Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

My wife, Shae, and I recently went mushroom hunting. I’ve always had visions of us scouring the woods of the Pacific Northwest,foraging beautiful wild morels and chanterelles.  Much to my excitement, our local alternative newsweekly published an article announcing chanterelle season. Next thing you know, we were  lacing up our hiking boots, taking screenshots of chanterelles and chanterelle look-alikes, and heading out in search of recommended terrain: forest service roads.

We had visions of brown paper sacks brimming with yellow orange trumpets and dinner plates full of sauteed chanterelles with white wine and vegan butter. Those visions remain…because we found not five, not one, but zero chanterelles. We even brought our dog to try to sniff out of the goods! But nothing. We did successfully catch mushroom hunting fever so it wasn’t a total wash. The biodiversity of the forest is an amazing thing. We stumbled (literally, because there was lots of tangled undergrowth and we had no idea what we were doing) upon probably a dozen different types of mushrooms. The world of fungi is a magical place.

To make up for our lack of chanterelles, I decided to make some delicious vegan stuffed mushrooms filled with shallots, garlic, parsley, and sundried tomatoes. They’re bursting with savory mushroom meatiness, bright acidity (thanks, tomatoes), and the herbaceousness of fresh parsley.

You can prepare stuffed mushrooms for a savory appetizer, a faux meaty main dish, or as a treat for the Thanksgiving table. They also go great with a simple salad on the side. If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating the recipe or taking a picture and tagging #plantandvine on Instagram.

vegan stuffed mushrooms and wine pairings

Mushrooms are a classic vegetarian or vegan dish for wine pairings. They present a savory umami flavor, which is derived from glutamate, an amino acid and building block of protein. You’ll experience it as full-bodied, earthy meatiness that pairs perfectly with some truly delicious wines. Here are a few favorites:

• Pinot Noir: light to medium bodied red with raspberry, cherry, cranberry, and savory clove and mushroom notes. If you want your wine to mimic your food, this is your best bet.
  • Suggested Regions: Burgundy, France or Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
• Syrah: cool-climate Syrah will present an olive, pepper, leather, cocoa powder, and red plum profile versus the big jammy Shiraz we all know and love from Australia. Medium to full-bodied, this wine is a winner.
  • Suggested Regions: Northern Rhône, France
• Rosé: if you’re not the biggest fan of reds, get a rosé so you still get a little bit of tannin structure to hang out with your stuffed mushrooms. You’ll add some red fruit and acidity to the meal.
  • Suggestions: Spanish Rosé made from Garnacha or Tempranillo

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

Vegan stuffed mushroom recipe bursting with cooked shallot, fresh parsley, and sun-dried tomato. Perfect as an appetizer, main dish, or holiday treat.

• Author: Plant & Vine
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 mushrooms
• Category: Vegan, Vegetarian, Appetizer, Main
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American, Vegan, Healthy

Ingredients

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms:

• 12 medium to large crimini mushrooms (you could also use white mushrooms. I prefer crimini because they’re a little more durable. Portobellos would work for a main dish too)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more to brush the mushrooms
• 3 shallots, finely diced
• 5 – 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
• 4 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling the mushrooms (I like using a large flaked sea salt for this dish)
• Pepper, to taste

Parsley-lemon dressing:

• 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• The zest of a lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a small food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the level of acidity with red wine vinegar, saltiness with salt, and lemon with additional zest. Set aside to allow flavors to meld.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Remove mushroom stems by hand or with a small knife. Dice stems finely and set aside in a separate bowl.
4. Lightly spray baking dish with olive oil. Brush the mushroom caps on both sides with olive oil, sprinkle the inside (gill side) with salt and pepper, and place them gill side up in the baking dish.
5. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and add the 1 tablespoon of oil. Once warm, add the diced shallots. Lightly fry until transparent. Add diced garlic. Lightly fry until fragrant. Add the chopped mushroom stems. Lightly fry until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat.
6. Add walnuts, parsley, and sun-dried tomatoes to mix. Stir until evenly dispersed.
7. Fill each mushroom cap with stuffing and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the mushrooms turn brown and soft. Once ready, remove from oven.
8. To serve, drizzle lemon parsley dressing on the the mushrooms.
9. Best when fresh. Can store in refrigerator up to 2 days.

Notes

*Recipe is a guide. Adapt as desired. Adapted from Cilantro & Citronella.

Keywords: vegan stuffed mushroom, healthy appetizer, stuffed mushrooms