A contemporary take on a ’70s classic, these stuffed mushrooms have an undeniable appeal—everyone’s fave dinner party nosh.–Katie Caldesi

LC Everyone’s Favorite Fun Guy Note

This unconventional take on everyone’s favorite fun guy may not be quite what you’re expecting. They’re ginormous stuffed fungi, not the little pop-in-your-mouth appetizers that are everybody’s favorite party favor. This is a knife-and-fork, first-course rendition that’s even better. Trust us. But if you’ve got your hearts—and memories—set on those wee cherubic stuffed mushrooms, go ahead and sub button or cremini mushrooms, just for old time’s sake. There are directions for those old-time stuffed mushrooms variation just beneath the recipe.

Stuffed Mushrooms FAQs

Can I prepare stuffed mushrooms in advance?

You can! If you’d like to serve them hot, simply assemble and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. If you’re serving them at room temperature, they can be baked a bit ahead of time. After baking, let the mushrooms sit for 5 or so minutes, either on their pan or a cooling rack with foil under, as they can be quite watery and will weep as they begin to cool.

Can stuffed mushrooms be gluten-free?

The best option would be to make your own bread crumbs using gluten-free bread. Another possibility would be to swap out the bread crumbs for oats or cauliflower rice, perhaps adding pine nuts for a bit of crunch.

Three stuffed portobello mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

5 / 4 votes
This stuffed mushrooms recipe, a favorite starter of Italian trattorias in the 1970s, is a delicious classic that’s worthy, I feel, of a place in this book. As a former vegetarian, I would be happy to be offered this dish to replace meat at any meal.
David Leite
CourseAppetizers
CuisineItalian
Servings6 servings
Calories164 kcal
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 6 portobello mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon roughly chopped mint leaves
  • 2 heaping tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 ounce Parmesan, finely grated
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
  • Slice the mushroom stalks from the caps. Place the mushroom caps on a baking sheets, gills facing up. Finely chop the mushroom stalks.
  • In a bowl, combine the mushroom stalks, mint, parsley, Parmesan, garlic, and bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Using a spoon, divide the mixture evenly among the 6 mushroom caps, gently packing the mixture down with the back of the spoon.
  • Drizzle a little olive oil over each mushroom, then bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the surface of the stuffing is golden. Serve warm.

Notes

Stuffed Mushroom Variations

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms
Omit the mint and Parmesan and reduce the bread crumbs to 2 tablespoons. Add 2 3/4 ounces crumbled blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola, in place of the Parmesan.
Bite-Size Stuffed Mushrooms
Substitute 15 or so button or cremini mushrooms for the portobello mushrooms. You will not need to use all the chopped mushroom stems.
The Italian Cooking Course Cookbook

Adapted From

The Italian Cooking Course

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 164 kcalCarbohydrates: 7 gProtein: 4 gFat: 14 gSaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 9 gTrans Fat: 0.003 gCholesterol: 3 mgSodium: 121 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 2 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2013 Katie Caldesi. Photo © 2013 Lisa Linder. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

When I was growing up, stuffed mushrooms always indicated a holiday or celebration of some sort because this was the only time they were made for the family. For years I assumed they were difficult and arduous to make, thus explaining their elusiveness. It turns out they’re easy to prepare, especially in this recipe since the stuffing step is greatly simplified by using large portobello mushrooms instead of small button mushrooms. It was greatly satisfying to have more then a one-bite morsel, and cutting the mushrooms with a knife and fork elevated the dish to a meal rather then an appetizer. In my prep, I did all the chopping by hand, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use a food processor. I would give the herbs and garlic a whirl, process again with the mushroom stems, then finish it up with the oil and crumbs. I also thought 15 minutes wasn’t long enough to dry out the mushrooms the way I prefer them. Mature ‘bellos can be quite watery when roasted, so increase the time to 25 minutes if you like a meatier texture. The flavor was delicious, and we will be eating these far more often than when I was growing up.

