Asiago Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms

Sick of lame party food that makes you feel kinda sluggish and gross after eating it? Join the club and come enjoy these stuffed mushrooms instead! Literally packed with the bright Italian flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, asiago cheese, and fresh basil, you already know they are going to be awesome. Plus they are full of protein from ground turkey to leave you feeling satisfied and not like a grease ball.

You maybe have never made stuffed mushrooms, just have experienced them at a party or as a dinner appetizer where they show up overflowing with flavorful filling and deliciously browned in a way that makes you feel you could not recreate the wonderful stuffed mushroom experience at home. This recipe is here to show you otherwise though, as they are actually a very easy dish to make for a get-together or even just a special meal at home. No fancy techniques or foods, just high quality ingredients that speak for themselves.

This recipe is designed to feed a small crowd while also minimizing food waste, yay! Chopping up the mushroom stems and mixing it into the filling both adds extra flavor and moistness, and prevents the unnecessary wasting of perfectly good mushroom parts. In the spirit of no waste and lovely round numbers this recipe calls for a straightforward 1 pound of ground turkey, which also simplifies shopping and clean up. I realize this recipe yields a lot though, so if you need less, simply cut the recipe in half. Although, having leftovers definitely doesn’t suck next time meal time comes around, trust me. Hope you enjoy these guys!

Asiago Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 28 mushrooms

28 medium cremini or button mushrooms, about 23oz./645g (I used cremini here)

1 egg

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced

3 oz. asiago cheese, grated/shredded

3 tbs. fresh basil, minced

1 tbs. garlic, minced

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Few grinds fresh black pepper

1 pound (450g) ground turkey, 90% lean

Extra basil for garnishing

Heat oven to 400’F/200’C.

Remove stems from mushrooms. Slice off the very end where it gets woody and mince up the remaining stems. (Yay no waste!) Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg until homogenous. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, ½ of the grated cheese, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well, then mix in the minced mushrooms and the ground turkey until evenly combined. (Mixing in the mushrooms before the meat might result in them soaking up all the liquid instead of letting the liquid bind it all together, so just wait and mix it with the turkey)

Spray a sheet tray with pan spray. Fill each mushroom cap with a rounded tablespoon (~.75 oz./21g) of the turkey mixture and lightly pack in. Arrange mushrooms caps on sheet tray with enough space between each for air circulation and even cooking.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, remove and turn oven to broil. Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on mushrooms and return to the oven. Cook another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned, and the turkey mixture inside has reached 165’F/74’F.

Chiffonade, or thinly slice, basil and use to garnish mushrooms as serving.

These will keep a few days in the fridge and reheat nicely.

Notes: I used naturally light tasting turkey here to let the the flavors of the cheese, basil and tomatoes shine, but beef, pork or chicken can definitely be substituted if you prefer. It would be changing a key flavor of the mushrooms, but another cheese such as mozzarella, parmesan, or gruyere could be used in place of the asiago. Oil and herb packed sun-dried tomatoes were used here.