Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

I experienced these yummy bites of flavor for the first time 2 years ago, when my sister Anna made them for Thanksgiving. Not too hard to make, these flavorful, rich appetizers are perfect for dinner parties! and especially great to feed your grumpy roommates, while you guys are still cooking the rest of dinner :)

I made mine vegetarian, but it also taste great with sausage!


Ingredients:

• A package of medium whole fresh mushrooms (the rectangular blue box)
• 2 tbsp. of minced garlic
• 4 oz. of fat-free/reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 turkey sausage link (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms and carefully break off the stems. Discard the tough end of stems, and stick the remaining parts in a chopper( I use the magic bullet) or mince the stems with a knife.
   
   
2. If you're using fresh garlic you should mince the garlic now. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until most of the moisture has disappeared, but make sure not to burn the garlic!
   
   
3. If you're making yours vegetarian, skip this step. Remove turkey meat from casings and cook in a large skillet. Try breaking it into small ground up pieces, but if it’s not small enough place the cooked meat in the chopper and ground the meat. Add cooked sausage to mushroom and garlic mixture.
   
   
4. When the mixture has cooled, add cream cheese, parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder, and cayenne pepper (optional). The mixture should be relatively thick.
   
   
5. Arrange the mushroom caps on the baking sheet. Using a spoon, fill each cap with the mixture.
   
   
6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the stuffing is slightly golden, and liquids begin to form underneath. 

Cost:

• Mushrooms- $1.78
• Bulk of Garlic- $1.00
• Cream Cheese- $1.00
• Turkey Link- $2.00
• Parmesan Cheese- $2.00
• Black Pepper-?
• Onion Powder?

Approximate Total Cost- $7.00 for a great appetizer!



xoxo,
Amy