Italian Style Mushroom bites
This Italian Style Mushroom bites recipe is one of my favorite appetizers. Loaded with mushrooms, creamy polenta and cheese, all baked into a delicious dough cup. They are so crispy and savory – it doesn’t get any better than this.
It’s no secret that I adore mushrooms. I could happily eat mushrooms every day and I look for any excuse to create new recipes with mushrooms. That’s why I instantly knew that when I needed a delicious appetizer recipe for my New Years Eve party, I was going to create a mushroom recipe.
I love that these bite sized cups are full of creamy polenta – which I love – and soft, flavorful mushrooms that are coated with heavy cream and accompanied by fresh thyme. There’s something magical that happens whenever mushrooms, heavy cream, garlic and thyme combine their powers. It’s a match made in heaven.
The only problem with these bitesized heavenly cups is that they were gone in the blink of an eye. Everyone loved them and they were quickly – I mean in record speed – devoured.
So to sum it up, these vegetarian mushroom appetizer bites are a crowdpleaser and you might want to consider making extra.
The best vegetarian appetizer recipe
I consider this one of the best vegetarian appetizer recipes I’ve ever made and eaten, becasue it’s very easy to make, extremely delicious and can be made several hours in advance (I also tried making them a day in advance and they were still amazing the next day).
I’m all about recipes that are full impact on the tastebuds and easy on the stresslevel. If there’s one thing I try to avoid at all cost, it’s running around all stressed out trying to do last minute meal preps and get everything ready for a party (and while the food usually turns out amazing I tend to end up looking ragged and less than my best by the time the guests arrive).
That’s just one more thing to like about this recipe – and a really big one in my humble opinion – They are really easy to make, meal prep friendly and just as good the next day if needed. Plus, they’re fully loaded with flavor and so good that I would happily eat them every day if I could.
What’s great about this Italian Style Mushroom Bites recipe:
- Very easy to make
- Meal prep friendly – can be made several hours in advance (and potentially the day before)
- Packed full of mediterranean flavors
- Easy to eat and so delicious
- A true crowdpleaser – you might want to make a double batch
Tip
This recipe is for 24 mini muffin sized appetizers. If you don’t have a mini muffin tin you can always use a regular muffin tin and make 12 regular larger appetizers – just bake them a few minutes extra or until the dough is golden.
If you’re looking for a great creamy polenta recipe, try my amazing polenta recipe here
Serving suggestions
You can serve these vegetarian appetizers as is – because they are amazing – but you can also add a drizzle of dressing and a sprinkle of fresh herbs. You can also top with plant bacon if you want a more smoky flavor…I like to use Atlantic Dulse because it has a deep smoky flavor and becomes very crispy, just like real bacon. Plus, it looks pretty spectacular when you decorate with it.
How are these Italian Style Mushroom Bites made? It’s very easy:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Rinse and slice the mushrooms.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for a few minutes at medium high heat before adding the garlic, Tamari, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let it cook for 1 minute before adding the heavy cream.
- Mix until everything is combined and let the cream come to a quick boil. Set aside.
- Cook the polenta as instructed on the package.
- Using a rolling pin, lay out the dough and lightly stretch it to a 8×12 rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 equal squares.
- Lightly grease a mini muffin tin and place a square of dough in each muffin slot, pressing the dough into the cup. You can leave the dough as is or create a more fancy edge by molding the dough as a pie.
- Scoop one teaspoon creamy polenta on top of the dough in the muffin tin and gently push it in. Top with a generous spoonful of the mushrooms.
- Finally, sprinkle generously with grated parmesan and top with mozzarella.
- Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let the appetizers cool for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the tray.
- Serve as is or with a dollop of dressing and a sprinkle of vegan bacon.
Italian Style Mushroom Bites
Ingredients
- 1 can Seamless Cresent Dough
- 1½ cups Creamy Polenta
- 2 cups Mushrooms Sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 bunch Fresh Thyme
- ¾ cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 5 tbsp Parmesan Cheese Grated
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of Pepper
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Rinse and slice the mushrooms.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for a few minutes at medium high heat before adding the garlic, Tamari, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and let it cook for 1 minute before adding the heavy cream.
- Mix until everything is combined and let the cream come to a quick boil. Set aside.
- Cook the polenta as instructed on the package.
- Using a rolling pin, lay out the dough and lightly stretch it to a 8×12 rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 equal squares.
- Lightly grease a mini muffin tin and place a square of dough in each muffin slot, pressing the dough into the cup. You can leave the dough as is or create a more fancy edge by molding the dough as a pie.
- Scoop one teaspoon creamy polenta on top of the dough in the muffin tin and gently push it in. Top with a generous spoonful of the mushrooms.
- Finally, sprinkle generously with grated parmesan and top with mozzarella.
- Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let the appetizers cool for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the tray.
- Serve as is or with a dollop of dressing and a sprinkle of vegan bacon.
