Clam Stuffed Mushrooms

I participated in another recipe swap. This theme was "Thanksgiving Sides".  This time, you could submit something you've never made before but had your eye on.  I submitted Cook's Illustrated's version of homemade green been casserole.  You know, that really popular side dish that also happens to be loaded with sodium because of the canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup? Hopefully whoever made that recipe has good things to say about it!

The recipe I was given to make came from Jenna's Cooking Journey-she also never made this recipe so I am happy to report that these mushrooms were really very good! 
I really like making stuffed mushrooms but had never heard of putting clams in them, so I was definitely intrigued by that concept.  Overall, I thoughts the clams worked well in here, and I would be interested in trying to use fresh clams in the future.  I also made some changes to the original recipe based both on my preferance and the reviews that were on the allrecipes website. When making stuffed mushrooms, I prefer to use mini mushrooms instead of large mushrooms, such as mini portobello, so that's what I did for this recipe.

Clam Stuffed Mushrooms
20 fresh mushrooms, stems removed

2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, drained

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 small onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons Italian-style seasoning

ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups butter, melted

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Arrange mushroom caps hollow side down in the baking dish and bake them for about 10-15 minutes to allow moisture to come out.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Once cooled, turn them hollow side up. 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together minced clams, garlic, Parmesan cheese, onion, bread crumbs, green bell pepper, parsley, Italian-style seasoning and black pepper. Slowly stir in approximately 1/2 the butter, enough to make the mixture slightly moist.  Saute mixture in a frying pan for 5 minutes.

Generously fill the mushroom caps with the clam mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with remaining butter.

Bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Adapted from allrecipes.com