Stuffed Mushrooms

Most of us like Mushrooms as a vegetable and have been cooking different Indian style dishes with Mushroom. But probably never thought that we can make a great appetizer using Mushrooms. Off late while searching for something new that would be good starter for parties, I found an awesome recipe called “stuffed mushroom”. When I first time made during one lazy evening, it became instantly hit in my family. 

Stuffed Mushroom is so delicious that you would continue to pop them in your mouth till you are full. The recipe is very simple, where a mushroom cap is stuffed with the mixture and baked until it becomes golden brown. You can get as creative as you like with the filling.  Very basic one would contain breadcrumbs, cheese but you can experiment with some non-veg stuff too like crab cake mix.

The recipe is actually very simple and short. First wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Then keep the stems in a food processor and pulse it until they are minced. Now put one tablespoon of olive oil into pan and stir-fry minced stems with garlic. If you like, can add spices too and then stir it again. When it cools down slightly, add mixture of cream cheese. Then fill the mushrooms caps with the mixture and sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake it. Try them next time when you have friends over! 

Recipe of Stuffed Mushrooms : Serves 4 

Ingredients :

Fresh Button Mushrooms : 12 - 16 
Vegetable Oil : 1 tablespoon 
Garlic ( minced ) : 1 tablespoon 
Cream cheese ( at room temperature ) : 1 package ( 8 ounce ) 
Parmesan Cheese : 1/2 cup
Italian Bread Crumbs : 1/2 cup 
Black pepper powder : 1/4 teaspoon 
Cayenne pepper : a big pinch 

Method : 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F . Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. 

2. Wash the mushrooms and pat it dry with a paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop the stems very fine.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add garlic. Once garlic becomes lightly brown, add the finely chopped stems to the pan. Cook the mixture until the stems are tender and most of the liquid has cooked out. Once it is done, remove mixture to a plate to cool.

4. Once the mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Italian bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese,black pepper, cayenne pepper. 

5. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the filling and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. 

6. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated trough and become golden on top, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot. 


* If you don't get Cream Cheese handy, you can skip it. So that time double the amount of Parmesan Cheese and bread Crumbs. 

* You can add cooked minced Chicken or other meat too to the filling. 

* For vegetarian option, you can add spinach.