Creamy Italian-Style Stuffed Mushrooms are dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free. They make great appetizers for game nights and parties! 
What I love best about this recipe is that it makes party prep easy. You can make the tomato mixture up to two days ahead and stuff the mushrooms a day ahead. That means that on the day of your shindig, you just need to throw these into the oven!
Healthy Button Mushrooms
Did you know that the humble button mushroom is actually a superfood? When I was researching the health benefits of mushrooms, I was sure I'd find information on them as a good source of vitamins D and B, but I didn't expect to uncover this!
One of the important qualities of a superfood is that it hasn't been overly cultivated. Over the centuries, we have cultivated our food for many qualities: drought resistance, hardiness, and even the way they look. What we haven't focused on is selecting foods with the best nutritional value. Superfoods tend to be ones that most resemble their ancient form, and button mushrooms fit the bill.
There is research linking button mushrooms to a reduced risk of cancer thanks to a fatty acid it contains that you usually only find in animal-based foods. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) actually helps reduce the risk of cancer caused by high estrogen levels, especially breast cancer.
Button mushrooms also have anti-inflammatory properties, which means they can also help protect your body from type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Not too shabby, right?
Will eating a couple of stuffed mushrooms prevent cancer? Probably not. Think of this recipe as just the first way that you can cram more of this superfood into your diet.
Creamy Italian-Style Stuffed Mushrooms
Recipe
Creamy Italian-Style Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes drained
- ¼ cup almonds
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice of ½ a fresh lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- water optional - see below
- salt and pepper to taste
- extra olive oil to grease the pan optional - see below
- 8 ounce button mushrooms usually around 12 mushrooms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the tomatoes, almonds, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and nutritional yeast in your blender or food processor. Puree until it's as smooth as you can get it. If things aren't blending up nicely, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a nice, smooth puree. I used a very old blender to test this recipe, and it took about 2 tablespoons of water. If you have a high-speed blender, you probably wouldn't need any.
- Stir in the salt and pepper, to taste.
- Arrange the mushrooms on a baking sheet greased with olive oil or one lined with a silicone baking mat. Generously fill each mushroom cap with the tomato mixture.
- Bake for 20 minutes. You can serve these cold or warm.
