Stuffed mushrooms make an elegant starter or even a side for any Shabbat or festive meal. They are a lot easier to make than you might suspect. I like to use frozen chopped spinach to save time. I just thaw and squeeze out the excess liquid before continuing with the recipe. If you have leftover filling, use it as a bed on which to bake the mushrooms.

Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms

Yield: Approximately 20 mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 2 packages large mushrooms for stuffing
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Herbed breadcrumbs
• Olive oil

Method:

1. Clean mushrooms, remove stems. Place caps on baking sheet, hollowed side up. Finely chop stems, and set aside.
2. Saute onion in olive oil until translucent.
3. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
4. Add chopped mushroom stems and sauté until golden. Add spinach, season with salt and pepper to taste, plus nutmeg. Mix and sauté until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
5. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps.
6. Sprinkle stuffed mushrooms with herbed breadcrumbs. Drizzle mushrooms with olive oil and sprinkle the whole with salt and pepper.
7. Bake mushrooms, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
8. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
9. Serve hot.