Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

I have been making these stuffed mushrooms for years and I've always claimed they are the best I've ever had. I felt no need to alter the recipe because they're just perfect. Well, one thing I have learned to be consistently true is that there is always room for improvement in life, even in well loved recipes that you thought were the best they could be after making them a thousand times (but don't tell my mom that about her date nut bread). Generally my thought process is that cheese will make everything better (except maybe my mom's date nut bread), but in this case the mushrooms were already stuffed with cheese. Therefore there was only one other option..... Add a different kind of cheese. Genius, right?


Cue the smoked mozzarella.

Cream cheese, parmesan and smoked mozzarella oozing out of a tender mushroom, topped with a crunchy bread crumb topping with a hint of cayenne. Double the recipe (at least); you won't regret it. You can even make them ahead and freeze them without the crumb topping to save for later. They're fancy enough for any gathering yet fairly cheap and easy enough for any day of the week. They're also easy to make gluten free without the bread crumbs. A perfect recipe for the upcoming holidays!


Exhibit A: Cheese ooze, 5 O'clock

I bet you $10 that at least three people ask you for the recipe. (And that's about all the extra cash I have right now so that's serious confidence)


PS - You could do this recipe with regular mozzarella if you want. I HIGHLY recommend the smoked mozzarella though, because it adds a flavor that truly set these apart.



Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
20 white mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup smoked mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup (more or less) seasoned panko bread crumbs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Wash mushrooms, removing any dirt and dry with a paper towel.
• Remove the stems and finely chop.
• Heat olive oil in stove over medium heat and add mushroom stems and garlic. Cook until the stems are soft and liquid has evaporated. Set aside a few minutes to cool.
• Mix together the cheeses, stems and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stuff (and I mean STUFF) the mushrooms with the cheese mixture. Press the cheese top into the breadcrumbs to coat.
• Place stuffed mushrooms on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the top is crisp and brown and mushrooms are tender.