When we think of easy picnic food ideas, our thoughts often turn to salads and sandwiches. However, there is no easier picnic food than finger food. Assorted tasty morsels laid out at a picnic make a delightfully easy to manage picnic feast, especially for a romantic date picnic.
From dips to antipasto platters or even wine and cheese picnics, picnic finger food is so portable and knows no culinary bounds.
These vegetarian stuffed mushrooms with spinach make great picnic finger food for so many reasons:
- Serve them hot or cold (we give you the know-how for keeping food hot for a picnic here)
- They can be made the day before and thrown in the oven just before leaving for your picnic.
- They are easy to manage in their own bite size container – no mess.
- You can mix up the fillings how you please.
How to Serve Stuffed Mushrooms for a Picnic
Serve them with a platter of assorted mezze ingredients such as slow-roasted tomatoes, roasted beets, and grilled red peppers, bread and dips for a simple Mediterranean style finger food picnic. Or, pair them with platters of other finger foods such as our Prosciutto Wrapped Figs or Grilled Pear Appetizer with Blue Cheese, Fig & Walnut for an hors d’oeuvre style picnic. Throw a bottle of Prosecco or crisp white in the picnic basket for an elegant picnic affair. And remember, these tasty morsels are great either hot or cold.
Process
Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 16 medium white mushrooms (about 1lb)
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Wash mushrooms and remove their stems. Chop stems into small pieces.
- Add olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat. Add thinly sliced fresh garlic and chopped mushrooms stems. Stir until golden and fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add fresh spinach and stir until cooked. Add salt and pepper.
- Add cream cheese (either soften or chop into chunks first to stir evenly). Combined ingredients and remove from heat.
- Add chopped parsley and ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
- Fill each of the mushroom cups with ½ tbsp of the creamy spinach mix.
- Sprinkle some extra parmesan cheese on top of the mushrooms.
- Place mushrooms in a non-stick baking tray and bake them for 12-15 minutes at 375F. The mushrooms will be fork-tender when ready.
- Remove from the oven and drain the excess liquid from the tray.
Notes
- Sprinkle breadcrumbs or panko over the top halfway through the cooking process (so it doesn't burn) for a crispy finish.
- Stir chopped almonds or nuts of your choice through the spinach mix for some extra crunch. Almonds or pistachio's work best with these flavours.
- You can make this recipe in advance. Fill the mushrooms and keep them covered in the fridge until baking time.
- Finish with a sprinkle of chilli flakes if you like a little spice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 445mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate