Bacon Spinach and Four Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
What I Love About My Bacon Spinach and Four Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
This recipe pairs crispy, smoky bacon with wilted spinach and a bubbly Italian four-cheese blend. It’s the version I make when a plain stuffed mushroom feels too simple.
- You get all the richness of a restaurant appetizer from a handful of pantry staples. Think cream cheese, bacon, spinach, and a shredded Italian cheese blend.
- The four-cheese blend melts into something rich and gooey. No fancy cheese shopping required.
- I prep the whole filling a day ahead, so party day is just stuffing and baking.
- Extra crumbled bacon on top means a crispy bite in almost every mushroom, not just a sprinkle.
- These bake in about 20 minutes, so they won’t hog the oven when you have other dishes going too.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- Baby Bella Mushrooms: Look for the larger caps in the 16 oz package. They hold more filling and give you a better filling-to-mushroom ratio. Rinse them quickly under cold water in a strainer and dry them right away. Mushrooms soak up water fast if they sit in it.
- Bacon: I cook a little extra bacon here on purpose. Five strips go into the filling, and I crumble two more on top for a crispy garnish. Thick-cut bacon works too, just add a minute or two to the cook time.
- Fresh Spinach: Fresh spinach wilts down significantly once it hits the pan. Three ounces looks like a lot at first and cooks down to just the right amount. Frozen spinach works in a pinch, just thaw it and squeeze it very dry first.
- Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese gives the creamiest, most stable filling. Lower-fat versions are thinner and tend to bake up more watery.
- Italian Cheese Blend: Store-bought Italian blends usually combine mozzarella with provolone, parmesan, or asiago. They melt beautifully straight from the bag. Feel free to swap in your own favorite melting cheeses if that’s what you have on hand.
- Bread Crumbs: Italian bread crumbs add just enough structure to hold the filling together without making it dense. Panko or gluten-free bread crumbs both work as a direct swap.
How to Make Bacon Spinach and Four Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- Prep the mushroom caps. Rinse the mushrooms quickly under cold running water in a strainer and pat them dry right away. Pop off the stems and toss the caps in a little olive oil. PRO TIP: scape out the mushroom gills with a spoon to minimize the liquids and to increase amount of filling each mushroom can fit.
- Cook the spinach and garlic. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the chopped spinach, cover, and cook until almost wilted. Stir in the garlic and diced bacon, and cook until the spinach is fully wilted.
- Mix the cheese filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, egg, bread crumbs, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth.
- Fold in the spinach and bacon. Add the spinach and bacon mixture to the cheese mixture. Mix until evenly combined.
- Stuff the caps. Fill each mushroom cap generously with the cheese mixture. Press down lightly so it holds a nice dome.
- Top and bake. Sprinkle each stuffed mushroom with a little extra cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 22 minutes. The tops should be melted and lightly golden, and the filling should be fully set. The filling includes egg and dairy, so I like to check that the centers are hot all the way through. This matters most if I stuffed them ahead of time.
Ways to Serve These Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
- Warm, right off the pan – serve them immediately for the best melted cheese pull.
- As part of a holiday spread – pair them with bite-sized appetizers, like bacon deviled eggs or caramelized onion cheesy pinwheels.
- With a glass of wine – a light red or crisp Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with all that rich, cheesy filling.
- For a game day spread – set these out next to something crunchy. A veggie tray or a bowl of crackers helps balance the richness.
Make Ahead, Storing, Reheating and Freezing
- Make Ahead: Stuff the mushrooms up to a day ahead of time. Cover the baking dish tightly and refrigerate. Bake them right before your guests arrive, adding a few extra minutes since they’ll go into the oven cold.
- Store: in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing these. Cream cheese doesn’t freeze and thaw well, so the filling turns grainy.
- Reheat: in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes, until warmed through. The microwave works in a pinch, but the tops won’t stay as crisp.
Bacon Spinach and Four Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe FAQs
This recipe makes about 12 to 14 stuffed mushrooms. The exact count depends on the size of the mushrooms in your 16 oz package.
Not really! The idea that mushrooms turn into sponges the moment they touch water is a common kitchen myth. While yes, they soak up liquid easily but only if submerged for a prolonged time. Rinse them quickly under cold water in a strainer, then dry them right away. They won’t absorb enough water to matter. Just skip a long soak in standing water, since that’s when they actually take on moisture.
A little liquid in the baking dish is completely normal. Mushrooms are mostly water, and they release some of it as they bake. Simply transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter and leave the liquid behind.
Panko bread crumbs work well if that’s what you have on hand. Crushed pork rinds are a good swap for a lower-carb version. Gluten-free bread crumbs work as a direct substitute if you need this recipe gluten-free.
I don’t use the stems in this filling. You’re welcome to dice them up and cook them in with the spinach. It’s a good way to stretch the recipe a little further. Or, you can sauté them and add to an omelet, or scrambled eggs, or meatloaf, and many more dishes.
More Recipes From Me
- Classic Stuffed Mushrooms
- Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Reuben Stuffed Mushrooms
- Mushroom Leek and Gruyere Cheese Dip
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Bacon Spinach and Four Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 5 crispy bacon strips cooked
- 3 oz fresh spinach
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 tbsp oil for cooking
- 16 oz whole baby bella mushrooms try to pick out larger mushrooms
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 cup Italian cheese mix
- Salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup Italian cheese mix for topping
- 2 crispy bacon strips crumbled, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Wash mushrooms and carefully take off the stems. Toss mushrooms lightly in olive oil and set aside.
- Preheat a small cooking pan and 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat.
- Chop spinach and add it to the pan. Cook covered over medium heat until almost cooked. Mince garlic and add it to spinach. Dice bacon strips and add it to spinach as well. Mix well and cook until spinach is done. Take off heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, bread crumbs, cheese mix, egg, salt and pepper. Mix very well until all combined.
