Large mushrooms stuffed with julienned zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots topped with Italian breadcrumbs for a slight crunch. They’re quick and easy to prepare yet delicious and healthy.

I love mushrooms, and I think they’re even better stuffed with all of your favorite ingredients. I wanted to create a healthy appetizer that I could make and serve relatively quickly so I came up with the idea of stuffing mushrooms with julienned vegetables. These veggies are seasoned with garlic powder, crushed red peppers, and a little bit of salt topped with parmesan cheese and Italian style breadcrumbs. It’s simple and healthy but still delicious. It has the earthy taste of mushrooms, refreshing taste of zucchini and yellow squash, sweetness of carrots, and crunchiness of the breadcrumbs. A little garlicky and a little spicy, all in one mushroom.

First, line a baking pan with foil and grease lightly with olive oil.

Next, wash the mushrooms. I only used ten mushrooms because I wasn’t sure how many people were going to be home for dinner. But you can use as many mushrooms as you like because there’s going to be plenty of veggies left for stuffing. I think there should be enough vegetable mixture to make 27-30 stuffed mushrooms. Once you wash them, leave them on a paper towel to dry. I said ten, but the picture only has nine. I know. I added an extra one after I took the photo. I wanted an even number.

While the mushrooms are drying, go ahead and prepare the other vegetables. Peel the carrots and wash the zucchini and yellow squash. Then cut off the ends of the vegetables.

I used a mandoline to julienne the vegetables. Be careful where you place your fingers while you’re doing this. The blades are sharp! If you don’t have a mandoline, that’s okay. Go ahead and slice the vegetables thinly, about the size of matchsticks.

Add in the garlic powder, crushed red peppers, and salt. Then mix the vegetables to evenly distribute the seasoning. I used my hands to mix the veggies. Set aside for a few minutes.

Now, remove the stems from the mushrooms but save them so that you can mix them with the veggies.

Hollow out the mushrooms a little more by using a spoon to remove some of the gills. You want more room to stuff the mushrooms. Be careful though because if you’re too rough, the mushrooms will start to break.

Cut up the stems and mix them in with the rest of vegetables.

Once the vegetables are all mixed, you can start stuffing the mushrooms. They’re not all going to fit inside the mushroom but that’s okay. It’ll look good in the end anyway.

The vegetable mixture can probably make about 27 stuffed mushrooms. But if you don’t want to make that many, you can click here or scroll down to the bottom for a recipe for Stir-fry Julienned Summer Vegetables using the leftover vegetables.

Top the mushrooms with cheese. I used shredded parmesan, but you can use whatever cheese you like as long as it’s shredded. Then lastly, add the breadcrumbs.

Place the pan in the oven at 350^oF for 10-15 minutes until the breadcrumbs have turned golden and the mushrooms and vegetables have softened. Allow them to cool down for a few minutes before plating and serving.

Finally, if you didn’t use all of the vegetable mixture for the mushrooms, what are you going to do with them? Easy. You’ll make them into a stir-fry vegetable dish to use as a side.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet on medium to low heat. Add in the vegetable mixture. You can add a little bit more red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Then you can plate and serve.

Enjoy!

For a printer friendly version, click here.

Click on the image below for an enlarged view of the recipe.