stuffed mushrooms with herbs and goat cheese (with bonus pasta!)

My relationship with mushrooms is complicated. While I love them, I tend to buy them without specific dishes in mind, find them in the fridge a week or two later, hem and haw over whether or not they will kill me if I eat them, then end up throwing them away in a fit of paranoia. So when lunchtime rolled around today and I had most of a package of baby portobellas in the fridge, I decided to use them up. So I did.

With just a few extra ingredients, I stuffed the mushroom caps and had enough leftover filling to make a second dish. The name sounds much more complicated than the preparation!

Stuffed Mushrooms with Fresh Herbs and Goat Cheese
Serves 1, unless you are nice enough to share.

8 ounces baby bella (or button) mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion or spring onion, minced very finely
about 3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (I used rosemary, mint, and parsley)
2 tablespoons bread crumbs (I used panko)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon butter, cold
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon crumbed goat cheese

Lightly oil a small baking sheet with olive oil. Carefully wash your mushrooms and remove the stems. Use a pastry brush to oil the mushroom caps and place them gill-side up on the oiled baking sheet.

Mince mushroom stems and place them in a small bowl. Add minced garlic, scallion, and herbs. Stir. Add bread crumbs and about a teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Spoon filling into mushroom caps, pressing gently so the stuffing stays in. Cut cold butter into small pieces and place a small piece on top of each stuffed mushroom cap.

Broil for about 3-4 minutes, then remove and place crumbled goat cheese on top of each one. Put back under the broiler for another 3-4 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned and mushrooms are fragrant. Serve immediately.

There was a lot of filling leftover that I didn’t want to waste, so I embarked on a culinary adventure that was a rousing success!

Mushroom and Bread Crumb Pasta

2 ounces dry vermicelli or angel hair pasta
leftover mushroom stuffing
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil

Boil water for pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package until al dente. Drain when finished.

While pasta is cooking, heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil shimmers, carefully add mushroom stuffing to skillet. It may splatter a bit, so watch out for hot oil. Stir until evenly combined. When breadcrumbs are golden brown, remove from heat. Add drained pasta and stir until coated. You may want to add a bit more olive oil to prevent sticking. Sprinkle with crumbled goat or feta cheese, or grated Parmesan.

Easy, quick, and so delicious! It’s a nice variation from “pasta with red sauce,” too.

What’s your favorite way to prepare mushrooms?