Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Let me preface this post by saying I'm not a huge pepper fan, I enjoy the taste of them but they have a tendency to repeat on me so I usually just stay away from the. Fortunately I have discovered that the mini peppers don't have as much of an effect on me and I can eat one or two without paying for it later. One of my favorite foods is mushrooms, especially stuffed mushrooms so I decided to try and combine the two.

The recipe is super easy and makes for a great side dish to steak or chicken or you can make a whole bunch and use them for an appetizer for a party, they're the perfect size. Sometimes the mini peppers are difficult to find, Trader Joe's always carries them and I've been noticing that they are showing up in bigger supermarkets more and more lately.

Mushroom Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 1 Dozen Peppers

Prep Time: 15 minutes     I     Bake Time: 15-20 minutes

For the stuffing:

• 1 package of any type of mushroom roughly chopped
• 1/4 shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 glove of garlic peeled
• 1 small onion peeled and chopped
• Seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
• Olive oil

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the mushrooms, both cheeses, garlic and onions into a food processor with. You'll have to play it by ear how much olive oil and breadcrumb to use exactly so you'll have to eyeball it a little bit. Start with about a quarter of a cup of bread crumb and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Start to pulse the mixture until everything is blended and moist. You should be able to spoon the mixture and turn the spoon over without it sliding off. You dont want the mixture to be too firm though or it will just get hard in the oven. Add the olive oil a tablespoon at a time if the mixture is too dry, inversely, if the stuffing seems to wet just add a little bit of bread crumb.

One the mixture is ready set aside so you can prepare the peppers. Slice the top off of each pepper and use either your fingers or a knife to pull out any seeds that are inside. When all the peppers are cleaned just start spooning the mixture inside, when they're filled they should almost look like a little ice cream cone!

When all the peppers are filled and ready to place, spray a baking dish and place them inside. I used an 8x8 dish which fit the peppers perfectly.



Bake the peppers for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. The amount of time with vary on your oven. If you feel like the peppers are looking a little on the dry side while they're cooking you can add a little white wine to the bottom of the pan to add a little moisture and flavor. Enjoy!