Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 24 ounces of large cremini mushrooms (2-inch baby bellas), stems removed and chopped finely.
• ½ cup pinenuts (or sub chopped walnuts or pecans or toasted bread crumbs)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, use some for spraying or brushing
• ½ cup diced onion, finely diced
• ½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt, more for sprinkling
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, more for sprinkling
• ½ cup cream cheese, softened (or goat cheese or vegan cream cheese)
• ⅓ cup pecorino or parmesan, grated ( or vegan parmesan)
• ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped, more for garnish
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 400°F

2. 2

   Toast: the pinenuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring until golden and toasty, set aside.

3. 3

   Prep Mushrooms: Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them very finely; you’ll need 1 ½ cups (set them aside). Place 20 mushroom caps on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Spray with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

4. 4

   Saute the filling: Heat the olive oil in the same skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and mushroom stems, and saute over medium-high heat, stirring until tender, reducing the heat if necessary. Add the salt, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and pepper, and saute for a few more minutes.

5. 5

   Combine: Place this in a medium bowl with the cream cheese, pine nuts, pecorino, parsley, and lemon zest and mix until combined. Season to taste.

6. 6

   Stuff: Using two small spoons, stuff each mushroom with about 1 tablespoon of filling, dividing equally.

7. 7

   Bake: on the middle rack until the mushrooms get tender, and the tops are just golden, about 18-24 minutes, depending on size. See notes.

8. 8

   Sprinkle with more chopped parsley and serve.