Learn to make vegetarian stuffed wine caps with cheese and white beans as a hearty main course or as a garden appetizer.
Large wine cap caps become edible vessels for a hearty bean-and-herb filling. This is a meatless main course that feels substantial enough to anchor a homestead dinner table. It works hot or at room temperature, and scales easily for a crowd. You can also do this with smaller wine caps for a creative garden appetizer.
Ingredients
- 8 large wine cap mushroom caps (about 4 to 5 inches across), cleaned — save the
- stems for the filling.
- 2 tbsp butter, oil, or lard for brushing caps
Filling
- 2 tablespoons oil or fat
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup wine cap stems, finely chopped (if the stems seem a little too tough, you can use caps instead)
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (or 2 tablespoons tomato paste)
- 1-1/2 cups cooked white beans (canned or home-cooked, drained)
- 3/4 cup sharp cheese (aged cheddar, gruyère, or similar), grated and divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or sage, chopped
- Salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
Directions
- Prep the caps: Brush the bottom (gill side) of each large cap with fat and place gill-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush a bit more fat over the tops and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Pre-roast in a 400° F oven for 10 minutes, to soften and release moisture. Remove and set aside.
- Make the filling: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft (about 5 minutes), then add garlic and mushroom stems and cook for another 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and fold in white beans, 1/2 cup cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Stuff the caps: Divide filling evenly among the pre-roasted caps, mounding it generously in the center. Return to the baking sheet.
- Broil or bake: Broil on high for 4 to 6 minutes (watching carefully) or return to a 400° F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until filling bubbles at the edges and is heated through. Halfway through broiling/baking, sprinkle remaining cheese over top of filling.
- Rest and serve: Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and reheat gently in a covered skillet or oven. This recipe scales beautifully: Multiply the filling proportions and bake as many caps as you have mushrooms. They can also be frozen to enjoy later.
For wine cap recipes and information:
Wine Caps Mushrooms
Smoky Wine Cap Mushroom Recipe with Gremolata
Crispy Wine Cap and Potato Fritter Cakes Recipe
Creamy Wine Cap Mushroom Potato Chowder Recipe
Erin Hamilton is the founder of The Mushroom Conservatory. Through her innovative mushroom-growing kits and workshops, she’s taught thousands of budding mycologists how to grow mushrooms and start businesses.