- Add spinach and bacon to the cheese mixture. Mix until evenly incorporated.
- Place mushroom cups into a baking dish. Carefully fill mushroom cups with cheese mixture pressing down lightly with your finger to fit a little bit more.
- Sprinkle each stuffed mushroom with a little bit of cheese and bacon.
- Bake about 17-20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Bread Crumbs Substitution: swap Panko or gluten-free bread crumbs for the Italian bread crumbs if gluten free stuffed mushrooms are needed. Or, crushed pork rinds work in place of bread crumbs for a low-carb version.
- To Fit More Filling: scrape out the gills from the mushroom caps for a little extra room for the filling.
Nutrition
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Yum!
Thanks, Josh!
I made these this past weekend and they were a hit!
I’m so happy you liked them!!
Awesome recipe!!!
IIt took longer than 15 minutes of prep time, but still fun to make for the first time.
Glad you liked them!
Any idea what the carb count is for these? Wonder what I could use in place of the bread crumbs/
I would love to know the carb count for this as well since I am Keto. I will be using Ezekial Bread instaed of the crumbs. Thans!!!
I would also like to know the carb count, please.
Thanks!!
Hi, Melissa, Mary, and Nancy! I have updated the nutritional info and it is now in the recipe card.
OMG your recipies make me drool!
Thanks for sharing your Bacon Spinach and Italian Cheese Stuffed Mushroom recipe. I love them and this reciped is perfect!
How wonderful to heat that! Thank you for coming back and telling me 🙂
These look awesome, I’m trying them tomorrow!!
Hi Susan! I really hope you enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms!
They turned out great! Easy, yummy, and the hub loved them. Thanks for sharing your great recipe, this one’s a keeper!
Oh, awesome! I’m happy to hear that!
My doctor told me to lose 10 lbs. Not today, doc, not today. This is my nirvana.
Hahaha, I hope you enjoy them! Noone says you can’t have a few mushrooms with a side salad 😉
Thank you, Julie!
Hi,
Can I leave out the egg?
Hi Nicole! I’m SO sorry I missed your comment!
Technically, you can leave it out but, the egg is what binds the other ingredients together. What you can do is may be add another tablespoon of cream cheese to bind the ingredients. Luckily, there is cheese here and that will act as a binder once cooked. You can also add a little grated mozzarella (off the block not already shredded in a bag) and it will be sticky.
I hope it works well for you!
Can this be made a day or two ahead of time? or any part of it?
Hey June,
You can prepare the stuffing ahead of time and then just stuff and bake the mushrooms when you’re ready. I wouldn’t prepare mushrooms too much ahead.
Hope you enjoy it!
Do you have any suggestions for how to make this gluten free? (besides using GF breadcrumbs). I’m wondering if I could use almond flour in place of the breadcrumbs, or possibly rolled oats?
Hi Megan! I would not use flour because it serves a completely different purpose. Is there a problem with using GF bread crumbs? Bread crumbs are added to help with moisture and texture. Oats would not blend into the cream cheese, you will definitely feel them while eating. Other than bread crumbs, may be some sort of crushed GF cracker or crushed bagel chips.
I hope it works out for you!!
Thank you.
Thanks for the ideas! I just didn’t have GF breadcrumbs on hand. I ended up using rice krispies, and they worked great. (:
That’s clever! I’m glad that it worked out well for you!!
Hi! Please tell me what the Italian cheese “mix is made up of.
Thanks very much!
Hi Eileen! I use the Kraft Italian cheese mix and it has Mozzarella, Provolone, Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan. There are also other Italian cheese mixes on the market.
I hope you enjoy it!
So do you cook in the pan until the spinach is done or until the bacon is crispy? Or does the bacon cook the rest of the way in the oven?
Thanks!
Hi Megan,
The bacon should actually already be cooked. I’m sorry, I should have been more clear in ingredients. It lists “crispy” bacon strips. I will clarify that they should be cooked. I normally cook them ahead of time.
I hope you enjoy the mushrooms!
I have made these twice now, and I LOVE them. My only complaint is that the mushrooms are wet and kinda soggy. Could I cook some of the water out of the mushrooms before stuffing them?
Hi Katy!
I’m so glad you like them!
Stuffed mushrooms aren’t normally cooked first because the stuffing needs to cook with the mushroom. Mushrooms normally do give out quite a bit of juice as they cook. You can try getting a bigger mushroom, that way it’s not fully cooked and still has a bit of fullness to them. That way not all the water will cook out. The more you cook it, the more it shrinks and the more juice comes out. So either a bigger mushroom or less cooking time would help to reduce the juices that come out of the mushroom.
I really hope this helps!
Thank you 🙂
Do not wash mushroom under water. They should be wiped with a damp paper towel. 🙂
I am planning on making these for a family gathering but my sister in law is allergic to gluten. Do you think the consistency would be alright if I took out the bread crumbs? Thanks!
HI Lauren!
So Sorry for a late response. I believe they sell something like gluten free bread crumbs. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them from most major brands.
I hope you’ll find some and get to make it!
looks good! theres a hair in one of your photos, though.
Ha, thank you, Caroline! It was a burlap whisker that I noticed after. (The plate is sitting on a strip of burlap material.)
A friend of mine is making a similar version for tonight. They always go quickly.
YUM – would love to make these for a future party. We’ll be out of the house tomorrow (we did the sleep-before-midnight thing last year, ha)… I’ll give them a try for the next one though. Thanks Lyuba and Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
I hope you’ll try them as soon as you can 🙂
Thank you, Jeff!
These look awesome! What a hit at a party!
Wishes for a tasty 2016,
Linda
I hope you’ll make them 😉
Thank you, Linda!
These are AMAZING