Artichoke, Spinach and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms
/
Even though I’ve already posted an incredibly stupendous recipe for stuffed mushrooms, I don’t see why we can’t have another. In fact, I think perhaps I should see how many ways I can dream up to stuff a mushroom, because, honestly, I can’t get enough of them. This is the first time I’ve used mushrooms that were actually invented just for stuffing, and I have to say I’m a big fan of specialization in this regard. Stuffed mushrooms rock.
And this little mushroom has a particularly special place in my heart, not only because it’s so amazingly good, but also because of the way it came to be.
I found these mushrooms at Trader Joe’s and thought to slice them up on a pizza, but it was obvious they had been born and bred to be stuffed, and in the end I found I couldn’t deny them their destiny. They must be stuffed.
So, having some time to play around in the kitchen last weekend, I turned on some tunes (a Jason Mraz mix on Pandora) and began to rummage through the fridge, freezer, and pantry. After a few minutes, I had a nice little pile of ingredients sitting on the table… artichoke hearts, chopped spinach, shallots, garlic, breadcrumbs, a lemon, some goat cheese and some olive oil and parmesan cheese. If you can’t make something tasty out of that list, you’re in serious culinary trouble.
And let me just mention here that for me, this is when cooking is the most fun. Give me some free time, some good music, and ingredients that inspire, and you will find me in a very happy place indeed. Happy places tend to create the best food, and that’s how our little stuffed mushroom came to be.
As an after-thought, it would have been a good idea to write down exact measurements, but being all exact can be a bit of a buzzkill. I think I’ve come close, but don’t get too hung up on that…you’d be hard pressed to mess these up. They’re easy, they’re fun and they’re definitely super delicious. We like that. Here’s the recipe…
Artichoke, Spinach, and Goat-Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms
Click here for a printable recipe
As I mentioned in the post, these measurements are approximate, and you should feel free to add or subtract at will. If you can't find stuffing mushrooms, large criminis would work great, or you can use portobellos to create a vegetarian meal for your next Meatless Monday. Enjoy!
Makes about 12 large-ish "stuffing" mushrooms
About 5 oz chopped, frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
About 5 oz canned or frozen (thawed) artichoke hearts, chopped
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
A handful of fresh breadcrumbs (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A nice chunk of goat cheese (about 2-3 oz), crumbled
A handful of grated parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil and grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Heat a small saute pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, and saute the shallot and garlic until soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Let cool down a bit before adding to the other stuffing ingredients.
Combine the stuffing ingredients in a bowl along with the sauteed garlic and shallots.
Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with dry or slightly damp paper towel. Remove the stems and scoop out the center, creating a cavity for the filling.
Fill the mushrooms with the stuffing ingredients and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the mushrooms with a little more grated parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for about 10 minutes.
