Stuffed Mushrooms with Creamy Pesto Fauxmage and Veg (Vegan)

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Vegan
• Vegan Cheese
• Fresh Start Fauxmage
• Holiday Recipes
• Appetizer
• Party Food

My Stuffed Mushroom Recipe Notes

​These vegetable and vegan cheese stuffed mushrooms make a perfect plant based appetizer to share with friends and family over the holidays. Red pepper and spinach in the filling feel festive. They are cheesy and crusted with buttery panko crumbs.

I developed the recipe for Fresh Start Fauxmage, a plant based cheese company that makes a range of delicious flavours. I used their "creamy pesto" and "baked feta style" cheeses in the filling. The creamy pesto lends flavours of basil lemon and garlic. If you don't live in Atlantic Canada or Ontario where this product is sold, I would just substitute your favourite creamy/spreadable plant based cheese instead. Cream cheese with extra flavouring added or plant based boursin....something along those lines should work great.  

I used smaller mushrooms to make these bite sized to nibble on, but I think it would be really fun to stuff larger mushrooms and serve them as a main course. Salad and crusty bread would my sides of choice. ​

Creamy Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms 
Yield: 30 stuffed mushrooms 

Ingredients:
​

• 1 x 180 g container Creamy Pesto Fauxmage
• ¼ cup Baked Feta Style Fauxmage
• 30 button mushrooms (smaller bite sized ones yet still big enough to stuff)
• ¼ cup panko crumbs + a bit more to garnish
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 red bell pepper, small dice
• 2 cups packed spinach, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper
• ¼ cup melted vegan butter
• veg oil as needed

Method:

1. Remove stems from 30 mushrooms, chop stems and set aside. Use a small sharp knife to gently remove some of the inner gills from mushrooms. This helps create a larger space for adding the filling. 
2. Over medium high heat, add a drizzle of veg oil to a skillet. Add chopped stems and red pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sweat until almost softened. Add garlic and cook a few minutes longer, then fold in spinach until wilted. Remove from heat, set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl add the creamy pesto & baked feta fauxmage. Fold in vegetable mixture to fauxmage while still warm. Add panko crumbs and chopped parsley. Gently stir together until evenly combined. Cool completely, pop in the fridge while you prepare the mushroom caps.
4. In a skillet add a generous drizzle of veg oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer and cook until they just begin to soften, flipping halfway through. Their liquid will begin to release and they will be a bit pliable. Place par cooked mushrooms on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Stuff each mushroom with the filling (rounded). If you have extra filling, (just depends on size of mushrooms used) you can cook off a few more mushrooms as needed, or use the extra filling anywhere you want to add some cheesy flavour (eg I stirred my extra into vegan egg/tofu scramble) 
6. Sprinkle stuffed mushrooms with more panko crumbs then drizzle each mushroom with a bit of melted vegan butter. 
7. Cook mushrooms in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until bubbling hot, and crumbs are toasty. 
8. Cool slightly and serve as finger food with other nibbles or as an appetizer. ​