Four-cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

With the Super Bowl this weekend, you may be in the market for a new appetizer recipe. Well look no more because here is a great one for crowd-pleasing cheesy stuffed mushrooms.

The great thing about this appetizer is that it doesn't taste healthy, and it's full of vegetables! If you like mushrooms, you need to make this recipe! Even if you aren't making anything for a Super Bowl party, you can eat these for a light lunch. They are filling without making you stuffed.

Mushrooms have a lot of health benefits even if they aren't very colorful:

• One cup of mushrooms has only 15 calories, no fat or cholesterol, and a very low amount of sodium.


• Mushrooms can be used to replace meat in some dishes, or they can add bulk to meat dishes while adding beneficial nutrients with very few calories.


• This versatile veggie is high in many vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, multiple B vitamins, potassium, copper, selenium, and phosphorus.

Four-cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 12 mushrooms

12 medium to large mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 TBSP The Delicious Dietitian Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar
½ tsp The Delicious Dietitian Southern All-Purpose Spice Blend
¼ cup reduced-sodium 2% cottage cheese
2 TBSP neufchâtel cream cheese (or reduced-fat cream cheese)
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Clean mushrooms. Remove stems, scrape out gills, and set aside. Place mushrooms on foil-lined baking sheet, open side down. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheet, and dry mushrooms. Dry baking sheet.

Meanwhile, make the mushroom filling. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add bell pepper and onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in reserved mushroom stems and gills. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until mushrooms release their juices. Add in garlic and spinach, and cook until spinach is wilted. Add Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar and Southern All-Purpose Spice Blend to vegetables. Cook for 3 more minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Transfer vegetable mixture to a bowl, and stir in cottage cheese, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combined.

Stuff each mushroom with 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable-cheese mixture. Place stuffed mushrooms on baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Top mushrooms with ½ tsp Parmesan cheese each, and bake for 2-4 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Meme Inge is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist, and has a private practice as a Regional Delicious Dietitian in New Orleans, LA. She holds a Bachelor of Science in food and nutrition from The University of Alabama and a Master of Science in clinical nutrition from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Follow her on Twitter @memeinge!