Thanksgiving Appetizers: Stuffed Mushrooms

While I was researching recipes for my NYC Thanksgiving menu, I came across this easy (and tasty) recipe by Giada de Laurentiis. The recipe looked like it was pretty easy to make beforehand and I just happened to have all of the ingredients (some of the ingredients, like garlic, olive oil, black pepper, and parmesan cheese, are kitchen staples; other items, like flat-leafed parsley, was purchased for another dish and I had leftovers). The mushrooms were a great finger food and didn’t take much time to prepare – they kept everyone satiated while the turkey was resting and while I was busy putting the final touches on the next recipe – butternut squash soup!

Stuffed Mushrooms
adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (I used Parmesan)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) baby portobello mushrooms, stemmed

I added another garlic clove to the recipe to make sure everyone’s breath smelled great:

Minced and placed in a bowl:

Chopped up some flat-leafed parsley, dumped it into the bowl, and added the parmesan cheese:

Next came the breadcrumbs:

Mixed them all together:

I made the filling on Friday night and placed it in the fridge since the mushrooms only need to be baked for 20 minutes. On Saturday, after all of the guests arrived, I cleaned and stemmed the baby portobello mushrooms:

Then I loosely stuffed them, drizzled some olive oil on my baking sheet, placed them neatly on the baking sheet, and drizzled some more olive oil on top of the mushrooms. Into a preheated 400 degree oven they go (same temperature for roasting turkey):

And 20 minutes later, you have yourself some great stuffed mushrooms:

Easy, quick, and definitely a crowd pleaser.

Cost Breakdown:

1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs – $0.50
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (I used Parmesan) – $0.50
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced – $0.25
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves – $0.25
Salt and freshly ground black pepper – free
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil – $1.00
28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) baby portobello mushrooms, stemmed – $3.99 (man, Costco ROCKS)

Total: $6.49