My Introduction to Mushrooms was a Stuffed Mushroom
Before diving into the Longhorn Steakhouse Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, we didn’t have 7 Eleven, Chick-fil-A, Longhorn Steakhouse, or any type of steakhouse for that matter. Driving 45 minutes to go eat at TGI Fridays in Allentown, PA was considered fancy for me. I was surrounded by diners and some of the classic fast food restaurants.
My parents always ordered mushrooms for themselves and we stuck with classic kids meals.
We were doing one of those fancy weekend dinners, I can’t recall the exact restaurant, and it was my sister, my brother, and myself all sitting around waiting for our food. We STARVING just like all tweens, and we ate like little monsters when we were hungry. As a kid, if you’re hungry, you lose all senses of common sense combined with ‘kid reasoning’. And tonight I had the Hulk in me.
Ordering at a restaurant is simple, you get drinks, order some appetizers, kid’s meals, and the parents get the entrees. However this evening was not exactly what happened. Leading up to this dinner, our parents wouldn’t let us eat snacks because they didn’t want us to ruin our dinner and not eat; so we all arrive looking like zombies ready to feed on anything in front of us.
My Mom knew we were getting into the red zone and she told the server to put the kids meals in first; then they continued with the rest of the order. I don’t know why, but this waitress thought she had the memory of wizard and she wouldn’t write anything down. What made matters worse, is that you can tell she must have walked in to work today and thought she would make her job interesting and not write anything down. The same day my siblings and my self are seeing red. Bad idea.
She was trying some memory power course she bought from a tv infomercial and I swear if she just wrote it all down, by the time she was done going through her constant repeating, the food would have already been delivered!
Here’s the kicker..
You would think after the challenge she would just b-line it to place the order; but just as she started to walk away, another table snapped their fingers and waived their hand in the air (so obnoxious btw) and she turns to talk to them. This wasn’t a typical two second chat; this was ANOTHER ORDER! Nobody else took notice to this but me, and I didn’t want to say anything because my Dad would have flipped out. My red level just about exploded with anxiety.
We see the guy holding a big tray of food heading our way, so I’m getting excited.. Little things like this please any kid. 😎
He stops in his tracks, looks at a piece of paper, and turns his head to Mr. Fingersnapper first!
But I noticed the tray wasn’t fully empty and he grabs it and starts walking towards our table! Thank God! He puts the large tray on a stand and I notice it only has a few items: My parents’ drinks and a single plate.
Single plate? Of what?
You guessed it already I’m sure: Stuffed mushrooms.
I had no idea what it was at first. And I knew it was going to be a while before our real food comes out, so I just grabbed one without hesitation and started eating it. My parents looked shocked, never seeing me going beyond simple kid food.
What I remember of the experience is that I thought to myself ‘This isn’t bad, whatever it is,” and my red zone was able to drop a bit to yellow while I start to make sense of what just happened.
My brother would rather starve, my sister declined, and there I was, gobbling up stuffed mushrooms for the first time ever, and enjoying it.
The Longhorn Steakhouse Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
Our Fast Food Club members have requested this frequently from Longhorn and I thought it would be a perfect time to add their stuffed mushrooms to the recipe roster. Stuffed mushrooms are a great appetizer at home and it’s perfect for dinner parties.
Longhorn Steakhouse Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Dish For baking the stuffed mushrooms
- 1 Mixing Bowl For preparing breadcrumb mixture and Alfredo sauce
- 1 Saucepan For making the Alfredo sauce
- 1 Whisk For combining sauce ingredients smoothly
Ingredients
- 16 oz white button mushrooms cleaned and dried with stems removed
- 0.25 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 0.25 tsp Kosher salt
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 cups white cheddar cheese grated
- 3 tbsp butter salted
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp flour
- 1.33 cups half and half
- 0.66 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
Preparation
- Start by preheating the oven to 375º F.
- Clean the mushrooms using a damp paper towel to gently rub away any dirt. Be careful not to break the mushroom caps.16 oz white button mushrooms
- Remove the stems from the mushrooms and set the caps aside. You can discard the stems or save them for another recipe.
- In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, melted butter, kosher salt, and black pepper until well combined. This will be your crunchy topping. Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature.0.25 cup breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp butter, 0.25 tsp Kosher salt, 0.25 tsp black pepper
Cooking / Creating
- To create the Alfredo sauce, begin by melting butter in a small pot over medium heat.3 tbsp butter
- Add minced garlic and stir, then reduce the heat to low.1 tsp garlic
- Whisk in flour until it's fully incorporated with the butter and garlic.2 tsp flour
- Pour in the half and half and add the grated Parmesan cheese.1.33 cups half and half, 0.66 cup Parmesan cheese
- Continue to simmer the mixture, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens, and the cheese melts completely.
Assembling
- Spoon half of your prepared Alfredo Sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased cast-iron skillet or baking dish.
- Set the cleaned mushroom caps in the dish on top of the sauce.
- Spoon the remaining Alfredo Sauce over the tops of the mushrooms.
- Sprinkle the mushrooms generously with the grated white cheddar cheese.1.5 cups white cheddar cheese
- Finish by topping the stuffed mushrooms with the breadcrumb mixture to add that crucial crunchy texture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
Serving / Presentation
- Once the mushrooms have baked, switch the oven to the broil setting (on low).
- Broil the stuffed mushrooms for an additional 2-3 minutes. Watch closely to ensure the breadcrumbs brown nicely but do not burn.
- Take the mushrooms out of the oven and if desired, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley for a fresh, colorful garnish.
- Serve them warm as a side dish steakhouse style. Enjoy!