I haven’t share recipes in a few weeks so I thought this morning I would share a mushroom appetizer I love.  Whenever I go to Red Lobster or Olive Garden I ALWAYS get the stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer.  So delicious!  Well I wanted to be able to make some mushroom appetizers at home so I started looking through my cookbooks a while back and found some that I loved in The Taste of Home Cookbook.

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

• 4 bacon strips, diced
• 24 to 30 large fresh mushrooms
• 1/4 pound ground fully cooked ham
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup onion and garlic salad croutons crushed
• 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.
2. Remove mushroom stems from caps; set caps aside.  Mince half the stems and discard the rest.  Add minces stems to drippings; saute for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients and reserved bacon.
3. Firmly stuff into mushroom caps.  Place in a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.  Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

This recipe is so good I am sure like in my house it will become a regular in yours!  It is great for an appetizer or a side dish.

*This is not an original recipe this was taken from The Taste of Home CookBook.