Though meant to be pop-in-your-mouth appetizers, I made these with very large mushrooms and served them with my Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes: https://nansimonsen.com/dishes/creamy-vegan-cauliflower-mashed-potatoes/
By chopping as I ate them, and taking bites of mushroom, lentil filling, and creamy mashed potato, I had an explosion of flavor in my mouth.
The combination of lentil and fennel gives these a meaty flavor, though they are fully plant based. This recipe was inspired by a recipe in my Delicious Living Magazine, ‘Stuffed Mushrooms with Fennel and Lentils.’
Preheat onion to 400 F
Clean your mushrooms and finely dice the stems. The cavity can be scrapped a bit to enhance size if mushrooms are very small.
Place mushroom bottoms on a parchment lined baking sheet, bottom facing down.
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir for 1-2 minutes to let them ‘weap’. Then add carrots, celery, garlic, thyme and fennel. Saute covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally—add a tablespoon at a time of broth if sticking, and when slightly golden, to deglaze the pan. Add diced mushroom stems, cover and cook until water is absorbed, approximately 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in the lentils and 1/4 cup veg stock, and cook until lentils are heated throughout, and stock is absorbed. Add a bit of stock if the mixture appears very dry.
Divide the veg/stem/lentil mixture among the mushrooms. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. Time varies depending on size of mushrooms.
Enjoy as a main dish, as described above, or an appetizer, or cooled and eaten as a snack.
