Baked Stuffed Mushrooms...a perfect bite sized appetizer !

Anyone searching for a quick, simple, easy and tasty appetizer recipe for the New Year bash you are planning?? :-) Well not just New Year's party, these cute and super duper yummy stuffed mushroom bites are going to be the absolute crowd pleaser for any party! Also don't let looks fool you, these taste way better than they look :-)

I had never eaten a stuffed mushroom before. A good friend of ours had served stuffed mushrooms filled with sausage when I was pregnant and thanks to all the stupid internet reading I had done on not eating sausages while pregnant due to nitrates or something, I din't eat them :-(  And Manish couldn't couldn't stop eating them...grrrrrr!!
So the next good chance I got at making them at home , I did not hesitate a minute.

I love mushrooms specially the white or brown button mushrooms, and I have no issues stuffing them with more love ♥♥ !! 
I used Lean ground Turkey for the filling and added some Indian spice to suite our tastebuds and a little bit of cream cheese and parmesan cheese for some creaminess and baked the whole thing until golden and sizzling away , mmmmmmmmm, yummm yummm!!
Another reason I love this recipe is because, the whole mushroom from the cap to the stem is used, full value for your money ;-) 
As I ended up with more stuffing than I had mushrooms, I popped some of the stuffing into sweet colorful peppers and they too make a really attractive and tasty appertizer !

Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

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Recipe Adapted from : The Pioneer Woman

You'll need
White/Brown Button mushrooms - Two 8oz boxes (around 24 mushrooms)
Ground Turkey - 20oz pack (I used Jennie-O Lean ground turkey)
Garam Masala -  ½ or 1 tsp (use as per taste preference)
Red Chilli powder - a pinch or 1/4 tsp (use as per taste preference)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tblsp (I use Canola Oil)
Garlic - 4 (crushed)
Onion - 1 medium (chopped finely)
Egg Yolk - 1
Cream Cheese - 3oz (I used theree 1oz individual packs)
Parmesan Cheese - 4 tblsp (Freshly Grated preferred)
Chopped Corriander Leaves - ½ cup
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste

Directions:
1. Wash the mushrooms really well and pat dry with a dry towel. Take off the mushroom stems and chop the stems finely into little cubes and keep them aside.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat and add the Ground Turkey , let it cook until it turns slightly brown and then add the Garam masala, Turmeric powder and Red chilli powder and some salt and cook for few more minutes, keep it aside to cool.

3. In the same skillet , add the chopped Onions and Garlic and saute for a minute, then add the chopped mushroom stems. Cook until the stems soften , adding water if needed to cook the stems. Season with Salt and Pepper and let it cool a bit.

4. Meanwhile take a bowl, mix together the egg yolk with the cream cheese. Then add in the parmesan cheese, ground turkey, chopped corriander leaves and mushroom stems mix. Mix together well and taste for seasoning.

5. Lay the mushroom caps with the hole facing up on a baking tray and sprinkle the insides with some salt.
6. Take a teaspoon scoop of the stuffing and stuff it into the each mushroom cap. You can overfill a bit :-)

These babies are ready to bake at 350 F for 20-25mins!

7. Bake in a 350F oven for 20-25 mins until they are golden brown !

Note - As I had some more stuffing leftover , I used some sweet bell peppers to stuff them in and they also baked the same time as the mushrooms and tasted absolutley perfect!

They are just out from the Oven...baked golden brown goodness :-)

Suggestions:
1. Actual recipe called for cooking the mushroom stems in white wine, please go ahead and do that if you are not serving these to kids, I'm sure it would taste gorgeous! :-)
2. Also if you want more creaminess, add more cream cheese and Parmesan cheese, I skimped on both, as I wanted the turkey and spice flavor to be stronger than the creamy side.
3. Some of the baking juices from the mushrooms would have come out into the baking pan, but that is ok, just slowly take the mushrooms out into a clean bowl or plate before serving!
4. You may use any ground meat - chicken, beef , pork or mutton for this recipe.

See how beautifully they get stuffed

Try them, you will not believe that this was a simple mushroom that got transformed to a higher culinary level , they are one of my favorites now and for a large group , they make plenty and can be prepared in a short time. So Enjoy and let the countdown to the New Year begin!!! :-)

-Manju