The Story:

Stuffed mushrooms were one of the first dishes I learned to pull off and share with guests as a vegan. Italian background, Italian food, check. I can still remember my mom pulverizering the filling in the food processor, and that flavor, which was nothing like the other foods I ate (admittedly, it was full of parmesan and likely, crab, and I was such a picky eater). My late mother actually developed a severe, yet comical,  allergic reaction to mushrooms at some point, yet still kept making these due to popular demand. Nowadays, I usually make them for potlucks, and there’s nearly always wine (because mushrooms should nearly always be drunk), nuts, and breadcrumbs involved. Very recently, my mushrooms-have-the-consistency-of-eyeballs paranoia returned, as it is does now and then, so there I was, with creminis, yet, not wanting to slice them. Stuffed mushrooms are the least of my squishy mushroom fears, and there I went. You could easily sub red wine, or add roasted garlic, steamed greens, vegan crab, etc.  Stuffed mushrooms = versatile.

The Recipe:

Marsala, Sun-dried Tomato & Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 20-25 cremini mushrooms, stems separated, and gills scraped (optional)
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded vegan mozzarella (I used Chicago Soy Dairy Teese)
• 1-2 tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (re-hydrated or oil packed)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Dave Killer’s Good Seed)
  • Note: I used 3/4 cup initially, and had too much filling leftover, hence the cut. Not the end of the world if you run a little short or extra!
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch hot paprika
• pinch nutritional  yeast
• additional olive oil for spritzing
• additional wine

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a casserole dish large enough to fit the mushrooms, such as an 8×8 or 8×4.
2. Thoroughly mince the mushroom stems, either with a knife or in a food processor.
3. Sauté the garlic and mushroom steams over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the wine, stir for 1 minute, and simmer for an additional 5, or  until most of the liquid evaporates.
4. Add the herbs (excluding the salt & pepper!) and stir for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
5. Mix the breadcrumbs, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, pepper and nutritional well in a bowl. Carefully mix in the sautéed mushrooms mixture and vegan mozzarella shreds, and incorporate well.
6. Using a 1/2 tablespoon, fill each mushroom cap with the mixture, packing tightly. Place the caps into your lightly greased baking pan, spray with olive oil and a couple good dashes of additional wine, and cook for 20 minutes. If you have extra mushroom caps, just save them to slice into a tofu scramble or something.
7. Increase the heat to 425F, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, as needed. Check for browning.
8. Remove from oven, briefly yet cool, pour some more wine, and serve.

The Photos:

Filling:

Mixed:

Pre-baked:

Roasted:

The End.