Be prepared for the most delicious stuffed mushrooms you’ve ever had — with a garlicky mix of gooey, glorious mozzarella, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs in meaty baked mushroom caps! Serve them as an easy appetizer for a party or as a side dish; either way, they’re guaranteed to disappear FAST.
I Definitely Raised The Bar With This Cheesy Stuffed Mushroom REcipe!
I remember making stuffed mushrooms with Mom and my sisters on the farm. This was a favorite appetizer that we made regularly, right alongside Mom’s cold and creamy shrimp dip. We’d pop off the mushroom stems and chop them up for the cheesy, garlicky stuffing. All in excited anticipation for the mushrooms to come out of the oven.
And now, several decades later, I still love me some stuffed mushrooms. But I have to admit that I’ve raised the bar here. I incorporated a few simple changes that make a whole lot of delicious difference.
First of all, I now use cremini mushrooms (also known as baby bella) instead of the more common white button mushrooms I grew up with. Creminis have deeper, earthier, and more savory flavor than the milder white ones. I doubt that creminis were available in our little grocery store when I was young. Now there are so many more options.
I still use chopped mushroom stems as the base of the stuffing, because more mushroom-y goodness is just plain better! But now I add a bit of fresh onion and garlic (rather than using jars from the spice drawer). I cook these fresh ingredients gently in butter to soften them and coax out sweetness in the onion and garlic.
My last change is that I add a couple tablespoons of breadcrumbs to the stuffing. This helped tremendously to stabilize the stuffing, as the old recipe’s stuffing would crumble and fall apart easily when eating.
And just like the recipe I grew up on, I use melty mozzarella and salty Parmesan. Both are mixed into the filling. Then I sprinkle a little more Parm over the tops. This bakes up gorgeously browned, with a crispy texture; a fantastic contrast.
We most often serve these stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer. But we also love to make them as a side dish with a garlicky seared steak.
Stuff the mushrooms in advance if you’d like, then bake them up for a holiday or game day get-together and watch them disappear FAST.
And if you’re up for something reeeeeally neat, grill them on a cedar plank to give them a wonderful woodsy flavor and aroma. This is FABULOUS!
“I made these for part of our New Year’s Eve dinner and they were absolutely delicious, thank you ❤️”
Lottie
How I Make This Recipe
cook minced mushroom stems and onion in butter in a skillet over medium heat, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes
My Top 2 TIps FOr Stuffed MushroomS: Bigger Is Better + Stuff Them Tightly
If you cook fresh mushrooms you know that they shrink. A lot! So I always look for ones that are about 2″ in diameter. Not only does the larger size make them easier to stuff, but this also offers a little bigger portion after they shrink down in the oven.
And the other thing I want you to be aware of is to stuff the mushroom cavities tightly with plenty of the stuffing mixture. I know it will seem like a lot of filling, but pack it in and mound it on; use it all up. The stuffing’s chopped mushrooms will continue to cook and the cheeses will melt when baked. This results in the stuffing shrinking down into the mushroom caps.
Cheesy Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 14 ounces cremini mushrooms, about 2" in diameter each
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella
- ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan, divided
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- With a damp paper towel, brush the mushrooms clean. Remove the stems and finely mince them.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and minced mushroom stems – cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Then stir in garlic and cook 1 more minute. Do not let the onion and garlic brown. Transfer mixture to a large low wide bowl and set aside to cool.
- Place mushroom caps in a 12" cast iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet. Drizzle olive oil over the top, then toss the mushroom caps gently to coat. Arrange caps cavity-side-up and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Once the onion and mushroom stems mixture has cooled, add mozzarella, ¼ cup of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and thyme, and fold to combine evenly. Divide stuffing mixture between the mushroom caps, pressing the stuffing into the caps and mounding it as needed, to use all of the stuffing mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon Parmesan over the stuffed mushrooms.
- Place skillet in oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until mushrooms are softened, mozzarella is melty, and Parmesan is lightly browned over the top.
- Serve hot/warm, with remaining thyme leaves sprinkled over the top.
Notes
- Fridge: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze leftovers in an airtight container with parchment paper separating any layers. They’ll keep well for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: Warm leftovers in a 350ºF oven until the filling is heated through completely.
I made these for part of our New Year’s Eve dinner and they were absolutely delicious, thank you ❤️
I love to hear this, Lottie. Thank you so much for coming back here to let me know + rate the recipe. Happy New Year!
Would never have thought to use a plank!!
I could pop at least a dozen of these in my mouth right now! The cedar blank is such a creative way to infuse flavor into the mushrooms!
These look absolutely irresistible. I can only imagine the delicious flavor that plank cooking would impart on these cheesy mushrooms. Yummmm.
Brenda, this is simply brilliant! I truly love the idea of grilling mushrooms on a plank – I can just imagine the flavor!
I am SO in love with the idea of mushrooms on a plank! I’ve only ever done salmon, and I need to try this!
I hope this fall weather sticks around. It’s been gorgeous here in Denver too! Now, these mushrooms perfect for gameday!!
I can’t get enough of the fall weather. Our summers are so insanely humid. It’s literally a breath of fresh air. I wish fall and spring weren’t so painfully brief. These mushrooms look amazing. I love stuffed mushrooms to begin with, but cedar plank grilled? NEXT LEVEL. I also really like that you topped them with Italian breadcrumbs for texture!