Slimmer Stuffed Mushrooms

Happy Friday the Thirteenth, friends!!!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been making leaner, higher protein meals for Dr. Love and myself lately in an effort to make our lives healthier and our waistlines slimmer.

A childhood friend of mine visited last year and made us the most delicious stuffed mushrooms I have ever had. They were soooo yummy, but not really super healthy. In an effort to experience that level of stuffed mushroom euphoria again, I searched the web for healthy stuffed mushroom recipes. I found this recipe, and boy is it yummy. I highly recommend that you try it out...it was great!

Unfortunately, I didn't have all the necessary ingredients to make those stuffed mushrooms last week, nor did I feel like having something filled with bacon and bread crumbs. So I got creative and came up with two types of stuffed mushrooms with ingredients that most of us already have at home. Even better, these recipes can be made leaner by reducing the amount of cheese or by opting for a skimmer/lower-fat cheese.

So, without further ado, here are my original stuffed mushroom recipes!!!

Goat cheese, garlic, parsley stuffed mushrooms on left; Parmesan cheese, pizza sauce, red pepper, basil stuffed mushrooms on right.

For Both Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Eight medium sized portobello mushrooms (rinsed and dried off, stems gently removed and finely chopped). 

Cooking Time and Temp:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Once mushrooms have been filled (mix recipes below), place both types of stuffed mushrooms on a greased cookie sheet, then lightly spray some cooking oil over them.

3. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes (check oven periodically to make sure mushrooms are not overcooked).

Goat Cheese, Garlic, Parsley Stuffed Mushrooms

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix together half of chopped mushrooms stems, about 3/4 cup of goat cheese, garlic powder/garlic salt/a clove of fresh garlic, about half a teaspoon of dried parsley flakes (or more if desired), and black pepper, and a dash of salt.

2. Stuff half of your mushroom caps with goat cheese mix and top with sprinkles of parsley. 

3. Place on greased cookie sheet. 

Parmesan Cheese, Pizza Sauce, Red Pepper, Basil Stuffed Mushrooms

Instructions:

1. In a different bowl, mix together the remaining half of chopped mushroom steps, about 1/4 -1/2 a cup of grated parmesan cheese, pizza sauce (I used a jar of Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce that I had in my pantry...it was a little more bitter than I generally prefer, but still good), half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes (less for those that don't like too much spice), about half a teaspoon of dried basil flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. 

2. Stuff the remaining half of your mushroom caps with pizza sauce mix and top with sprinkles of parmesan cheese.

3. Place on greased cookie sheet along side goat cheese stuffed mushrooms and cook as instructed above.

These stuffed mushrooms were very easy to make, on the healthier side of the stuffed mushroom spectrum, and absolutely delicious!!! Dr. Love and I loved both recipes, but he preferred the pizza sauce ones, while I fell in love with the goat cheese version.

Hope you enjoy these stuffed mushrooms as much as we did and that you have a great Friday and weekend!

x