Today I felt like making something new. I had to run to the store for some staples and ingredients for a Christmas party dish anyway, so I thought I’d indulge myself and wing it in the kitchen. Here’s what I came up with!
Fig, Bacon, & Goat Cheese Stuffed Baby Bellas
Ingredients:
- 42 g Real Bacon Bits
- 4 oz Goat Cheese
- 8 Dried California Mission Figs
- 2 tbsp Salted Butter Stick
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 Shallot (about 40 g)
- 16 oz Baby Bella Whole Mushrooms
- Rosemary to taste
- Table Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Let me start with a couple observations that I made…
First, I picked up goat cheese in crumble form since it’s usually what I have in the house and I like cooking with staples. The crumbles worked fine, but I can’t help but wonder if my filling would have been a little more creamy if I’d have picked up a goat cheese log instead. I’ll probably try that next time.
Second, there was plenty of filling for double the mushrooms I originally bought. I only picked up one 8 oz bin at the store today, but I ended up saving about half of the filling. I’ll pick up another 8 oz pack of mushrooms in the next day or two so that I can use it up. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the filling went as far as it did. I had some of these for lunch, but they could easily be an appetizer I’d bring to a party or something!
Also, my oven is on it’s last leg so watch these after they’ve been baking for 10 minutes. Your oven may bake them more quickly than mine did.
Having said those few things, it was a breeze to put this together! I adore the combination of smokiness from the bacon, the subtle bite of the shallot, the sweetness of the fig, the creaminess of the cheese, and the meatiness of the mushrooms. Add the little pops of rosemary, salt, and pepper and… wow. So good!
Directions:
- Grease a small baking dish and preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Remove stems from mushrooms. Clean and let dry on a paper towel while making the filling.
- Chop shallot and figs.
- Melt the butter in a small pan over medium high heat. Add garlic, shallots, and bacon. Sauté until shallots soften, but make sure to remove from heat before any of the ingredients burn.
- Add the freshly sautéed mixture to the goat cheese in a mixing bowl. Mix using hand/stand mixer until combined.
- Add figs, salt, pepper, and rosemary to mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Fill mushrooms and place them filling side up into the greased baking dish.
- Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes.
I kept the shallots and figs pretty chunky for extra texture.
This was taken about a minute before I finished the sauté.
Before the bake:
After the bake:
Delicious!!
