Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Servings:

Cooking Time:

Ingredients:

• 24 medium white mushrooms, wiped clean
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 slices of bacon, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen, chopped spinach; thawed and patted dry
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 to 2 tbsp bread crumbs
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Carefully remove the mushroom stems from the caps. Chop stems finely and set aside.
• Score the mushroom caps using a small, sharp knife. Hold the caps upside down, and run the knife part way throug the flesh, slicing on an angle, and turning the caps as you work, creating a "fan" pattern.
• Brush them lightly with vegetable oil.
• In a large skillet on med-high heat, cook the bacon for about 4 minutes, or until crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
• Add the chopped mushroom stems and garlic to the pan drippings and cook, stirring until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the spinach, and stir until the mixture is heated through, 2-3 minutes longer.
• Add the bacon, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and the pepper to the pan and mix thoroughly. Take off of heat.
• Spoon the filling into the mushroom caps, stuffing as much as you can.
• Bake the mushrooms until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Serve hot.

When buying mushrooms, select those that are firm and evenly colored with tightly closed caps. Also, mushrooms should never be soaked in water because they absorb liquid and will become mushy!