Mushrooms with Parmesan and Bacon Stuffing

As much as I love cooking at home, my cooking Mojo is usually low by the end of the week. The week is often filled with a thousand (and one) activities, lots of driving around, and tons of lunchbox prep – I’m sure many of you are able to relate!

In other words, my go-to recipes at that point are usually ones that are easy, quick, and involve simple ingredients that usually include bits and bobs leftover from the week.

This recipe is definitely one of my faves – it’s so easy, takes care of the little leftovers, and not to mention SUPER tasty. Today, I’m talking stuffed mushrooms!

Here are some of my tips for doing stuffed mushrooms effectively:

1. Find mushrooms that are big enough to hold enough stuffing.  Remember that mushrooms shrink whilst cooking so go a bit bigger than you think you’ll need.

2. Once you’ve cleaned them, pat them completely dry. This will help to reduce the moisture content in the mushrooms so that they don’t release too much liquid whilst cooking.

3. Don’t pile them on top of each other whilst cooking.

4. Don’t throw away the stems.  They form a great part of the stuffing and give the final dish it’s “meaty” texture.

Take these tips into consideration as you prepare the recipe below and you’re bound to have a house of happy diners.

Mushrooms with Parmesan and Bacon Stuffing

Ingredients:

6 large mushrooms

1 large brown onion diced

1 clove garlic chopped

1/2 zucchini diced**

3 rashers of bacon chopped*

3 tbs butter

1 tbs olive oil

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Optional: 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley and/or basil, or ½ tsp of dried Italian Herb blend

*feel free to remove the bacon to make this a vegetarian dish.  As an alternative to bacon, I sometimes use Spanish Chorizo to make this simple dish super snazzy.

**you can substitute any preferred veggie in here.  I’ve used capsicums and eggplants as well!

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Prepare a baking tray by brushing with oil

3. Clean and chop off the stems of 8 large mushrooms. Put mushroom caps in the baking tray.

4. Saute the chopped stems in butter with the onion, garlic, zucchini and bacon.

5. Combine the sautéed vegetables with breadcrumbs and cheese.  If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of water or milk.

6. Season to taste.

7. Fill the mushroom caps with stuffing mixture and bake for 15-20 or until golden brown.

#mushrooms