Sometimes I happen across a method when I'm trying to cater to someone's dietary restrictions and discover my new preferred method. That's what happened recently when I was preparing stuffed mushrooms for a gathering and I was trying to keep my usually cracker crumbs out of the stuffing to make sure they could be enjoyed by a friend with a gluten allergy. Little did I know how absolutely unnecessary those crumbs really are! Instead of relying on them, I cooked the diced mushroom stems with butter, garlic, and seasonings before tossing them with a little sour cream and cream cheese to create a warm base. Then I mixed in some crumbled blue cheese and stuffed mushroom caps with the mixture. The mixture holds together better than my previous standard and makes stuffing the mushroom caps really simple.
What's more, the stuffing becomes a bubbly dollop of pure bliss after about a half an hour in the oven! I adore the blue cheese in it, but you could choose a different soft cheese if you aren't a fan of blue cheese. However, melted blue cheese has a very different texture and flavor than room temperature blue cheese, so I highly recommend giving this approach a chance. It pairs so incredibly well with the mushrooms that I don't think I'll make them the old way again. I'm sold on a gluten free stuffing that is enough to leave anyone drooling!
Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- 1.5 pounds fresh, whole button mushrooms
- 2 T. butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 T. finely chopped chives
- 2 T. sour cream
- 2 T. cream cheese
- 6 oz. crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 c. chicken broth
- 1 T. orange juice
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the mushrooms in a large colander and wash them briefly to remove any dirt or debris from them. Remove the stems and set aside while placing the caps in rows in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Finely chop the reserved mushroom stems and sauté in a skillet in which you've melted the butter. Add the garlic, seasonings, and chives. Cook until the mushrooms are softened and the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned. Add the sour cream and cream cheese and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and add the blue cheese. Stir to form a chunky stuffing.
Carefully spoon some of the blue cheese mixture into each of the hollowed out mushroom caps in the baking pan. When all of the mushrooms have been stuffed, carefully pour the chicken broth and orange juice into the bottom of the pan and bake the mushrooms for 25-35 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the cheese mixture is bubbly and golden. Serve immediately.
- Yields: 8-10 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes