Buckle up for the complicated origin story for this recipe:
We bought too many mushrooms. We remembered how much we love the stuffed mushrooms at Grandma’s.
This happened. The end.
We had this for dinner. Though I suppose it’s an appetizer.
Copycat Grandma’s Restaurant Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes a whole mess of mushrooms. Can easily be halved. Or doubled, which, I maintain, would be the smarter option.
1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms (most accurate measure: enough mushroom caps to fill the bottom of a 13x9 pan) cleaned, stems set aside.
Filling:
2 Tbsp. butter
1T olive oil
1 medium onion, divided
2 Tbsp. garlic, divided
2 cups cooked wild rice
4 oz. (half a brick) of cream cheese (OR a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce below)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (see note in the Sauce ingredients)
Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cream or milk
1 and 1/2 cups Parmesan, yes that’s what I said, use fresh and finely ground! Use a rasp/microplane so it’s really light and mix-able. If you don’t have a rasp, I would use only 1 cup of ground or 3/4-1 cup shredded; I replaced half with Pecorino-Romano because flavors.
Topping:
1-2 cups grated cheese of choice, optional
Preheat oven to 375˚. Fill 13x9 pan with upside-down mushroom caps. Chop the mushroom stems finely (small dice) and set aside.
Make the wild rice filling: In a large skillet, melt butter with oil. Add ¾ of the onion and sauté on medium heat until edges get a bit translucent. Add 1 and 1/2 Tbsp garlic. Stir until fragrant, then add mushroom stems and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms darken, shrink, and smell amazing. Add wild rice and stir until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste, probably more than you think (freshly ground pepper, please). And finally, turn off the heat and add cream cheese (in 4-6 pieces) and Parmesan. Smoosh around to melt things and incorporate everything. Taste and check the seasoning! And try not to eat it all straight out of the pan. With a spoon, (over)stuff mushrooms with this mixture.
Make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt butter with remaining 1/4 onion and remaining 1/2 Tbsp. garlic over medium heat. Cook until fragrant and kinda sizzly. Add 1/3 cup flour and cook until very light golden, whisking thoroughly (about 4 minutes). Slowly add the 2 cups of liquid and cook until thickened, adding salt and pepper and cayenne to taste. Heavy on the fresh pepper, a few shakes of cayenne is good. The sauce should get really thick! That’s what you want here as the mushrooms are going to add more liquid when they cook. When thickened, remove from heat and add the cheese(s).
Pour sauce over mushrooms. It won’t look like enough. It will be fine as the mushrooms cook! Top with extra parmesan and/or other grated cheese, if desired. If making ahead, this is a good place to wrap everything tightly and chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbly and beginning to brown on top. I finished it under the broiler for 5-7 to get extra “crust.” Let stand for at least 5-10 minutes so that the sauce sets. EAT.