Mushrooms. I could seriously eat them every single day of the week. Their earthiness is something I find hard to resist, whether grilled, sauteed, or in this case, stuffed.
I remember making stuffed mushrooms as a kid, with a recipe of Mom’s that involved lots of gooey mozzarella cheese. It was a favorite appetizer that our family made for special occasions, and there were never any leftovers.
This recipe for Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon, Blue Cheese, & Dried Cherry is a little more involved than the one from my childhood, but incredibly worth the extra time and effort. The meaty bites are packed with flavor. Lots of yummy flavor. I love how the salty bacon and blue cheese is offset by little pops of sweet dried cherry. It’s a fabulous coming together of tastes and textures. My “blue cheese is gross” oldest daughter even downed a few. There really is no resisting.
Ile de France sent me some of their beautiful Roquefort over the holidays. And I have proceeded to enjoy it sprinkled on green salads, on crackers with a drizzle of honey, and as a major component in the awesome Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon, Blue Cheese, & Dried Cherry. Creamy and robust, this cheese is both versatile and delicious!
Disclosure: Thanks to Ile de France for providing me with yummy Roquefort to sample. You can find Ile de France on facebook and twitter. All text and opinions are my own.
Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon, Blue Cheese, & Dried Cherry
Ingredients
- 24 to 26 medium to large sized baby portabello mushrooms about 1-1/2″ to 2″ in diameter
- 4 slices bacon
- ¼ c. small diced shallot
- 4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 oz. blue cheese crumbled
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
- ⅓ c. small diced dried cherries I love the ones from Trader Joe’s!
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 T. dried bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Pop the stems off the mushrooms, then finely dice the stems. Set aside both the stems and the caps.
- In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Add the diced mushroom stems and shallots to the same skillet with the bacon drippings, and give a stir every now and then. Once the shallots and mushrooms have softened (turn the heat down if they are browning too much), about 10 minutes or so, remove them to another paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese and blue cheese. Stir in the thyme, cherries, black pepper, and the cooled bacon, mushroom stems, and shallots. Using a teaspoon, fill the mushroom caps with a mound of the cheesy stuffing. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with a bit of bread crumbs. Pop them into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until softened and nicely browned. They are best eaten warm, so just let them cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Yea! I am *so* making these. I love stuffed mushrooms, but am not always fond of the crabmeat. This is the perfect solution!! Thx!
I seriously want to make these!!! Yum!!!
Stuffed mushrooms always remind me of you. :)
Glad I found your blog! These mushrooms look divine. I recently made meatless version, and will try with blue cheese next time.
Thank you so much! The mushrooms and blue cheese are a great combo – hope you give it a try!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!! I made these mushrooms for a gathering on Saturday and they were awesome!! I used a parmesian bread crumb mixture I had left over in my freezer on top and that worked nicely. My husband is not really a blue cheese fan but he loved these. Definitely will go in my binder to make again!
It was so nice to see you and your husband last evening, and to meet your daughter – you must be so proud, she’s very lovely and personable. Thanks for letting me know you made these – I’m so glad they were a hit!
Hey Cuz. Made the mushrooms for a dinner-club meeting tonight, They went over great! Very tasty. We had some prosciuto left over from the egg bake so we used that instead of bacon. Have to be thrifty too you know.
Hi Greg! Thanks for letting me know…I’m sure the prosciutto was good in this, too. I’m all about thrifty when I can be! ;)
The new site looks GREAT Brenda!
Thank you!! :)
I tweeted about the giveaway. @sebh55
I shared on my FB wall. Susan Brown Hatcher
I follow you on Twitter. @sebh55
I follow you on FB. Susan Brown Hatcher
My favorite is either Brie or Pepper Jack on crackers.
I have gotten hooked on Goat’s Milk Brie. I’ll eat in on anything…well not chocolate.
Mushrooms and cheese, of any variety, just go so well together!
My favorite kind of cheese is blue cheese and I love to eat it with bacon in a salad!
I like to keep it simple. My favorite is Brie on crackers.
This looks so amazingly yummy!:) I am a big cheese fan!:) Love your pages on twitter & facebook too!
Quite simply Roule Cheese on crackers