I heart mushrooms. They are versatile earthy goodness that can go with almost any dish. There are so many different ways to play with mushrooms when it comes to cooking. I was at the grocery store the other day and typically I will just grab a few baby bellas because they aren’t too expensive and they are a usual addition to my risotto or eggs. What luck was it to find these bad boys on sale? I made a basic stuffing mixture, but trust me, there are some great ways to jazz these up even more. Make this a meal and stuff them with a quinoa mixture, or with salmon or shrimp…. the options are endless.
Ingredients:
- 6 Large mushrooms
- 1/2 cup of cream cheese
- 1/4c grated parmesan
- 1/4c shredded italian cheese mix
- fresh herbs like parsley and basil or thyme
- 1/4c frozen chopped spinach that is thawed/cooked in microwave
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbs finely diced onion (I used red onion)
- 6 strips cooked bacon and crumbled
- 1/2c bread crumbs (can use italian for seasoning)
- 1 tbs butter
What to do: Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Clean your mushrooms. Even if they look clean. Use a damp cloth or paper towel and wipe them down.
- Gut your shrooms. Haha. Take out the stem and using a seraded spoon (like a grapefruit spoon) take out the gills. Be careful not to break the mushroom head as this is your vessel to hold the goodness.
- Mix together the bacon, cream cheese, cheeses, spinach, onion, and herbs. Add salt and pepper in generous amounts.
- Fill your mushrooms and place them in a greased baking dish. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes. The cheese will start to bubble.
- In the meantime, take a skillet and melt the butter. Add the crumbs at medium heat and mix to a golden brown. Adding some salt and pepper to this for a flavor punch is also good.
- Place the crumbs on top of the mushrooms and then place back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
- Serve and devour.
