Feta Dill Stuffed Mushroom Caps

I do a lot of what my beloved calls “mitzvah” cooking. Although these Feta Dill Stuffed Mushroom Caps ended up as party food, they began as a good deed to avoid wasting food. 

Mitzvah technically means a commandment – as in a religious commandment to do something. But in my world, it’s a good deed of any sort. Using food that would otherwise go to waste may be a small mitzvah, but I take my good deeds where and whenever I can find them.  

I often buy too much food. Unable to resist imported pasta on sale or an unusual condiment, my pantry is bulging. That’s not so bad as long as there is shelf space for them. But when the items are perishable, that’s another story. Recently my downfall was a big display of mushrooms.  They beckoned to me from the produce aisle and I succumbed to their charms. And that’s how the Feta Dill Mushroom Caps began.

Here’s how mitzvah cooking works. I pull out random items out of my overflowing refrigerator and make a dish (or a whole meal) with items that need to be used up. Whether a perishable ingredient was bought on a whim, for a dish that never got made, or is leftover from a recipe that used only a small amount, it’s fair game. Overflow pantry ingredients count too, but I get less credit for using pasta or condiments because they won’t go bad anytime soon. When a dish uses more than one fresh item hidden in the refrigerator, I get extra points. If the dish is truly delicious, I win the lottery. 

Feta Dill Stuffed Mushroom Caps are lottery winners. I served them as a side dish at a small dinner party with grilled salmon, roasted potatoes and asparagus. They would do equally well, using small mushrooms, as appetizers. 

The recipe is simple and the best part is that you can make the mushroom caps the night before or in the morning, refrigerate them, and bake them at the last minute. 

I’ve divided the ingredients into two parts – the mushrooms themselves with stuffing

and the topping that makes them crunchy and special-looking.

First (after cleaning the mushroom caps), you gently spoon out the insides out. Discard the dark gills and save the stem and the rest of the insides. I use a grapefruit spoon (with its serrated edge) to take out the insides, but a small knife or a spoon wielded with care, are fine too.

Then cook the stuffing.

Once it is done, spoon the stuffing into the mushrooms

and add the topping.

After baking, the Feta Dill Stuffed Mushroom Caps are ready to serve.

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Feta Dill Stuffed Mushroom Caps

These delectable vegetarian morsels are hearty enough for a main dish and delicate enough for a side or even an appetizer. 

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

• 4-6 cremini baby bella or white mushrooms each about 3 inches across (about 8-12 ounces)

Stuffing

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup finely chopped zucchini
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup small cubes of feta cheese
• 1-2 dashes red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons small capers well rinsed

Topping

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley and dill or just parsley
• 1/4 cup small cubes of feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
• Dash of red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup Panko crunchy bread crumbs
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Scoop out the gills from the mushrooms and a bit of the inside flesh of the mushroom, being careful not to pierce the mushroom cap. Discard the dark gills. Reserve the inside flesh as well as any part of stems that looked good and chop that mushroom "meat" into small pieces.
3. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes until it begins to become transparent. Add the chopped mushroom and zucchini pieces and sauté the mixture for another 3 minutes. Add the parsley and dill, stirring and cooking for about minute until the herbs wilt slightly.
4. Add the feta, red pepper flakes and a grind or two of black pepper and stir the mixture until combined.

5. Put the mushroom caps into a lightly oiled baking pan that fits them snugly, then spoon the filling mixture into the mushroom caps.

6. Mix the topping ingredients (except the olive oil) and add that mixture to the mushroom caps, gently mounding it over the stuffing and pressing down slightly.
7. Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the mushroom caps.

8. Bake them for 20 minutes (30 minutes if you prepared the caps ahead and refrigerated them) or until the bread crumbs and cheese on top begins to brown. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

The ratio of filling to mushroom caps is not exact. If you have filling left over, you can use it to fill a hollowed-out Campari (medium-sized) or larger tomato or a zucchini, halved and hollowed out.

The mushrooms can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated, covered in foil, until ready to bake. If the caps have been refrigerated, the baking time will be longer, and you may want to leave the foil covering on for the first 10 minutes of baking time.