Cheddar Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Ok.  I admit it.  I despise mushrooms.   Really & truly.  
Why - then you ask - why am I posting a recipe for them?  
I love these.  I don't know why, or how, that I like them being my hatred for mushrooms is so high.  But, I do.  The divinity of the stuffing that goes into it just cancels out all my bad mushroom feelings.   

I can't eat mushrooms any other way either.  This is it.  I came up with the recipe a few years ago.  My husband loves mushrooms.  Absolutely adores them!  So, I set out to make him a irresistible stuffed mushroom.  I used ingredients that I already had on hand, and he went on and on about how amazing they were.  He went on to such affect that I got curious, so I hesitantly tried a bite.
Oh my.  So glad I took that first hesitant bite.  If I didn't, I would certainly be missing out on a mouthwatering existence.  Yum yum yum!
These are really easy - so what are you waiting for?  Jump on the bandwagon!

Take your mushrooms and run a knife around the stem of it to loosen it up - then pull the stem out.  Don't throw away the stems!  We'll get to those in a second!

Using a spoon or butter knife, carefully scoop out the side rim of the mushroom.  See the difference when you do that?  It makes more room for that yummy stuffing.

Take your reserved mushroom stems, and cut off the woody stems.  The woody part is the part of the stem that doesn't connect to the mushroom.  The part you want to keep is the one that attaches into the mushroom.

Dice up the stems rather fine & go ahead and dice your onion & mince you garlic cloves too.

Now, that those are are all done - let's get started on what makes this dish. The filling!
Fry your bacon in a frying pan until crisp.  Drain on a paper towel, and reserve the grease in the pan.

Now, make sure you cook extra bacon if you are prone to snack on the bacon while cooking - or have little bacon thieves hanging around like I do.

Toss the diced mushroom stems & onion into the hot bacon grease.  Give it a good seasoning from some salt & pepper.  Saute for 5-7 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and break the cream cheese into chunks and add it to it. Stir until it has melted and is all combined.

Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese & crumble in the bacon.

Spoon the filling into the hollowed out mushroom caps, really packing it in there.  Heap some of it on top too.  That's yummy! Sprinkle with a little bit of paprika.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Cheddar Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

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Ingredients:

• 1 container whole fresh mushrooms, around 12-16
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened - broken into chunks
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper, & paprika to taste

Instructions:
Remove the stem from the mushrooms, and hollow out the cap.  Reserve the mushroom steps, and cut off the woody end & discard.  Dice up the remaining part of the mushroom stem & set aside along with the onion & garlic.
Fry the bacon in a pan until crispy.  Remove the bacon to a paper towel, and reserve the grease.  
Saute the diced mushroom stems, onion, & garlic for 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper.  Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese.  Stir until melted & combined.  Mix in the cheddar cheese.
Spoon the filling into the hollowed out mushroom caps.  Pack the filling in, and pile any extra on top of the mushrooms.   Sprinkle with paprika. 
Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Posted in: Appetizers, Sides