Stuffed Mushrooms (with Soy Chorizo and Cheese)

Even your vegetarian friends will like this recipe...that's how good they were. You can probably make them with real chorizo (just cook longer), but if you use vegetarian soy chorizo, you don't even have to tell them the mushrooms don't have meat (I know, SO mean!). These mushrooms are savory, sweet, and smoky.

In a desperate attempt to use both leftover mushroooms & some soy chorizo I impulsively purchased, this was my solution--stuffed mushrooms. I first saw something similar at Trader Joe's (on a handout), but theirs did not have onion, seasonings, or bread crumbs & they pureed the filling. I think we had them done in 30 minutes from first chop to out of oven. You can find soy chorizo at most grocery stores these days--either in the refrigerated produce section or the 'health food' section of a traditional grocery store (probably Yves brand). Whole Foods & Trader Joe's both sell soy chorizo.

Just a tip-you can make a double batch of the filling and freeze it for later use and that way you can use an entire block of cream cheese and all of the soy chorizo package so you are not stuck with leftover ingredients. I hate it when that happens to me! The filling should last a couple months in the freezer.

SOY CHORIZO & CHEESE STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion or half a big onion, chopped
20 oz. baby bella mushrooms (larger-sized mushrooms make stuffing them easier)-about 18-22 mushrooms
6 oz. soy chorizo, casing removed (half of one package)
1/2 tsp. dried parsley or about 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste (probably about 1/2 tsp. each)
2-4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature (your choice on how creamy you want them)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko-the crispy Japanese kind)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Clean the mushrooms by brushing off any dirt from the caps. Chop the stems and set aside.

In a medium saute pan (frying pan), heat oil and saute onion until softened (a few minutes). And since I'm a one-pan-girl, add the mushroom stems and saute for a bit longer. Then add your chorizo and break up with a spatula. Leave on heat for a minute or two and then add the rest of your ingredients. Turn off the heat and mix everything well. The cream cheese will melt into the hot filling. If you like your mushroom filling really pureed, you can add this mixture to a food processor and then use it to fill your mushrooms. (I am not that person because I don't want to add one more step and have more dishes to clean.)

Using a teaspoon, place filling into each mushroom cap. (Now, most recipes will tell you to be careful not to overfill and that the filling should be about even with sides of mushroom and not overflowing. As you can see from my pictures, I piled it on high and disregarded traditional instructions.) Place mushrooms in a baking dish or sheet pan.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened (they will release some of their liquids and appear 'wet' at their base as well as darken in color-this is TOTALLY NORMAL), and filling is bubbly. Serve hot.

Yield: Will serve about 8-10 as an appetizer (no promises-that would give each person about two), but you can probably serve about 6 people if you were to make them your main entree.