Edwin says he loves veggies, but I don’t think he cares for mushrooms very much. This is sort of crazy, right? What kind of flexitarian can’t appreciate some quality mushrooms?
It’s true, mushrooms are a fungus. They have no roots, leaves, flowers or seeds, and the thought of eating fungus is more than a little disturbing. But if you can put all that aside, they’re really a pretty neat food that can add great flavor to your meals.
You might have guessed, they’re good for you! They can also be a little dangerous, as they’re sometimes confused with young specimens of the deadly poisonous destroying angel mushroom (destroying angel – what an amazing name!).
They do have some special storage and prep concerns that you may want to consider to preserve their moisture without becoming soggy and keep them fresh for several days (brought to you by whfoods.com:
- Store loose button mushrooms in the refrigerator either in a loosely closed paper bag, wrapped in a damp cloth or laid out in a glass dish covered with a moist cloth.
- Store prepackaged mushrooms in the refrigerator for up to one week in their original container.
- Clean them using minimal water – wipe them with a slightly damp paper towel or kitchen cloth, as mushrooms are very porous and may absorb water during cleaning and become soggy.
I made these for lunch recently one weekend for my husband Morgan and I, and we really enjoyed them. This is a fairly mild recipe – no strong, spotlight stealing spices or pungent cheeses. If you’d like more kick to yours, try sprinkling a little more cayenne over the top, or using a salty cheese like Pecorino Romano.
Enjoy!
1 medium prepackaged container of baby bella mushrooms
1/2 square package frozen chopped spinach, cooked
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
12 turns of black pepper, 4 turns of salt
2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
cayenne pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Wipe away any dirt on the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Pop off the stems by hand (they come out much easier than if you try cutting) and dice stems.
Combine cooked spinach, diced mushroom stems, garlic and cheese (leaving out just a little bit of cheese) in a medium bowl. Using a small spoon, stuff mushrooms caps carefully so that they do not break.
Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper, 2 or 3 taps of cayenne and a small glug of extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Bring together with a fork.
Sprinkle caps with remaining cheese and bread crumb mixture. Cook for 20 minutes; serve immediately.
Tags: cheese, entertaining, mozzarella, mushroom, snack, spinach, vegetarian
Guh, I hate mushrooms! Those do look pretty cool, though. Perhaps I'll attempt to duplicate with a suitable substitute!
Thanks! And, I know we're all about culinary adventures here, but how does one substitute stuffed MUSHROOMS with something other than mushrooms?
Stop all your hate, Edwin! Pumpkin & mushrooms (separately, not together) are the best!
You could substitute for tomatoes or chicken!?
I’ve never had chicken stuffed mushrooms. I’m not sure how that would work… especially since these are baby bellas and smaller. You could certainly try it with a larger mushroom? Tomatoes would definitely work well if chopped into small pieces.