Mushrooms. It’s seems people either love them or hate them. There’s little in between. But I’m hopeful that even if you don’t care for mushrooms, you’ll give these easy stuffed mushrooms a try. Just think of the mushroom as the carrier for a whole bunch of good stuff, like fresh garlic, creamy cheese, and spinach.
Plus, this stuffed mushroom recipe is the perfect appetizer when you want something elegant, yet quick and easy to make. They complement most any kind of pasta dish, steak, or grilled chicken. And the flavor is a wonderful garlicky, cheesy deliciousness.
I used baby bellas for this stuffed mushroom appetizer because they’re just a little bigger than common white mushrooms, which makes it easier to fill them. They also have a great nutritional profile, being low in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium, yet filled with other important nutrients.
I used Neufchatel cheese to add creaminess and because it’s lower in fat and calories than regular cream cheese. Ample amounts of spinach provide color as well as other nutrients like fiber, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, calcium, potassium, and a number of B vitamins. All this makes for delicious, easy to make, and healthier stuffed mushrooms.
Prep Tips and Time Savers:
- To remove stems from mushrooms, gently twist and pull up.
- To prevent excess water in the filling, wash spinach first and dry on clean paper towels while prepping other ingredients.
- Mushrooms can be prepped and stuffed a day ahead. Just cover and refrigerate after stuffing. Remove from fridge when ready to bake.
Still on the fence about mushrooms or not sure how to make stuffed mushrooms? Why don’t you give this recipe a try and let me know in the comments below how you like them!
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Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. chopped fresh spinach
- 10 to 12 baby bella mushrooms 1 1/2 to 2 in. across
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. Neufchâtel cheese find this in your store by the cream cheese
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400° F.
- Clean spinach and let dry on clean paper towels while prepping the remaining ingredients.
- Wash mushrooms and remove stems by gently twisting and pulling away from the cap.
- In a medium-sized bowl, put together the minced garlic, 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese, basil, pepper, salt, Neufchâtel cheese, olive oil, and spinach. Mix well using a fork.
- Place mushroom caps on a small baking sheet with the top of the caps touching the pan. Fill each mushroom cap with a little bit of filling. Sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the stuffed mushrooms. If prepping early for the next day, follow directions below in the notes.
- Bake at 400° F for 15 to 20 minutes or until mushrooms are heated through and shredded parmesan has turned golden brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes
I make stuffed mushrooms all the time, using many different ingredients for the stuffing. I recommend cooking the mushrooms cap up for a few minutes in the air fryer or several minutes in the oven. This gets rid of all the excess water that mushrooms hold. Then flip them cap down and stuff with your choice of filling. I have made cheesy crab stuffed mushrooms; spinach artichoke mushrooms; sausage and cheese mushrooms; sun dried tomatoes, feta with aeoli; pesto and onion mushrooms; and all the recipes are usually very similar. Sour cream, cream cheese, garlic, onions, spices, cheese, sometimes bread crumbs or crushed crackers, but I always cook the mushrooms slightly before adding the stuffing (Especially white mushrooms) because they hold a lot of water and that will make your stuffing soupy and soggy. Unfortunately, it means you can’t prepare them ahead of time, but you can prepare the stuffing ahead of time and have it ready to spoon into the mushrooms. Plus you can cook them in the air fryer, it’s twice as fast as in the oven and they turn out really delicious in 10 minutes or so.
I will have to try that next time! Thanks for the tip!