An impressive-looking dish, this is a quick recipe for a light but satisfying meal for two. You could easily adjust it to serve more people for a starter or party nibbles by using smaller mushrooms, and not piling too much extra filling on top. It’s also a good way to use up small amounts of ingredients that you may have leftover from other meals. There’s no need to buy breadcrumbs, either–make your own from day-old/stale bread. Just break up into fairly small pieces and blitz in a food processor or grinder until they look like coffee grounds.
Serves 2
Ingredients
| 4 ounces | Lardons (You can use streaky bacon if you don’t have lardons.) |
| Handful | Baby spinach leaves |
| 2 | Large open cap mushrooms, approximately 4 ounces each (If using smaller mushrooms, remove stems to make room. Use the stems in soup.) |
| ½ cup | Fine breadcrumbs |
| 2 ounces | Pont Gar Blue cheese (or other strong flavour but creamy cheese) |
| 1 teaspoon | Dried parsley |
| A good grinding | Peppercorns |
Directions:
- Brown the lardons or bacon. Break into small pieces (if bacon). Set aside.
- Meanwhile, chop the spinach quite small to make about 1/2 cup. Steam lightly just to wilt; ½ minute in microwave on medium high should do.
- Part cook the mushrooms, cap side down, in the bacon fat. You want the flesh to just begin to soften, but hold its shape. The more you cook it now, the less time it will need under the grill.
- Meanwhile, mix the stuffing. Place breadcrumbs in medium bowl. Break up the cheese, slicing through the rind for easier mixing. Add to bowl, along with parsley and pepper. Mix together, mashing a bit with a fork, but leaving it quite chunky.
- Add spinach and bacon, distributing roughly.
- Divide stuffing between the mushrooms. Press some down into the cap and heap the rest up on top. Use a soup spoon to help mold it into an attractive shape.
- Place under medium high grill and cook for 5-10 minutes, taking care not to burn the top of the stuffing.
Serve with boiled potatoes and a contrasting fresh vegetable. 
I'm an American living in the UK, combining rural Mid-west ideas about food with a suburban coastal British reality. It's fun!
Creative Economy in the Kitchen 
Yum, I do love a stuffed mushroom 🙂
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I thought the blue cheese would pull you in!
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This is making my mouth water!
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Nice variation, love tasty stuffed mushrooms. Will venture on to the large size for a nice summer dinner.
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If you can’t find a creamy blue cheese, use a crumbly one and mix it with Philly to get a good blending texture.
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I love stuffed mushrooms. I use almond meal to make a gluten-free version, too.
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What a good idea!
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I’ll have to pass that suggestion on; a couple of my friends are coeliac. Almond meal would also appeal to the vegetarians on my list… 🙂
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