Quinoa and feta-stuffed mushrooms with parsley and pepita crumbs

While rifling through the fridge to utilize what was lying around, we came up with a healthy snack of stuffed mushrooms that could easily be served as an elegant first course at a dinner party.

The pepita crumb is a riff of a gremolata, which is what Italians use to finish off braised meats. It provides an added layer of flavor, aroma and texture that compliments the dish.

To bring in a creamy and salty texture, we use a good quality feta which makes a huge difference in this dish (we’re not a fan of the over-processed, crumbled packaged feta that is laced with non-coagulants.) High-quality feta brands to look out for include Mt. Vikos, Valbreso, Ifantis, Igourmet, Epiros and Castella.

Quinoa and feta-stuffed mushrooms with parsley and pepita crumbs

This healthy snack of stuffed mushrooms could easily be served as an elegant first course at a dinner party. The pepita crumb is a riff of a gremolata, which is what Italians use to finish off braised meats. It provides an added layer off flavor, aroma and texture that compliments the dish.

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Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the quinoa

• 1 cup white quinoa
• 2 cups water or vegetable stock
• ¼ cup carrot, finely diced
• ¼ cup onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup celery, finely diced
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt

For the stuffing

• 10-12 medium to large-sized cremini mushroom caps (substitute with portobello or regular button mushrooms)
• 1 cup Greek or Bulgarian feta, loosely crumbled
• ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp. sliced parsley
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly cracked peppercorn

Instructions

 

• Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to an 8” pot on medium heat. 
• Add onions, celery and carrots and cook, stirring to prevent browning and cooking the vegetables for about 5 minutes (or until softened).
• Add curry powder and quinoa and mix all ingredients together in pot and cook for 1 minute.
• Add water or vegetable stock, kosher salt and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and reduce temperature on burner to lowest setting. Simmer for 13-15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
• While quinoa is cooking, prepare the mushrooms by cleaning off any debris from cap and removing mushroom stems. With a spoon, clean some of the mushroom base where stem was removed to hold a slight pocket for the quinoa.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Arrange the mushrooms into a baking sheet, stemless side up. Salt and pepper mushrooms. Drizzle with balsamic and olive oil.
• Fold the feta into the cooled quinoa and place about a ¼ cup into each mushroom cap, forming a mound.
• Place the mushrooms in heated oven for 15 minutes. They should be cooked through, with the quinoa stuffing crisp and golden on the outside.
• While mushrooms are roasting, chop pepitas, parsley and zest 1 lemon and mix together. Reserve.  
• Once mushrooms are finished cooking, pull from oven and sprinkle pepita crumb mixture on top of mushrooms.
• Serve mushrooms on a platter or a side dish.

Keyword fall – grains – healthy – spring – starters – vegetables – winter

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