Sweet Potato and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Sweet potato and spinach stuffed baby bella mushrooms topped with melted Parmesan Reggiano and balsamic reduction. A romantic appetizer or side-dish that is sure to satisfy!

Anyone else go nutso over stuffed vegetables? Stuffed bell peppers, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed sweet potatoes – no discrimination here. Seriously, one of my favorite go-to meals is a potato (any potato) stuffed with whatever I have on hand. I’ve gotten a little overzealous at times. Breakfast sweet potato stuffed with turkey bacon, eggs, roasted red pepper, chives and Sriracha – HEAVEN. Beef enchilada stuffed sweet potato – holy comfort food. You get it.

But speaking of comfort…. these juicy bella mushrooms topped with a blanket of bubbly cheese and a drizzle of rich, decadent balsamic. They’re the kind of appetizer you wind up uncontrollably popping in your mouth because each mouthful tastes better than the last. You can serve them on a pretty platter and eat them with toothpicks while feeling so refined, or you can have a contest to see who can fit the most in their mouth at one time. It was me against myself. Victory tastes so sweet.

The contrast of the sweet potato with sharp parmesan cheese is my new favorite thing. If you’re looking for a little extra texture, pine nuts would be an excellent addition to the filling. Since I just now thought of that, I’m going to have to remake these stat. Anyone fixing a steak dinner tonight that needs an appetizer (and a guest)?? 😉

The prep work is also very short and simple, especially if your sweet potato is roasted in advance. I usually take the time to roast a couple at a time over the weekend to have on hand during the week. Because, let me be honest, waiting an hour for something to roast while I’m starving only leads to one thing: too many Dove chocolates. The magic roasting regimen for sweet potatoes is to wrap them in foil and bake at 500 degrees F for one hour. Just trust me on this.

The world would be a much happier place if everyone would just stuff their face with stuffed mushrooms.

Sweet Potato and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes ~12 stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms (~12 mushrooms)
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of previously roasted, mashed sweet potato (amounts to ~1 whole sweet potato without skin)
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup previously frozen chopped spinach — heat in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl until thawed
• 2-3 fresh chopped sage leaves
• 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese – sub for Fontina or mixed Italian
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Remove the stems and chop them finely.
3. Squeeze excess liquid out of thawed spinach. Set aside
4. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and chopped mushroom stems and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until aromatic. Add spinach, sweet potato, chicken broth and sage. Mix together so all ingredients are well-incorporated. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, until heated through.
5. Stuff each mushroom cap with 1-2 tbsp of filling. Arrange the caps on a rimmed baking sheet or in baking dish. Leave some room around each mushroom to prevent the caps from getting steamy. Sprinkle cheese on the caps and transfer to the oven. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 22-25 minutes.
6. In the meantime, add balsamic vinegar to a small sauce-pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the vinegar has reduced to ~1/4 cup, about 10 minutes.
7. Remove mushrooms from oven. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Serve warm.