Home > Recipes > > Mrs. Waterman’s Stuffed Mushrooms
by Michelle
November 13, 2012 (updated Oct 19, 2019)
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5 (2 ratings)
I can’t believe that it’s already been seven years since one of my best friends got married. I’m not sure if that’s an indication that time flies, or that I’m getting old ;-) When she had her bridal shower, guests were asked to bring a copy of their favorite recipe; I’ve seen this done before, and I love this tradition, it’s such a fun way to collect unique, old family recipes. Once she had all of her recipes gathered, we sat down one day for lunch and went through all of the recipes. She had me flag the ones I liked, and she made copies for me. Seriously, best friend stuff right there. These stuffed mushrooms were one of the ones that I had to have after looking at the recipe. I’ve always been a big fan of stuffed mushrooms, but so many times they can turn out pretty bland. That’s absolutely not the case here. I was drawn to the wonderful combination of ingredients in this recipe, and they lived up to my expectations. I’ve made these stuffed mushrooms for multiple holidays now; they’re always one of the crowd’s favorite and there’s never a leftover mushroom in sight!
I have no idea who Mrs. Waterman is, as that is the way the recipe that was given to my friend reads. It could be an aunt, an old friend, a mother-in-law, or a six degrees of separation situation. Whoever she is, the woman knew what she was doing when she decided to throw pepperoni, Romano cheese, green peppers and crushed Ritz crackers into a traditional stuffed mushroom filling. I love the Italian flair that these mushrooms possess, although it would be very easy to adapt the recipe to your specific tastes. If you don’t care for pepperoni, you could substitute chopped ham, or even throw in black olives. Use Parmesan cheese in place of Romano, change up the herbs… you get the picture. Just don’t mess with the Ritz crackers; I consider those a must! They add such a buttery, crunchy component to the mushrooms; you don’t want to miss it :)
Do you have any special traditions for sharing or passing along recipes? I’d love to figure out a way to get some friends together to share recipes without needing to throw a shower!
One year ago: Pumpkin Ice Cream
Two years ago: Pecan Pie
Three years ago: Lebkuchen (German Christmas Cookies)
Mrs. Waterman's Stuffed Mushrooms
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
A recipe for Italian-style stuffed mushrooms.
5 (2 ratings)
Print Pin Rate
Ingredients
- 20 to 24 large white mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel, stems removed and finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- ½ green pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup crushed Ritz crackers
- ½ cup finely chopped pepperoni
- ½ cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet over medium heat, then add the chopped mushroom stems, onion, pepper and garlic. Saute until the mixture is softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Fill each mushroom cap with the stuffing and bake until the mushrooms are dark and the stuffing is golden, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Note: The stuffing can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. The mushrooms can be assembled, placed in a baking dish, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day before baking.
Nutritional values are based on one mushroom
Calories: 193kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 726mg, Potassium: 307mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 245IU, Vitamin C: 11.5mg, Calcium: 121mg, Iron: 1.2mg
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Author: Michelle
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, Italian
Originally published November 13, 2012 — (last updated October 19, 2019)
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31 Comments on “Mrs. Waterman’s Stuffed Mushrooms”
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Penny Wolf — Reply
Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, THESE are a snap to make and are really flavorful!
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Jennifer — Reply
This recipe came from a Better Homes and Gardens or a Woman’s Day magazine back in the 70s. My father made these mushrooms every single year for Thanksgiving, and once I was old enough, I helped, then eventually took over the process. We’d go through at least 5-8 lbs of mushrooms for a family of 5. They didn’t all get eaten at once, but they were gone within a day or two. So, so good.
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vicky — Reply
these mushrooms turned out great!
thank you for sharing this delicious and super-easy recipe -
Anna K. — Reply
I made these last night for a potluck and they were very well received. I made a double batch, and they were gobbled up by 8 people so I would say be generous when planning for portion size. I don’t eat meat, so I was planning to swap black olives for pepperoni, but I found that the quantity of filling was turning out to be WAY too much for my mushrooms so I left some stuff out and just riffed on the original recipe and it turned out awesome. I also added a couple dollops of mayonnaise because it was pretty dry and I didn’t think it would stay in and on the mushrooms very well, and I wanted that nice round cap of stuffing like in the photos. Here was my final combination (remember this was for twice the quantity of mushrooms):
1 C crushed Ritz crackers
1 green bell pepper, very finely chopped
1 C grated Parmesan
2 dollops of mayo (maybe 1/4 C?)
A good shake of dried onion flakes
A good shake of Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper -
lisa — Reply
I want to try this for thanksgiving. When you say 1/2 cup Romano Cheese, is that shredded cheese?
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Michelle — Reply
Hi Lisa, That’s grated Romano cheese. I’ll edit the recipe to make sure it’s clear.
