Spicy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

One of our favorite appetizers to order when dining out is stuffed mushrooms. There are times when that is all I order – how can you go wrong with mushrooms, spinach and cheese? I’ve tried many a spinach stuffed mushrooms recipe over the years, but most of the “easy” ones I come across require instant stuffing mix as the base of the filling, but since I am trying to limit the amount of processed foods we eat at home, I wanted to try something without stuffing!

I found a recipe on AllRecipes.com that worked well as inspiration and I changed things up a little to make it more suitable to my diet and of course, our taste buds! While I was at the grocery store last weekend, I picked up a package of fresh mushrooms, baby spinach and some fat-free mozzarella cheese. Having forgotten to buy bread crumbs, I quickly made some in my mini food processor using a few slices of bread.

I am loving my mini food processor more and more with each recipe I try! 

This spicy spinach stuffed mushrooms recipe is ridiculously easy, and the bit of cayenne pepper lends a little heat, which is a pleasant surprise when you take a bite!

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of low-fat or fat-free mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 quart of mushrooms
• 1 package of fresh baby spinach
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking pan with tin foil.

Remove stems from the mushroom caps and set aside (you will be using these!). Place mushroom caps stem-side down on baking pan and bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Once you remove them from the oven, clean up excess liquid with a paper towel and set mushrooms right-side up.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Using a food processor, dice the mushroom stems for about 30 seconds, then add to the olive oil, adding your garlic cloves as well. Add spinach and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the garlic is browned and fragrant. Add in your cayenne pepper and salt and mix well.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add your bread crumbs and cheese and mix well.

I gently rolled the mixture into tiny balls and squished them into the mushroom caps, and patted down with the palm of my hand. If you like a big, heaping stuffed mushroom, just add extra on top. These will not “cook down,” so to speak, so the amount that you put into the mushroom cap will remain the same after baking.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes and allow to cool for a few minutes before eating!

The LG Do March Right Tip-Off Challenge

This game-time recipe has been submitted for LG’s Do March Right Tip-Off Challenge.