So, what’s going on this weekend? Â Anything happening in the wide world of sports? Â Just kidding, I am aware that Super Bowl Sunday is upon us. Â I’m not really a football fan (much to Dan’s chagrin), so the final championship is actually my favorite game of the season, no matter who is playing (sorry Daniel.) Â Although Dan’s beloved Steelers aren’t playing in the Big Game like they did last year, we’ll be watching the Giants and Patriots duke it out, in between all the over-hyped commercials, while enjoying some type of delicious football fare. Â This football season, we experimented with making sports-bar-appetizer food at home, including grilled buffalo wings, jalapeno poppers, potato skins and these stuffed mushrooms. The wings were our favorite, but the mushrooms would also make a really good (and relatively healthy) addition to any Game Day appetizer sampler. Â Happy Super Bowl, everyone! Â I’m off to choose which color jersey I’ll be rooting for this year.
The ingredients for the mushrooms include: Â mushrooms (we used baby bellas), shallots, parsley, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, an egg, breadcrumbs, olive oil and salt & pepper.
Use a damp paper towel to wipe the mushrooms clean, then separate the stems from the caps.
Finely chop the mushroom stems.
Finely chop the shallots as well, then heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the shallots until they begin to soften — about 2-3 minutes.
Add the chopped mushrooms and red pepper flakes to the shallots and saute until the mushrooms soften and release their juices — about 2-3 minutes.
When the mushrooms and shallots are done, set them aside off the heat to cool for 5-10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the egg (beaten — like that team in the blue jerseys is going to be on Sunday — Go White!), breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and salt & pepper.
Add the cooled mushrooms to the breadcrumb mixture. Â If the mushroom filling seems a little too dry, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil.
Stuff a heaping spoonful of the mushroom filling into each mushroom cap, then place them on a cookie sheet. Â You may want to spray the sheet with a little nonstick spray or line it with foil, since the mushroom caps will release their juices a bit while they cook in the oven.
Bake the mushrooms in the oven preheated to 325 until the mushroom caps are cooked and the filling is browned — about 20-25 minutes. Â These earthy bites are flavorful on their own, but would also be good served with Ranch dressing (it’s a Texas thing) or maybe a little marinara sauce for dipping. Â Enjoy!
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 1 container of whole mushrooms
- 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
- 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (more as needed to moisten filling)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- â…“ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 egg, beaten
- pinch of salt & pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and separate the stems from the caps. Â Chop up the stems into small pieces and set the caps aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the shallots and saute until they begin to soften — 2-3 minutes. Â Add the chopped mushroom stems and the red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until the mushrooms soften and release their juices — 2-3 minutes. Â Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mushrooms and shallots to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Combine the beaten egg, parsley, Parmesan, breadcrumbs and salt & pepper in a large bowl. Â Add the cooled mushrooms and shallots and mix everything together. Â If the mushroom filling seems too dry, add about a teaspoon of olive oil.
- Stuff a heaping spoonful of the mushroom filling into each cap. Â Place the caps, filling side up, onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven until the caps are cooked through and the filling is browned — about 20-25 minutes.