Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

If you came up to me five years ago and told me I would LOVE mushrooms so much, that someday I would put them into everything – I would have thought you were crazy. But it is true. I used to be a mushroom hater. I hated the smell, the texture, even the look of mushrooms, until one  eye-opening day, when I accidentally ate them sautéed in cream with chicken – and fell head over heels in love. The flavors danced around in my mouth like a pair of lovers doing the tango for the first time. What I came to love in mushrooms was their meaty texture, earthy tones and flavors, and their versatility in the kitchen. I started to put them in with my eggs, stir fries, soups, loaded on pizza and sandwiches/burgers, and now have found another love for them – stuffed. Mushrooms stuffed with MUSHROOMS might I add. It’s absolute craziness!

But I will have to be honest here, I still can’t handle them raw. To me, raw mushrooms will always taste like Styrofoam, I just can’t seem to get over that part entirely. But mushrooms sautéed, baked, and grilled are all fair game.

The tops of these stuffed mushrooms were lightly rolled in bread crumbs, to add a lightly toasted crispy top.

When I made these, it made a large batch, so I froze half for a later time. And you can do the same. They turn out great either way.

The base that holds this filling together is glorious cream cheese, mottled together with mushrooms, garlic and Parmesan cheese. I added a little kick with a pinch of cayenne pepper and chili flakes.

What is so great about stuffed mushrooms is the snack-ability they provide – a perfect finger- food for guests.

Ingredients

3 packages (about 5-6 cups) of white mushrooms

6 ounces of cream cheese (I used light cream cheese)

4 garlic cloves

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

a dash of cayenne pepper

a dash of red chili flakes

1/2 cup organic bread crumbs

Sea salt (I used red Hawaiian sea salt)

freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Wash and dry mushrooms to remove any hidden dirt, and began removing mushroom stems (keep about 4 mushrooms intact for filling).  Finely chop mushroom stems along with the 4 whole mushrooms for the filling. Now mince your garlic cloves and toss garlic and chopped mushrooms into a lightly-oiled frying pan, and cook over a medium-high heat. Add a pinch of sea salt (to taste) and pepper, followed by a pinch of cayenne and red chili flakes. Sauté until mushrooms are nicely cooked (about 5-7 minutes – mushrooms will darken as they cook), stirring occasionally. Turn off stove and set cooked mushrooms aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling, place chilled cream cheese and Parmesan into a medium-size mixing bowl, and stir in cooled mushrooms.

Prep baking sheet with parchment paper and have a plate with bread crumbs ready for rolling. Now, you can begin to stuff mushroom caps with filling. A heaping spoonful will do, creating a round mound on top of mushroom cap. As you finish stuffing mushrooms, lightly roll the tops of filling into bread crumbs and place on the parchment lined baking sheet, filling-top facing up.

Bake stuffed mushrooms for 25-30 minutes. Allow mushrooms to slightly cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before serving. Depending on size of mushrooms, this recipe makes about 25-30 stuffed mushrooms.