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
- 4 slices bacon
- 24 cremini mushrooms, 1½″ to 2″ diameter in size is ideal (about 12-14 ounces total)
- ¼ cup small-diced shallot
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus additional leaves for garnish
- ⅓ cup small-diced dried cherries (I like the ones from Trader Joe’s)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until just crisp.
- While bacon is frying, brush mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. Pop off the stems and finely mince them. Set aside the minced stems and caps.
- Once bacon is finished cooking, remove it to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Add minced mushroom stems and diced shallots to the same skillet with the bacon drippings, and give a stir every now and then. Once they are softened (turn the heat down if they start to brown), about 6-8 minutes or so, remove them to another paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and blue cheese. Stir in the thyme, cherries, black pepper, and the cooled bacon, mushroom stems, and shallots.
- Divide cheesy stuffing mixture between the mushroom caps, pressing the stuffing into the caps and mounding it as needed, to use all of the stuffing mixture. Place stuffed mushrooms in a baking dish and sprinkle with a bit of bread crumbs.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and the stuffing mixture is nicely browned.
- Serve hot/warm, with additional thyme leaves sprinkled over the top.
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
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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