Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Prepare

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. 
2. Clean mushrooms, then remove stems.  Set mushroom caps aside on prepared baking sheet. I like to give the stems a twist, and they loosen up to remove them, or you can use a knife. Don't throw the stems away, you'll be using them!
3. Finely chop removed mushroom stems and set aside.

Cook stems

1. Heat a skillet over MED heat. When hot, add unsalted butter. Once melted, add chopped mushroom stems and black pepper.
2. Stir, then cook, stirring occasionally until most of the moisture is gone from the mushrooms, about 3 minutes.
3. Add garlic and kosher salt, and cook for about 30 seconds or so, stirring well to combine.
4. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Make filling

1. To a mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese, most of the Parmesan cheese (reserve a few Tablespoons to sprinkle over the mushrooms later), onion powder, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, and minced parsley.
2. Add the cooled mushroom stem mixture, and stir together well to combine everything.

Assemble mushrooms

1. Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop (or just use a spoon) and fill the mushroom caps with the filling.
2. Sprinkle each mushroom with a little of the reserved Parmesan cheese.

Bake

1. Bake mushrooms in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Serve

1. Serve hot, garnished with additional minced fresh parsley and/or additional shredded Parmesan if desired.