I’m always on the lookout for easy appetizers with a twist. This stuffed mushrooms recipe absolutely fit the bill. And when they’re prepped in advance, you could even bake ’em ahead of time and serve ‘em at room temperature. I used little cremini mushrooms (maybe 1 1/2 inches in diameter). I made the stuffing with panko breadcrumbs mixed with coarsely ground almonds. It worked perfectly, giving a little crunch to the stuffing. I especially liked the mint in the stuffing, which gave a nice, fresh taste to the whole affair. I had to bake the mushrooms for 22 minutes to get them nicely browned (I’ll maybe bake them at 375°F the next time). This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Thanks for reminding us of the 1970s! We loved stuffed mushrooms then, and this recipe gives us an updated version to enjoy. I used 1 pound button mushrooms to provide a smaller one-bite option as opposed to portobello mushrooms. I liked using the mushroom stalks rather than tossing them out (which I wouldn’t do, anyways) as it just adds more mushroom flavor to each bite. I added 1 tablespoon olive oil to the bread crumb mixture to bind it and make it hold together a little better before stuffing into the mushrooms. The herbs, cheese, and garlic combined beautifully. We tried the Parmesan mixture first, and a few days later, I made the Gorgonzola variation. We loved them both equally! I guess I’ll just have to make a double portion each time. A delicious revisiting of a classic.

There was a 24-ounce package of button mushrooms sitting in the refrigerator, nagging at me for buying them and then abandoning them, so I decided to try them in this recipe. They were a little larger than usual, bigger than the one-bite, pop-in-your-mouth size suggested as a variation, which made them good candidates for being stuffed. I think I would have had trouble getting the stuffing into real small mushrooms without it spilling all over. These were 2 to 3 bites each. I can’t recall using mint with mushrooms before, but the mint really did something special with these. I’d definitely make these again using portobellos and maybe even increasing the amount of mint a little. Having the wide open top of portobellos would give a different effect than stuffing the smaller opening of a button mushroom. The mushrooms were very moist and, if anything, maybe a bit too juicy. Having the stuffing exposed rather than largely encased might resolve that issue.

Because I was pressed for time, I used store-bought bread crumbs rather than making some. The recipe doesn’t specify the type, but I think fresh crumbs, maybe lightly toasted and buttered, would add another dimension to this recipe.

When I first read through this stuffed mushrooms recipe, the first thing I thought is that there was no way that the filling would “stuff” anything since there didn’t seem to be much of it. I was wrong. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill, stuffed-to-the-gills (no pun intended) stuffed mushrooms. These are flavorful roasted stuffed mushrooms that have incredible flavor from the cheese, herbs, and olive oil. The meatiness of the mushrooms make this a great vegetarian option to accompany dinner or as dinner with a salad. On the second round of these, I used blue cheese. They’re both equally good, but I think I prefer the Parmesan version just because you can eat more without the flavor becoming overpowering. I highly recommend these.

Instead of being heavily packed with bread crumbs and cheese, these stuffed mushrooms are elegantly topped with just enough aromatics so as to not overpower the wonderful earthy mushroom flavor. Leftovers were just as enjoyable at room temperature. I thought they would make a wonderful side to grilled steaks.

This is a quick and easy stuffed mushroom recipe. I made this with button mushrooms, although I couldn’t find any bite-size mushrooms. The smallest I could find were more like a two- to three-bite size. We had these as a nibble to enjoy while we were making a salad. I can also see them being a nice side dish. I’m going to make them tonight and serve them alongside a rib eye. It makes me hungry just thinking about them.

This stuffed mushrooms recipe was a big hit with friends! I went with the suggestion of using button mushrooms instead of portobellos. I also opted for the Gorgonzola variation. I used just under a pound medium mushrooms. I didn’t use all the stalks because I could tell it was going to make way more stuffing than there was room in the mushrooms. I still had more stuffing than room in the mushroom, but I packed it all in anyway. It was fine to have a little extra spill out. It was a quick recipe to put together, and they hold up fine for a couple of hours without refrigeration prior to baking. I baked them for about 15 minutes until they were lightly browned on top and the cheese was soft. The sharpness of the cheese was tempered by the earthiness of the mushrooms. The garlic was a nice addition. It was a great little appetizer!

This stuffed mushrooms recipe is simple to prepare and quite tasty. The stuffing is easy to do ahead of time and makes a nice presentation. Although I used my own fresh mint, the three of us who tasted these stuffed mushrooms agreed that we didn’t taste the mint. So perhaps that could be left out. On the other hand, fresh thyme might make a nice substitution. About 13 minutes was plenty for the portobello mushrooms I used. I let them rest for a couple of minutes, which allowed the weeping to settle before plating and serving them.




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is a great recipe because it is so simple to make. I didn’t have any mint so I put in some lightly dried coriander & a little dry sherry to bind the ingredients. The flavour was amazing.