Recreating Maggiano’s Stuffed Mushrooms

For a long time I had been dreaming of this dish… the Stuffed Mushrooms from Maggiano’s.  I had never heard of Maggiano’s before, but I went first during a trip to Philadelphia.  Someone recommended the stuffed mushrooms and when I tried them I was hooked.  I have been known to hook a few other people to these mushrooms.    Every time I travel and I see a  Maggiano’s,  I start to salivate for these mushrooms.  Hey, I even photographed them once for you…

But I was crushed recently … CRUSHED, because for the first time ever, Maggiano’s mentioned these mushrooms are made, apparently, with chicken broth.  Something, I swear, I had never seen in their menus, or even tasted.  Believe me, I have been tricked many times into thinking something doesn’t have chicken broth and then I taste it and arrrrgh!!!!  But these mushrooms never tasted to me like they had any chicken broth.  But one day I checked them out on the internet and there it was… the description every vegetarian dreads:

Stuffed Mushrooms
Jumbo mushroom caps stuffed with spinach and topped with our seasoned breadcrumbs and house cheese; served in a white wine chicken broth.

Could it be that I had never read the menu when I ordered them???  Possibly… nonetheless, I was scarred for life…

And as we are, humans with worldly desires, just knowing I couldn’t have these delicious mushrooms any more with the knowledge of someone drowning them in chicken broth, made my desire of re-creating this recipe the more ever-present in my mind…  YOU MUST BUY MUSHROOMS, YOU MUST COOK MUSHROOMS, YOU MUST EAT MUSHROOMS… and so to Costco I went.

Coincidentally that same afternoon, my friend Jonathan invited me to dinner, and I remembered the huge container of jumbo mushrooms from Costco in my fridge and without giving it too much though… I invited him over for dinner.  I guess the time had come for him to taste my vegetarian cooking.  Would I pass the test?  Would I really be able to recreate these stuffed mushrooms from Maggiano’s while satisfying Jonathan’s carnivore appetite?!?!?!  Check out the results…

Better-than-Maggiano’s STUFFED MUSHROOMS

8 jumbo white mushrooms

About 2/3 cup of chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup shredded pecorino romano cheese, plus more to top mushrooms

1/3 cup of whole-wheat breadcrumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

A pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1 yellow lemon

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
2. Clean the mushrooms well with a damp paper towel.  Remove the stems and place them over an oiled baking sheet.  Set aside.
3. Chop the mushrooms stems finely and add them to a medium bowl together with the spinach, cheeses and breadcrumbs.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper.  Add the red pepper flakes if you’re into spice, like Jonathan.
4. Fill the mushroom caps generously with this spinach mixture.  Top with a bit more pecorino romano cheese and drizzle a bit more olive oil on top.
5. Place in oven for about 20 minutes until the mushroom caps cook and the cheese on top is golden brown.
6. Serve immediately with a squirt of yellow lemon juice over them.

We had these mushrooms with a salad on the side.  I would say the dinner was a complete success… according to Jonathan, these mushrooms are the BEST he has ever had.  And now,  I won’t salivate anymore over any mushrooms out there.  I have what I need at home.

Portobello Mushrooms

Tags: cheese, mushrooms, spinach