The secrets
- Never wash the mushrooms, wipe them.
- Pre-bake the caps empty: they release their water before being filled.
- Cook the duxelles right down, until it starts to brown.
A stuffed mushroom is the warm bite you eat in one go: a tender, juicy cap, a creamy garlicky goat cheese filling, and a little crunch on top. It's made ahead and goes into the oven when the guests arrive.
What usually ruins it is water: mushrooms hold a lot of it. You pre-bake the caps empty so they release it before filling, and you cook the chopped stems right down. The result: a neat bite, not a puddle in the dish.
Step-by-step recipe check things off as you go
Prepare the mushrooms
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Wipe the mushrooms one by one with a damp paper towel, without rinsing them. Remove the stems by gently rocking them out, then hollow each cap a little with the teaspoon to enlarge the cavity. Keep the stems and scrapings.
Popotam's tip · Washed, a mushroom soaks up water like a sponge, and releases it in the dish.Pre-bake the caps
Lightly oil the caps, salt them and set them hollow side down on the lined tray. Bake for 10 minutes: they release their water. Then turn them onto paper towels, hollow side down, while you make the filling.
Popotam's tip · This is the step that prevents a puddle in the dish and a soggy filling.The duxelles
Very finely chop the stems, scrapings, shallot and garlic. Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat and cook the mixture for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until all the water has evaporated and it starts to brown. Off the heat, season and add the chopped parsley. Let it cool slightly.
The filling
Mash the goat cheese with a fork, then mix it with the warm duxelles and 1 tbsp of breadcrumbs. Taste and adjust: goat cheese wants a good grind of pepper.
Fill
Fill each cap with a heaped teaspoon of filling, domed. Set them side by side on the tray, hollow side up this time. Mix the 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs with the oil and sprinkle over each mushroom.
Bake until golden
Bake for 12 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the filling bubbles at the edges. For more colour, finish for 1 to 2 minutes under the grill, keeping an eye on them.
Serve warm
Let them rest for 5 minutes: the filling is scorching straight from the oven. Top each mushroom with a parsley leaf and serve with small picks.
And there you go, it's ready
Check off every step to celebrate.
The secrets to getting it right what makes all the difference
Storing and making ahead
You can fill them in the morning: pre-bake the caps, let them cool, fill them and keep them covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Bake them from cold, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Baked, they keep for 2 days in the fridge and reheat in 8 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F). They don't freeze well: they release water as they thaw.
Variations
- With Roquefort and crushed walnuts instead of the goat cheese.
- With garlic and herb cream cheese, milder for kids.
- Richer (and no longer vegetarian): 50 g smoked bacon lardons cooked with the duxelles.
The questions you're asking
What size mushrooms are best for appetizers?
Medium white mushrooms, 4 to 5 cm across: one bite each. Larger ones are eaten with a fork, as a starter; they'll then need 15 minutes in the oven.
Why do my stuffed mushrooms release water?
They were washed, or filled raw. Just wipe them, pre-bake the caps empty for 10 minutes, hollow side down, and cook the filling right down in the pan.
Can you make stuffed mushrooms ahead?
Yes: filled in the morning, they wait in the fridge and go into the oven at the last minute. Baked the day before, reheat them for 8 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F).
What can replace the goat cheese?
Garlic and herb cream cheese, ricotta with grated parmesan, or a blue cheese for a stronger version.
recipe by recipe
Build your holiday meal
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
More appetizers tasted and approved
Puff pastry Christmas tree with pesto and parmesan
1 h 05 · 1 treeVegetarianWith the kids
Christmas surprise bread (pain surprise)
2 h 20 · 10 peopleNo ovenWith the kids
Comté cheese gougères
50 min · 30 gougèresVegetarianWith the kids
Fresh goat cheese bites with walnuts and honey
59 min · 20 bitesNo ovenVegetarianWith the kids
Avocado, shrimp and grapefruit verrines
1 h · 6 glassesNo oven
Smoked salmon and cream cheese pinwheels
1 h 20 · 30 bitesNo ovenWith the kids
Chocolate praline Yule log (bûche de Noël)
6 h 10 · 8 servingsVegetarianWith the kids
Decorated Christmas sugar cookies
3 h 09 · 30 cookiesVegetarianWith the kids
Homemade spiced mulled wine
40 min · 6 glassesFor grown-upsHot