With Spring on my mind, I’m thinking of easy recipes so I can spend less time in the kitchen, and more time outside. I’m ready to pack a picnic and head to the mountains or a park for a beautiful day out!

These bite sized beauties are easy to make. They are great as appetizers, or as a meal in itself. Tender and cheesy mushrooms, topped with crispy Panko crumbs–say no more.

Baby bella mushrooms are the perfect vessel for these bite sized canapé. Their firm, meaty texture hold just about any filling perfectly.

This next recipe is healthy-ish and just lovely. You can make these ahead and store them for a few days in the fridge. Simply reheat them in the oven, or microwave and enjoy. Let’s eat.

Here is the recipe:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time : 20 minutes

Serving: Varies

Ingredients:

• 15-20 baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup of low moisture mozzarella, shredded
• ½ cup of parmigiano reggiano cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil (plus more)
• Salt (to taste)
• Black ground peppercorn (to taste)
• Seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 2 cup of fresh baby spinach (plus more for garnish)
• 1 large sprig of thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Use a paper towel to wipe off any dirt from the mushrooms. Do not rinse them in water.
3. Using a small spoon, remove the stem and lightly scrape the gills off (the vertical dark lines hanging under the cap).
4. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and set aside.
5. Using a sauté pan, place the butter and heavy whipping cream on low heat. Stir constantly.
6. Add the mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano, and continue stirring. The cheese will melt and become gooey.
7. Add the salt and ground peppercorn. Keep stirring for about 2 minutes.
8. Remove the cheese mixture from the heat and set aside.
9. In a food processor, add the baby spinach and olive oil. Mince until it becomes a fine texture. Do not purée it.
10. Now, add the spinach to the melted cheese and stir to combine.
11. Gently spoon in a dollop of the mixture to each mushroom. Finely chop a few leaves of spinach to add on top as garnish.
12. Sprinkle the seasoned Panko bread crumbs, a pinch of thyme, and a bit more parmesan cheese over each mushroom.
13. Lightly drizzle each mushroom with olive oil.
14. Bake for 20 minutes.
15. Remove the baking tray from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.