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Vicki — Reply
I just made these and my husband and I are freaking out about how awesome they are. The only thing that we changed was I substituted Gorgonzola for the Romano cheese. They were easy to make and insanely delicious. I plan on bringing these to a work potluck so I love that the instructions say that you make the mixture ahead of time. Delicious, delicious, delicious!
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Tabby — Reply
Just as I was wondering what to make for an appetizer for Thanksgiving. Hello answer!
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Katie @ Blonde Ambition — Reply
I’ve never seen the mushroom stems chopped up and added into the stuffing! Love the idea!
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Chineka (savorthebaking) — Reply
These mushrooms look great. I love anything with mushrooms and I was just talking to my husband about making stuffed portobello mushrooms soon.
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Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen — Reply
I’m a massive mushroom-lover (sounds like a comment on my body size…), but unfortunately my hubby is not. Guess that means more for me! Maybe these would even convert him over to the fungus side…
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Lizzy — Reply
These sound amazing. I’m going to make these Italian-style ones, and also some with chorizo and jalapeno peppers for my spicy food-loving hubby. I can’t believe I’ve never thought of mixing up the meats/cheese like that until I read your story and you mentioned trying other meats/cheese! How easy to come up with new twists!! Thank you for sharing.
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easy recipes — Reply
This is very creative. I love how they look. Soo cute! Made this last week and I think I didn’t make enough that dinner for the family. Next time Ima make sure they get all the seconds they like. Great easy recipe!
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Event Lighting Schaumburg Il — Reply
That tradition is where some of my most favorite recipes came from! Love them!
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Sally - only gluten free baking — Reply
I really need to eat breakfast before jumping on the computer and checking you blog. I want mushrooms now, pity there’s non in the fridge.
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Mal @ The Chic Geek — Reply
Yum! I love stuffed mushrooms, these look divine!
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Fran@fransfavs.com — Reply
Oh, be still my Italian heart! Once I saw the Romano cheese, I was in. That’s what I was brought up on–no Parmesan for us although I’ve since tried it in a few recipes but usually swap it out for Romano. I’ve been making a three-ingredient baked stuffed mushroom for years–couldn’t be easier or more delicious (on my site)! Having said that, I think I’m going to put in the extra effort and give these a try! Keep the great recipes coming…
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Living The Sweet Life — Reply
Yuuuummmm!! These will be making a guest appearence this holiday season :D
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Stuffed mushrooms are one of my favorites. These look great, so full of yumminess!
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Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes — Reply
I’m gonna make these for Thanksgiving – they sound great!
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Delicious! These would be a great appetizer before Thanksgiving dinner!
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Gina — Reply
Stuffed mushrooms are just absolutely delightful. Yum!
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Navar — Reply
These sound great. We take Borsin cheese and mix in crushed ritz crackers then pack it into mushroom caps and bake. Very quick and easy and nary a one is ever left over. As for recipe exchange- we used to do Christmas cookie parties where each person would bring a plate of cookies (or more if you exchange them) and the recipe for the cookie copied out for each attendee. You got to try the cookie and take the recepie home to make. You could do it with any recipe though- it wouldn’t have to be cookies. You could do an appetizer party or a casserole party. etc.
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i love mushrooms in general and this will be such a great idea for party snacks or an appetizer.
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Simply Sweet Justice — Reply
I put together a family cookbook using Tastebook a few years ago. It was a great way to bring together all of the special family recipes!
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Judith — Reply
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Our family loves mushrooms.
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Penny Wolf — Reply
Maybe you need some sort of a revolving supper club. Get together quarterly
to begin and see how you like it. We always had wonderful potlucks at work and I could put together a very interesting meal using those collected recipes.
Thank you for this recipe too! Just in time for Ohio/Michigan game! -
Brends — Reply
I have had several friends with whom I have been sharing recipes since we started cooking 30+ years ago. As soon as one of us tries something new that we think will appeal to one or some, of the others, it is shared. Via email now…used to be recipe or index cards. If the friend is local, via dinner invitation first! Works forever, and a great way to keep in touch. My daughter compiled them all in a recipe book for me, and copied it for all the donators a few years back. Expandable, of course.
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Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar — Reply
These sound so tasty! Love this idea!
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little kitchie — Reply
these sound delicious! love stuffed mushrooms. my best friend got married 2 years ago, and one of the gifts i did for her was a collection of recipes from her family and friends, bound into a cookbook! i of course made one for myself :) and some of my absolute favorite recipes are from random aunts or friends-of-family i don’t even know! shout out to all the mrs. watermans of the world!
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Mimi @ Culinary Couture — Reply
That is such a brilliant idea! Would love to do that at my own wedding!
