RECIPE: Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:

3 strips of bacon, finely chopped
12 mushrooms (baby bellas aka Cremini)
2 TB butter
2 large shallots, minced
1 large garlic clove
4 oz. blue cheese
3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For Mushrooms:

Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

While the bacon is cooking, remove stems from mushrooms. Set caps aside and mince the stems. Add 1 TB butter to skillet with bacon grease. When melted, stir in mushroom stems, shallot, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until the carrots caramelize (15 to 20 minutes). In a bowl, combine bacon, cream cheese, blue cheese and 1/2 of of breadcrumbs until incorporated.

Stuff cheese mixture into mushroom caps and place on prepared backing dish.

Topping:

Melt remaining butter. In a small bowl, mix butter with remaining breadcrumbs until well coated. Place small amount of mixture on top of each mushroom.

Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and lightly browned. 10 to 15 minutes.