With the holiday season in full swing, here’s one last healthy hors d’oeuvre suggestion for you and yours! Stuffed mushrooms are a cocktail party favorite but they are often loaded with high fat sausage and tons of cheese – they can tip the scales at more than 300 calories per mushroom! This vegetarian version swaps the sausage for fresh spinach and uses the big flavors of shallots, garlic, and a bit of Gruyere to keep the fat down but the flavor worthy of a celebration.
I love that you can make these up to two days in advance and simply heat them when it’s party time…anything to take a bit of stress out of this season!
Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach
makes 24
adapted from Real Simple
Ingredients:
24 medium mushrooms (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 5-ounce package baby spinach, chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated (2 ounces)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wipe mushrooms clean. Remove the stems and finely chop and set aside.
3. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Bake the mushroom caps, stem-side down until just tender, 10-12 minutes.
4. While mushrooms are cooking, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and chopped mushroom stems. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and cook, tossing, until wilted, 2-3 minutes more.
5. Combine the spinach mixture with the bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Spoon into the mushroom caps. (You can prepare these to this point two days in advance. Just refrigerate covered.)
6. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.