French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms

In my last post I mentioned how we stayed in for New Years this year. What I neglected to mention was that while we had an intimate gathering of five people, I made enough food for at least double that many. Four appetizers, a big entrée, and a dessert that serves sixteen. I realize that may sound nuts, but I don’t often have a reason to try out so many new recipes. Since it’s just the two of us, it takes us awhile to get through food. Stan eats enough for two, but we can still be eating the same dinner for two or three nights in a row. Having a party gives me a chance to experiment and try new things – and make a tiny dent in my ever-expanding file of recipes to try.

One of the big winners from our New Years dinner was these French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms. A fun twist on a cocktail party classic, these savory babies combine two delicious dishes into one. Slow cooked onions are seasoned with traditional French onion soup flavorings and stuffed into juicy mushrooms. The mushrooms are then topped with nutty Gruyère cheese and baked until tender and bubbling. A sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley finishes them off, and then you are ready for the big ta-da moment.

And you will get a moment for these gems. Whether you use big mushrooms or small, they will disappear in an instant. If you are making them for a party, I recommend sneaking a few in the kitchen before you serve them, just to make sure you get to try them! If you don’t want to wait for a special occasion (and I don’t think you should), these stuffed mushrooms are easy enough that they’d also make a fun side dish at your next family dinner. I’m thinking they’d be fantastic alongside a steak or even a roast chicken. However you serve them, I think you’ll love them.

One Year Ago: Curried Butternut Squash Soup

French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:
2 T. butter, divided
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup beef broth
7 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Splash of red or white wine
24 mushrooms, white or cremini, stems removed
Kosher salt
1/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, and wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the onions to a bowl and return the skillet to the burner.

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Once it has melted, add the mushrooms and toss them around for about 2 minutes. (This will start the cooking process for the mushrooms.) Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt, to taste.

Place the mushrooms in a baking dish. Stuff each mushroom with a heaping spoonful of onions then top the stuffed mushrooms with a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake the mushrooms for 10 minutes then switch to the broiler and broil for a couple more minutes until the cheese starts to bubble and brown.

Place the mushrooms on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture from the mushroom caps. (This just takes a second, but you can skip this step if you are running short on time.)

Sprinkle the mushrooms with parsley and serve.

Makes 24 stuffed mushrooms (about 6-8 appetizer servings).