Stuffed Mushrooms

A non-negotiable on our Thanksgiving table.

No offense to the turkey, but I’m of the mind that the side dishes are the best part of Thanksgiving. When else do you include 3-5 options (alongside a protein) in your meal? They are also all perfectly aligned with fall’s seasonal harvest — roasted carrots or brussels sprouts or autumn squash, sweet potatoes and russet potatoes — plus an herby stuffing (thyme and sage are musts) with plenty of aromatics too? There’s just one seasonal ingredient missing from the “classic” table: mushrooms.

Wash your mushies thoroughly!

I’m a mushroom maniac. I have watched Fantastic Funghi more times than I can count. I wrote a whole story about all the different types you’re likely to encounter at the grocery store here. Mushrooms are my go-to pizza topping, and one of my favorite additions to things like stews and pot roasts and pot pies.

Many members of my family love mushrooms almost as much as I do. For example, my cousin, Dominic, once asked my mother to make him an entire tray of her stuffed mushrooms for Christmas. I made the ones for this post when he and my brother, Patrick, visited recently and we ate the whole batch between the three of us. So, stuffed mushrooms are a must on our Thanksgiving table, to say the least.

My grandmother, despite turning 88 this November, always hosts Thanksgiving. A huge job, so many of the vegetables, appetizers, and ultra-important pasta course (more on that next week) are outsourced to other family members. Our stuffed mushrooms are brought out as a side dish, and my mother has been tasked with making them for years. Last year, as my grandmother still hosted, but was barred from cooking due to a recent hospital stay, I got promoted to bring the dish - rather than my usual “vegetable.”

Don’t stress if you can’t get a clean break when separating your caps and stems.

My go-to recipe is a combination of my grandmother’s (simple, Italian flavors) and my mother’s (a cheesy version found in her cooking bible, Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, first published in 1953). Thankfully, my grandmother welcomes adaptations on her recipes: “You can’t hurt it when you’re adding something good,” she told me when we discussed her recipe recently.

My grandmother’s recipe is simple and straightforward.

While my mother’s has a few more additions. My recipe is a combination of the too, and loosely inspired by that “proscuitto-stuffed mushroom” variation.

The other main difference between our recipes is that I usually reach for a package of cremini or “baby bella” mushrooms, while she opts for the white mushrooms at the grocery store. White mushrooms and baby bella are both the same species of mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, but they are harvested at different points in the mushroom’s life cycle. White mushrooms are the youngest, giving them a soft texture and mild flavor — mushroom experts I’ve interviewed in the past called them the “tofu” of the mushroom world. The baby bella mushrooms I reach for have a firmer texture and deeper earthy flavor.

Feel free to use either in the recipe below, or even portobello, which is the same species, just harvested once it reaches full maturity. (You’ll just have fewer mushrooms as a result.) Any medium-to-large sized cap and stem mushroom can be substituted. (I may have to try shiitake, porcini or morels if I want to elevate these.) The pancetta is also optional, but a nice addition.

Confession: I forgot the garnish.

Stuffed Mushrooms (Christie’s Version)

Makes 1 full sized sheet pan of mushrooms, quantity dependent on mushroom size

Ingredients

1 24 ounce package of baby bella mushrooms
½ stick of butter
2 ounces pancetta, diced (optional)
1 bunch scallions, sliced, white parts only
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
¾ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley, to garnish (or use green parts of scallions)
Olive oil, if needed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a full sized, rimmed sheet pan. While it preheats, separate the stems from the mushroom caps, placing the caps on the sheet and the stems on your cutting board. Lightly season the caps with salt (optional), then finely dice the stems once all caps and stems are separated.

2. In a medium-sized pan, melt the butter over medium to medium high heat. Fry the pancetta, if using, until just crisp. Add the mushrooms and scallion ends to the pan, sauteing until translucent, about five minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute more.

3. Combine the bread crumbs and cheese in a large bowl. Add the mushroom mixture, then stir until well-incorporated. (If your mixture seems dry, feel free to add a little water or olive oil.) Taste, then season with salt and pepper if needed.

4. Stuff each mushroom cap with about a teaspoon of filling — adjusting for the size of the cap. They should be full, but not overflowing. If the filling looks dry, add a dab of olive oil to the top of each mushroom.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until mushroom caps are fully cooked. Garnish with fresh parsley or scallion greens, if serving immediately.

6. If making in advance, hold off on garnishing, cover and place in the fridge. Reheat in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes when ready to serve, then garnish.