Lazy Stuffed Mushrooms

This was something I put together while trying to come up with a different way to use mushrooms. I know there are scads of stuffed mushroom recipes on the Web, but I wanted to fly without a recipe and see how it went. The result, in my opinion, was fabulous, and surprisingly simple too. We served our mushrooms with a Caesar salad and some crusty sourdough bread, but the options are endless. Have fun with them!

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1  lb mushroom, caps as large as possible
• 1⁄4 cup light cream cheese, garden vegetable flavor
• 1⁄2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon  onion flakes
•  salt
•  pepper
•  olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Place them into a food processor and process until finely minced.
3. In a small bowl, mix the minced mushroom stems with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, rosemary, garlic and onion flakes. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. 20 minutes is better if you have extra time, but it isn't necessary for the recipe to work.
4. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil, then place the mushroom caps onto the baking sheet, stem-side up.
5. Add cream cheese to each cap, adjusting the amount as needed depending on how large the caps are.
6. Sprinkle the mushroom stem mixture over the top of each mushroom, using a spoon to press it lightly into the cream cheese. This will help it stick.
7. Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the tops of the mushrooms. This will aid in browning.
8. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the cheese is heated through.