Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms

While walking through the store the other day, I happened to see a sale on large stuffing mushrooms. Of course, I couldn't pass up this deal, so I grabbed a few. I love finding manager markdowns in the store. Sure, I only save a dollar or two, but over time it really does add up. If you keep your eyes open for deals, and stay flexible with your meal planning, you can really save on your grocery bill over time.

Anyway, back to the mushrooms. Since I had some jalapenos and lots of cream cheese, I thought I would stuff it all into mushrooms and see how it turned out. My idea was to make them similar to cream cheese jalapeno poppers. It worked out beautifully! To give it more texture, so it wouldn't turn into cream cheese soup, I took the leftover mushroom stems, chopped them up, and added them to the filling. I also added several of the seeds from the jalapenos to spice it up. Finally, I topped them with bread crumbs and Parmesan to give them a nice crunch.

Jalapenos and garlic

Mushroom stems

Fresh Parmesan

Everything mixed together

Stuff the mushrooms and top with Parmesan and breadcrumbs

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms
Serving Size = 2

• 2 jalapenos
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan (fresh)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 - 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 - 2 tablespoons Parmesan
• Stuffing Mushroom (about 6, or a 14-oz package)
• Leftover Mushroom Stems
• 1 tablespoon oil (I used EVOO)
• 4 oz cream cheese
• Salt/Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Set the mushrooms aside (in a baking dish) and finely chop the stems. Add the oil to a small saute pan over medium heat, and add the stems. Add the garlic, jalapenos (add the seeds if you want it spicy), salt, and pepper. Saute until everything is softened.
3. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Add the cream cheese and mix (my cream cheese was cold, but when I added the hot ingredients and mixed it, the cream cheese came to room temperature).
4. Stuff the mixture into each mushroom. Top the mushrooms with Parmesan and sprinkle on the breadcrumbs.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are softened. To get the brown crust on top, I put the mushrooms under the broiler for 1 - 2 minutes.