One of our favorite foods is mushrooms. We eat more mushrooms with our meals than any other vegetable. I love using mushrooms for two reasons: they add more sustenance to any recipe and they take on the other flavors that cook with them!
Stuffed mushrooms always appeared to be so sophisticated and out of reach, but I came to find out that they are very simple to make! We first tried these as entrees and used large portabello mushrooms paired with a side caesar salad and they were delicious. The next day, I made smaller appetizer-size stuff mushrooms and they were perfect as well!
Recipe:
*This recipes yields enough filling for 4-5 large Portabello mushrooms or 20 Cremini mushrooms.
1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 white onion (diced)
1 small zucchini (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
4 large Portabello mushrooms OR 20 Cremini mushrooms
(remove the cap from the stem & hollow out any excess to increase filling space)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
Fresh basil, oregano, paprika, salt & pepper to taste
Feta cheese to top
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Begin by cooking quinoa in a small saucepan. Typical quinoa takes about 15-20 minutes to cook so let this cook while you begin the rest of the filling. In a large skillet, cook chicken and onions until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender. Add zucchini, mushroom stems and garlic. Add spices and saute for 3 minutes. Turn down to medium heat and add cream cheese and bread crumbs. When quinoa is tender, add to filling mixture and remove from heat. Using a small spoon or a cookie scoop, fill mushrooms and top with feta cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes (I also set my oven to broil for the last few minutes) and voila!
I decided to add ground chicken and quinoa to this recipe to make it more filling but I think the textures complimented the recipe well. They are already on the menu for my next dinner party or girls night!
Comment below with your favorite appetizer recipe!