Pizza Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer
Today is another game day for Boise State football fans. So in honor of the big game tonight, I baked up some yummy appetizers including this one. If you’re not a mushroom lover, you might be tempted to skip this recipe, but don’t because this recipe might just change your world about mushrooms. I found variations of this tasty starter on several food blogs and sites and wanted to give it a try and I’m so glad I did.
They are fairly easy to put together, but are best served piping hot, right out of the oven, so you might not want to take them to the tailgating party at the stadium, but if you’re watching the game from home like we will be doing, then they are perfect. And they make for a great little lunch munch if you’re looking for something different to fix.
Did you know mushrooms contain vitamin D? Mushrooms stand out as the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle and one of the few non-fortified food sources. Granted you have to eat a lot of mushrooms to get the same amount of vitamin D found in milk, but her’s a new twist. Growers have learned that when they expose mushrooms to ultraviolet light, the vitamin D content can increase 100 fold. So look for mushrooms that have been ultraviolet light treated for a fabulous source of vitamin D. Who knew?
- Pizza Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer
- Cooking Spray
- 12 whole Baby Bella or Crimini mushrooms
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup turkey pepperoni slices
- 1/4 of a green bell pepper, sliced
- 1/8 of a small red onion, sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh Italian-leaf parsley
- 2 Tbsp sliced black olives
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Wash mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems. Set aside.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in container of a food processor fitted with metal blade. Cover and process until just mixed, not pureed, leaving small chunks.
- Spoon into prepared mushroom caps by the heaping spoonful. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, switch your oven from bake to broil and brown the tops of each mushroom. Remove and serve hot.