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
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
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
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
