Stuffed mushrooms first appeared as a food item sometime between the mid-19th to early-20th Centuries. Culinary experts widely agree that they most likely originated with the Italians, as they are very much like the Italian stuffed zucchini, which has a much longer history. However, the French were the first to widely cultivate mushrooms for consumption. The brown cremini mushroom soared into popularity, followed by more gourmet varietals, such as shiitakes.
We stuff mushrooms by removing the stems and chopping them up to add to the stuffing, though not required. We can then stuff them with a wide variety of vegetables and/or proteins, along with cheese, seasonings, and bread crumbs. They make perfect tapas-sized goodies, but we can stuff the large portobello mushroom caps for entree-sized portions.
While I used to crush up buttery Ritz crackers for my stuffed mushrooms back in the 1970s, I now tend to use no crumbs at all. Here’s my 2003 recipe that truly delivers melt-in-your-mouth stuffed mushrooms with no processed carbs at all. These are also great for anyone leaning away from processed grains or seeking a Keto-friendly recipe.
Cathy’s Mouth Watering Stuffed Mushrooms 2003
36 whole fresh mushrooms
1T cooking oil
1T butter
1T minced garlic
½ c finely chopped sweet onion
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently clean mushrooms; remove stems & chop the stems thoroughly. (Discard tough ends.) Heat oil & butter in large skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic, onion, and chopped mushroom stems & sauté 2 minutes; set aside to cool slightly. When no longer steaming hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan, and peppers.
Using a spoon, heap filling into mushroom caps on foil-lined baking pan (or foil pan, which also works on a BBQ grill). Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350.
KISS Tips: Garnish the tops with bits of fresh parsley for a pretty finish. For great variations, consider additional protein additions, such as crabmeat or chopped chorizo sausage. Stuffed mushrooms also soar to a whole new level when you wrap them with pliable, but partially cooked strips of bacon before baking. Ohhhh, yeah!!!! I also like to pre-cook the mushroom caps to release some of their excess moisture. After removing stems, simply place them open-side down on a plate lined with a couple layers of paper toweling and microwave 2-3 minutes. Use paper towels to dab out extra water inside, which continues to emerge as they cool.
