Flavor Your Stuffed Mushrooms Like French Onion Soup For A Major Upgrade

With shorter days and cooler weather comes more opportunities (re: excuses) to stay warm and cozy indoors with a good book and a plate full of comfort food. While they may not be the first thing to come to mind when considering a belly-warming snack, stuffed mushrooms offer all the savory, indulgent goodness inherent in comfort foods yet remain bite-sized and easy to snack on while bundled up under a blanket. They're also among the list of perfect cozy sides to serve with butternut squash soup, tomato bisque, or homemade New England clam chowder if you're looking for an alternative to classic grilled cheese.

Though other appetizers may be easier to make, stuffed mushrooms get a ton of bonus points for basically being a blank canvas when it comes to flavor. Not only do stuffed mushrooms offer the perfect way to use up leftover dip from celebrations and potlucks, they allow you to experiment with concentrating classic flavors into one or two satisfying bites. One combination in particular that works well is loading up meaty mushroom caps with the flavors of French onion soup.  

This combination works because mushrooms pair beautifully with all of the main flavors in French onion soup. After all, similarly flavored classic dishes like steak marsala, which combines beef's richness with the deglazed goodness of red wine and bright fresh herbs, often include mushrooms in the sauce. Mushrooms and onions are also a traditional pairing, so the real question isn't why French onion stuffed mushrooms work, but why we're not all doing this already.

Possibly one of the greatest advantages of French onion stuffed mushrooms over the traditional, steaming crock capped with a layer of bubbly cheese is how easy they are to eat. Ordinarily, it's a struggle to scoop up just the right amount of melty cheese with seasoned bread and onions. Neatly containing these flavors within a mushroom cap eliminates the potential mess and the anxiety that comes with it.

Instead, the only broth used is what's needed to finish the onions to the desired caramelized sheen. Seasoned breadcrumbs lining the inside of each mushroom cap serves as a nod to the submerged crouton, though you can also add some to the top of the filling for crunch, if you like. Fresh thyme, parsley, or tarragon add a bright finish to the deeply savory onions, and help cut through the richness of the melted Gruyère cheese. While it's correct to assume this app takes a little time to assemble, we think the results are well worth the effort.

Of course, if you're in a hurry, there's a delicious shortcut you can take, as it's pretty easy to revamp leftover dip in stuffed mushrooms. If you have onion soup mix or the remnants of French onion dip left from a potluck, you can simply stir some seasoned breadcrumbs into the dip for extra body, scoop it into mushroom caps, top with cheese, and bake. This shortcut's texture is a little softer, but it's just as delicious.