Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms

These Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms are so easy to make and are always a hit at holiday gatherings.

We Like to Always Have Appetizers On Hand

While the holiday season is certainly a high time for making and eating appetizers, it’s great to have a few go-to appetizer recipes in your back pocket for any occasion. Whether it’s a dinner party, a holiday gathering or just friends getting together, it’s good to have some easy appetizer recipes ready to go.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms

There are a lot of mushroom recipes out there and certainly plenty of different ways to use them! In this case, these stuffed mushrooms happen to be a great go-to for those times you need to put together an appetizer relatively quickly, plus they’re super tasty!

The spinach and ricotta are a great combination of flavors and adding in the red pepper flakes give them just a little heat to keep things interesting. And, the mushroom is a great vessel to hold this delicious mixture!

What Are The Best Mushrooms to Use?

For the perfect mushroom, we head to the white mushroom family. These meaty mushrooms are extremely popular and can be easily found at major supermarkets and local grocery stores.

There are three main types of white mushrooms. This includes button, cremini and portabello mushrooms (also often spelled as portobello).

The main difference between these mushrooms is age. Button mushrooms are the youngest of the three and are typically the smallest (hence – button!). They tend to have a lighter flavor profile.

Portabello mushrooms are the oldest and largest of the three. And, while delicious, they are too large for this small-bite appetizer.

That leaves us the cremini mushroom. They tend to be a little larger than the button mushrooms and their flavor profile is a bit more advanced. I like to have mushroom caps that are about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter and I can often find that with the cremini mushrooms.

So, from a taste and size perspective, the cremini mushroom is perfect mushroom for this easy appetizer recipe!

Can You Make These Stuffed Mushrooms Ahead of Time?

This stuffed mushrooms recipe works well as a make ahead appetizer – either fresh or frozen. If you know you will be serving them within a few days, you can make the recipe and place in the refrigerator for up to three days. When you are ready to serve, cook as instructed in the recipe card.

I also like to have a number of frozen appetizers on hand for any last minute get-togethers. In this case, make the mushrooms as instructed, including baking them. Once they have cooled, place mushroom caps on a baking tray and put into the freezer.

Once the mushrooms are frozen, you can put them into an airtight container or freezer bag for later use. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet and put them into a cold oven set to 350 degrees. They should be ready by the time the oven comes up to temperature.

These Stuffed Mushrooms Are Perfect For Any Occasion

These stuffed mushrooms are the perfect one-bite snack to serve at your next gathering and are a great addition to your library of easy appetizer recipes. Served from fresh or frozen, just heat up your favorite marinara sauce and you’ve got a fabulous appetizer that your guests will love!

Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Frozen spinach works really great for this recipe. However, the one issue is that when you thaw frozen spinach, there tends to be a lot of liquid left in the spinach. The best way to squeeze out this excess liquid is to take a clean kitchen towel, wrap around the fully defrosted spinach and squeeze the excess water out.
• I like to lighten this recipe up a little by using low fat ricotta cheese, but if you’d prefer to use full fat ricotta that will also work just fine.
• The recipe makes enough filling for up to 24 mushroom caps (depending on their size). If you don’t want to make that many, the cheese filling can be frozen to use later. It’s also tasty spread on bread and toasted in the oven.
• The mushrooms can be stuffed ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cook as instructed when you’re ready to serve them.

Ingredients Needed to Make Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms

Full Instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Low fat ricotta cheese – You can use full fat ricotta cheese, if preferred.
• Grated parmesan cheese – Pecorino romano cheese is also a great substitute if you don’t have grated parmesan on hand.
• Chopped frozen spinach – While you could use fresh spinach, that would entail cutting, cooking and thoroughly draining before using. That makes using chopped frozen spinach so much easier.
• Egg
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• Large mushroom caps – I like to use Cremini mushrooms as I like the flavor, but white button mushrooms also work.
• Your favorite marinara sauce – I love to use this homemade tomato basil marinara recipe.

How to Make Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Mushrooms

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove the mushroom stems and chop them up.
• Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a small skillet. Add onion, garlic and mushroom stems, saute until onion is softened and translucent and mushrooms are browned.
• Meanwhile, drain spinach very well, you want to get all of the moisture out of it. I wrap it up in a clean kitchen towel and twist on it to release all of the water.
• Add all ingredients, except mushroom caps to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
• Coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Place mushrooms on the baking sheet, cap side up.
• Divide spinach and ricotta mixture between all of the mushrooms. A small scoop works great for this.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
• Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

More Recipes for Mushroom Lovers

• Skillet Beef Stroganoff with Mushrooms
• Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
• Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Salisbury Steak with Mushrooms
• Roasted Garlic Butter Mushrooms

ENJOY!