic Spaghetti Sauce

That’s it!

The first step is to prepare the collard leaves.

For this recipe, I recommend getting the biggest collard leaves you can find, if you have the option.

All the better to stuff  you with, my dear! 

Rinse the leaves and chop off the stem where it meets the base of the leaf. 

Using a paring knife, shave down the back the leaf with a knife to remove as much of the tough protruding core as you can.

Blanch the leaves by dipping them into boiling water for 30 seconds, then quickly plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. 

Kind of like cryotherapy for collard greens. 

(I still haven’t tried cryotherapy, have you???)

Once the collard greens are prepared, set them aside and start on the filling.

Heat a large skillet over medium with a drizzle of avocado oil.

Add the plant-based grounds to the skillet and break them apart with a spatula.

If you’ve been around here a while, you know I don’t often use imitation vegan meats in my recipes. 

However, M likes to add them into chili sometimes so we had a package to be used. 

And, in the spirit of being more flexible with my food choices lately, I threw them in. 

I *really* enjoyed the texture of the plant-based grounds paired with mushrooms in this recipe. 

Cook the plant-based grounds for 6-8 minutes, or until the grounds start to brown on all sides.

If you’re not into using plant-based grounds, try cooking and crumbling up several veggie patties instead! 

Once the plant-based ground are nicely browned, turn off the heat and set them aside. 

Add the remaining avocado oil to a separate skillet and warm it over medium heat.

Once it’s warm, add in the mushrooms and onions and season them with garlic powder.

Sauté the mixture or 8-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and the onions are translucent.

This is about the time when M walks into the kitchen, inhaling deeply, and says, “It smells beautiful in here!”

Yeah, mushrooms and onions– your kitchen should smell amazing right about now.

Once the mushrooms are cooked you’re ready to take this stovetop party to the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a casserole dish for baking.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk up the flax egg and let it to sit for about 5 minutes to gel.

Next, add in the cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper and whisk them to combine.

Now here’s where things start to come together.

Add the cooked plant-based grounds and mushroom and onion sauté to the mixing bowl and stir until you have a chunky well-combined filling.

OK, now grab those cooked collard and let’s get rolling.

To assemble, add one steamed collard leaf to a plate, front side down, and fill it with a heaping ½ cup of the mixture.

Starting at the base, fold the leaf over filling, fold in the sides, and then keep rolling the collard into a tight cylinder.

Repeat this process with the remaining leaves and filling until no filling and leaves are left!

Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into the casserole dish, spreading it into an even layer to completely cover the bottom. 

Carefully pack the stuffed collard wraps into tight rows inside of the casserole dish. 

Top the rolls with remaining sauce so that they’re completely covered.

At this point, you can add some nutritional yeast or shredded vegan cheese on top or leave the rolls plain. 

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and transfer it to the oven. 

Bake the stuffed collard wraps for 1 hour, then uncover the dish and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving!

While the Mushroom Marinara Stuffed Collard Wraps are baking, I thought we could talk a bit more about the spaghetti sauce that blankets these wraps in flavor.

I used Eden Foods Organic Spaghetti Sauce as the sweet base and topping to this recipe! 

This high-quality pasta sauce uses organic Roma and heirloom tomatoes cooked with a bit of organic extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, with all organic traditional herbs and spices. 

Eden Foods are the *only* tomatoes in the U.S. that come in protective amber glasses to prevent light damage of nutrients and flavor components.

I love that these spaghetti sauce jars are also BPA, BPS, and phthalate-free.

This hearty spaghetti sauce is naturally gluten-free and certified kosher. 

I love the way it brings this entire dish together with a sweet and salty tomato base and topping!

Eden Foods also has a No Salt Added Organic Spaghetti Sauce for anyone looking for less sodium in their plates.

Enjoy these Mushroom Marinara Stuffed Collard Greens as an elevated plant-based dinner. 

They’re fantastic to make together with someone for a date-night dinner in. 

I recommend making them on a Friday or Saturday and enjoying leftovers the next day!

The collard wraps store well in the refrigerator and are easy to reheat in the microwave or oven.

If you microwave them, you might want to cover the plate with a microwave cover or an extra plate to avoid the spaghetti sauce from splattering. 

Try serving them warm with vegan cheese, nutritional yeast, or fresh basil. 

Enjoy!

If you make these Mushroom Marinara Stuffed Collard Greens, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums. 

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.

Want more stuffed veggie ideas? Check out my Spicy Marinara Stuffed Cabbage Bowls, Italian Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant, and Italian Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Chickpeas. too!

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This post is brought to you by Eden Foods, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!

Photography by Hot Pan Kitchen