New Year’s Eve is fast approaching. If you’re hosting anything, whether it be a full-on cocktail party or just a casual gathering with friends, chances are you’ll want some nibbles to go along with all of that champagne.
Stuffed mushrooms are the perfect thing to make because just about everyone loves them. Well, everyone except for all of those poor, long-suffering mushroom haters out there – of which, unfortunately, there are many.
You never know though – these mushrooms may just convert them. Take a look at Daniel, the darling who never ate a mushroom for the first 33 years of his life. He loves these stuffed mushrooms.
I’d never made stuffed mushrooms before, but as an avid {and that’s an understatement} mushroom lover, they’ve always been a favorite thing to eat. I was intrigued to learn how they’re made: the stuffing is generally a finely chopped mixture containing the stems that have been removed from the caps, plus lots of other tasty goodies. I loved the use of cream cheese here that I discovered via Annie of Annie’s Eats {original recipe in the link below} but I adapted other parts of the recipe to my taste. For instance, I tend to shy away from the use of onion powder and the like, so I opted for fresh minced shallots instead. The other main change I made was that I pre-baked the mushroom caps to get all the liquid out of them before I stuffed and baked them.
I have to tell you, these mushrooms were a *huge* hit at a recent cocktail party, and I think they’d be a fabulous addition to any New Year’s festivities.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Adapted from many places, including Annie’s Eats
- 30 large button mushrooms
- Cooking spray {I use Pam with Olive Oil}
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 shallot, chopped
- Kosher salt
- Crushed red pepper flakes and/or freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for finishing {fresh is better, but definitely nothing from a green bottle}
- Dry bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet in cooking spray with cooking spray.
Remove stems from mushroom caps, tossing them into your food processor as you go. If you don’t have a food processor, you can finely chop and add to a bowl – but a food processor makes it all much easier.
Take the caps and place them face down on prepared sheet pan. Bake them for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms exude liquid onto the pan, and remove from oven. Let them sit and cool on the pan – even more liquid will likely be released, which is what you’re looking for. Turn oven down to 375 degrees.
While mushrooms are pre-baking, chop garlic and shallots and add to the food processor. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and combined. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and add veggie mixture to the pan. Season with a touch of salt and a hit of crushed red pepper flakes and cook for about 5 minutes, until there is no more moisture in the pan. Turn heat down slightly and add cream cheese and Parmesan. Stir until the cheeses have melted, and then turn the heat to low. Taste to make sure it’s seasoned the way you like, adding more salt or pepper. Now, you are ready to stuff your ‘shrooms!
Remove mushrooms from wet pan and place onto a clean surface. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel, and spray again with cooking spray. Add a nice-sized spoonful of cheese mixture to each mushroom cap and place onto the pan. I leave the heat under the pan on very low heat, because I find the mixture to be easier to work with when it’s still warm and pliable. Once all caps have been stuffed, sprinkle with bread crumbs and more Parmesan cheese, and pop them into the oven for about 2o minutes.
Garnish with finely chopped parsely, and enjoy!
