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Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms are the perfect finger food appetizer for the holidays. There are so many ways to stuff them, and they’re always a crowd pleaser! I load mine up with chickpeas, walnuts and cheese to make a healthy protein-packed snack that’s full of flavor and texture!
These vegetarian stuffed mushrooms are such a great holiday appetizer and they are so easy to make! I love serving them on a platter for a finger food option, or you can serve them with a side salad as part of a sit down appetizer.
Is this a healthy appetizer recipe?
Three of these stuffed mushrooms come in at around 180 calories. And because they are vegetarian, they are low in saturated fat. The chickpeas and walnuts are great sources of protein and fiber, so they are perfect to serve while everyone is waiting for the main course.
To make these vegan, you can substitute the parmesan for a plant based option or omit it completely.
How to make stuffed mushrooms
Start with medium size mushrooms that are wide with large stems. Those are usually best for stuffing. During the holidays, you’ll also find them labeled in grocery stores as “stuffing mushrooms”. Wipe them clean using a damp paper towel.
Next, hollow out the mushrooms by popping them off with your hands (keep the stems!). Place on a baking dish and spray with cooking spray. You don’t have to use parchment paper, and it’s actually best not to so the mushrooms don’t sweat too much.
Now you’ll prepare the vegetarian stuffing for the mushrooms. Add the onions, mushroom stems and garlic to a pan with some oil and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Then stir in the thyme and walnuts, cook for another minute and then take off the heat. This is where all the flavor in the dish comes from!
Next, combine the chickpeas, parmesan, parsley, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and mash together to form a paste like texture. You can leave out the balsamic vinegar, but the liquid helps to mash everything and the acidity rounds out the flavor.
Add the chickpeas mixture with the cooked onions and mushroom mixture, and combine well. You’re pretty much done making these vegetarian stuffed mushrooms, so yay!
Spoon the vegetarian stuffing into the mushrooms, sprinkle over some parmesan and bake. It helps to gather the mushrooms close to each other when filling them so you don’t lose too much of the filling on the baking dish. This is especially helpful when adding the parmesan cheese.
Tips for making vegetarian stuffed mushrooms
- Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. I recommend that you don’t rinse your mushrooms. If you rinse them, their spongy texture will soak up too much liquid. And that can lead to soggy mushrooms.
- Cook mushroom stems, onions and garlic before adding walnuts and herbs. It’s tempting to throw everything together in a pan and fry it together to make the stuffed mushrooms. But the walnuts will get powdery if you add them to the pan immediately. Keep them and the herbs until the end for best texture and flavor.
- Make it vegan by skipping the cheese. This recipe is easily adaptable to become vegan. Just skip the parmesan cheese from the mixture and the topping. You can also use a good vegan alternative if you have one.
- Choose mushrooms that are the same size. You can usually find “stuffing mushrooms” this time of year that are the perfect size and even. If you don’t, just try to pick ones that are as similar as possible so they cook evenly.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of mushrooms are best for stuffed mushrooms?
I like to use medium sized mushrooms for stuffing – nothing too big like a portobello as I want them to be served a finger food, and nothing too small so that I can load them with the stuffing! Crimini (baby bella) or white mushrooms both work really well. If you want to serve this as a sit down appetizer with a salad, you can then of course use a portobello.
Can you freeze stuffed mushrooms?
You can make these vegetarian stuffed mushrooms ahead of time and freeze them. Stuff the mushrooms, but don’t bake them. Freeze them on a baking sheet, and once frozen you can transfer them to a freezer bag and store them for up to three months.
You can also prep the mushrooms and keep them covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking them.
What goes with stuffed mushrooms?
I love serving these mushrooms as finger foods alongside some of my other favorites like Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves, or as part of a sit down appetizer with a salad. You can also serve these up as part of a vegetarian main meal alongside Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans with Almonds.
More recipes with mushrooms:
More appetizer recipes:
- Baked Brie Holiday Appetizer
- Greek Spanakopita
- Mac and Cheese Bites
- Cauliflower Fritters
- Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes
- Baked Feta Dip
I love how easy it is to make these delicious vegetarian stuffed mushrooms. They make such a fuss free crowd pleasing appetizer that can be made ahead of time for effortless entertaining.
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 18 medium mushrooms destemmed and stems diced
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup minced small onion minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme cleaned, chopped
- ½ cup can chickpeas
- ½ cup parmesan divided
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F with a baking tray inside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, mushroom stems and garlic and cook until fragrant and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and walnuts, and cook to toast the walnuts lightly, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the chickpeas, parmesan cheese, parsley, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Use a fork to combine and mash the chickpeas to form a paste-like texture. Transfer the nut mixture on top of the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.
- Carefully place the mushrooms on the hot tray and spray with cooking spray. Spoon the filling into the mushrooms, and top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake the preheated oven uncovered until the mushrooms are cooked through and the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Instead of walnuts, you can use any other nuts.
- Instead of chickpeas, you can substitute other legumes like white beans.
- Make them vegan by omitting or substituting the parmesan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Liked by all, even the carnivores. I used wonton wrappers with some leftover filling, and that was a huge hit too. Time-consuming, but worth it.
Ooo, the stuffed wontons sound amazing with this filling; great idea!! Thanks for sharing!
The recipe is OK, but for the love of cooking, please add a recipe jump. In most cases, the first thing a person ever cooks isn’t going to be stuffed mushrooms, and we don’t need a novella, just the recipe. I know you’re trying to make as many slots for ads as possible, but honestly, it’s too much.
Hi Laura, I understand the frustration of having to scroll when you just want to get to the recipe. I actually do have a “Jump to Recipe” button on all of my posts just for that reason. It’s a black, square button at the top of the page next to the sharing options that says “Jump to Recipe.” I hope that helps you navigate the page easier.
These mushrooms were delicious. And the mix of textures from the chewiness of the mushrooms and cheese to the crunchiness of the toasted walnuts worked so well together. It’s definitely a repeater!
Thank you so much! That is perfect. Hope you continue to enjoy!
Made these for a holiday party this year, and they were ok. They were pretty bland, I added in the balsamic dressing and took the advice of another reviewer and added sun-dried tomatoes to the chickpea mash. Still it was lacking much flavor. The recipe itself is also missing directions – had to go back to the “story” to read when to add the balsamic dressing and how to split up the parm cheese.
Thank you for your feedback! When you cook the onions and mushrooms, you can add in more ingredients/ seasonings then because this is where all the flavor in the dish comes from.