Stuffed Baby Portabellos

Aldi had a sale. Big mistake. I don't know what I had thought about buying 2 packs of baby portabellos before I leave for 3 days, but I mean 89 cents a piece. I can get creative. (Insert cheap, bargin shopper, I'm italian and I'll find a purpose for it.. joke here)

So, here's what I've come up with. Stuffed baby portabellos!

Stuff em' with what you might ask? Ahhh, anything you've got laying around.

I used some open cream cheese I wanted to get rid of. Soften it first. A couple of tablespoons should work. Then I had some garlic spread left in a container, so in goes a couple of teaspoons of that.

Now, bread crumbs.. I am so a panko bread crumb convert. They are so crunchy and yummy. SO i had an open container with just enough to mix in.

Toss in some cheese. Shredded (any variety works, I used italian for half until it was gone, then monterey/cheddar for the other half). Try grated parm or use chunked cheese blocks, just grate yourself. You like it cheesy? Add a big handful. Not so much, toss in a little.

I had some parsley laying around and some sundried tomatoes I opened the other day for mini-meatballs. (this was prior to my sudden blog idea or I'd post pics, but there's always next time) Anyway, small pieces or whatever works. Bacon pieces would be killer. Or try trukey sausage mixed in too. Scallions also good here too!

I know, I never measure or give amounts but hey, I am about improvising so here's your goal...

Make a mix that is wet enough, everything mixes together without dry pieces of the mix... But make it like a crumble.

So I removed the stem from my baby mushrooms and put them in some old disposable pans, greased the bottom and arranged.

Next pack these babies with your filling! Cheese on top? Why not?

Bake at 350-375 for 20-30 minutes depending on how crispy you like your topping, and voila!

Always a good appetizer, transports easy, and reheats well :)

Thoughts? Try em' for football season!