Name: Southwestern Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 18 baby bella mushrooms (wiped clean); 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 clove garlic (minced); 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper; 2 tablespoons canned black beans (drained and rinsed); 1/4 cup cooked brown rice; 1 tablespoon minced cilantro; 2 tablespoons tomato salsa (your favorite kind); 2 tablespoons queso fresh cheese (divided)

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With the kick of southwestern flavors, you'll never know how healthy these stuffed mushrooms are.

Last week, I was racking my brain to think of a new appetizer to add to my arsenal, perhaps something that could also double as a side dish at a summer barbecue. Stuffed mushrooms have been a favorite of mine for years but, as I've been trying to eat more healthfully over the past 8 months or so, I steered away from these appetizers that often laden with cheese, cream cheese or butter. Tired of missing out, I came up with my own, healthy version. These southwestern stuffed mushrooms, filled with fiber-rich black beans and brown rice, spicy salsa and a touch of creamy queso fresco cheese.

These tender, flavorful mushrooms more than satisfied my craving, and I didn't miss the typical fat-laden ingredients in the least. Baking the mushroom caps for about 10 minutes before adding the filling insures that the brown rice doesn't dry out. At first, I was concerned that the filling might not be moist enough, but the addition of salsa took care of that, as well as adding another layer of flavor. My husband, who despises all-things fungi, said, "Wow, those look really good...if you like mushrooms, that is." That's the highest praise I can hope for from him when it comes to mushrooms.

Speaking of my husband, thank you so much for all of your kind wishes for his marathon this past weekend. While he didn't make his goal of breaking 2 hours 40 minutes (the stars weren't quite aligned), our boys and I are extremely proud of him. His finish time of 2:49:22 put him in 10th place overall (out of 3000 runners) and made him the third masters runner (40+ age group) to cross the finish line. He's our hero!

How to make southwestern stuffed mushrooms

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms (you should be able to pop them out with your fingers). Reserve 6 of the stems. Discard the rest.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or oil. Lay the mushrooms, cavity side down, on the baking sheet and bake until the mushrooms are just tender, about 10 minutes. Turn over the mushrooms so that the cavity is facing up.

Trim, then dice the reserved mushroom stems.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add chopped mushroom stems, garlic and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the black beans, brown rice, cilantro, salsa and 1 tablespoon of the queso fresco cheese.

Divide the mixture between the mushrooms, gently stuffing it into the open cavities.

Sprinkle the remaining queso fresco cheese over the stuffed mushrooms.

Bake the mushrooms until the cheese is starting to melt and turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Other stuffed mushroom recipes:
Lauren's Latest's Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms
Aggie's Kitchen's Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms
Fake Food Free's Salmon-Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
Gourmandelle's Button Stuffed Mushrooms with Garlicky Rice Noodles

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