Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini | www.floatingkitchen.net

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini

This post was originally published here November 2, 2015. I’ve since updated the text and photographs. This is a great appetizer for the Holidays. I hope you try it!

I really didn’t know how I’d feel about Thanksgiving this year. We’re not having our usual celebration with family and friends. Instead, it will be just me and my parents enjoying a simpler menu that only includes our absolute favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

I initially anticipated that I’d feel sad about missing out on the typical festivities that surround my most beloved Holiday. But as the day gets closer, I find that I’m still excited about it. That spark of joy that comes from preparing and sharing a meal, even if it’s just with my Mom and Dad this year, hasn’t gone away. And I’m grateful to have something to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini | www.floatingkitchen.net

These Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini have made an appearance at several of my previous Thanksgiving dinners. They are a great alternative to putting out a full and elaborate cheeseboard, which can be a lot of snacking for just a couple people. Not that I’m one to turn down snacks. But I don’t want to go completely overboard before the main event. I still want to give the side dishes and desserts my full attention!

To make these Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini, first cook the mushrooms and shallots in a skillet until they are nicely browned and softened. Then add in the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant. Finally, stir in a splash of balsamic vinegar and heavy cream. The balsamic vinegar intensifies the umami quality of the mushrooms. And the heavy cream smooths everything out and adds richness.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini | www.floatingkitchen.net

When you’re ready to assemble the crostini, spread a thin layer of softened goat cheese onto your baguette slices, top the goat cheese with some of the mushroom mixture, then place the crostini under your broiler until they are warmed through and just starting to get a little crisp around the edges. I highly recommend serving these crostini warm. But they are still mighty tasty at room temperature. So don’t get overly stressed about timing everything perfectly.

These savory bites aren’t just a great Holiday appetizer. I also like to serve them with soup or salad to help round out a weeknight meal. They only take a few minutes to pull together. And you can easily reduce the recipe by half, if needed.

Cheers,

Liz

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini

At a Glance:
Yield: Serves about 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Mushroom Topping:

  • About 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 8 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup diced shallots
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

For Assembly:

  • 1 French baguette, sliced on the diagonal
  • 6 ounces goat cheese, softened at room temperature
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

  1. Warm about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushroom and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes. If your skillet is getting dry during this time, you can add in an additional 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic, thyme leaves, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Then remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the heavy cream.
  2. Meanwhile, pre-heat your broiler.
  3. Spread the goat cheese onto the baguette slices and place them on a baking sheet. Top each slice with about a tablespoon of the mushroom mixture. Then place the baking sheet under your pre-heated broiler and broil the crostini for 2-3 minutes, or until the mushrooms sizzle and the bread starts to turn brown around the edges.
  4. Remove the baking sheet from your oven. Transfer the crostini to a serving plate. Drizzle each crostini with a little balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with few fresh thyme leaves, if desired. Serve warm.

52 comments on “Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini”

  1. This is totally something I want to make for a Thanksgiving appetizer! Thanks for sharing this, Liz! So yummy!

  2. This crostini looks SO good, Liz! I could pretty much put mushrooms on just about anything, so I’m loving this fun snack! So perfect for Thanksgiving or just to munch on!

  3. I am ONLY thinking about Thanksgiving this moth. It’s hilarious! And by hilarious I mean absolutely wonderful.

  4. I didn’t get any trick-or-treaters and I’m allergic to chocolate, so no post chocolate coma for me…although I sip a little to much wine while in my jammies! 😉 Bring on the Thanksgiving food! LOVE these crostini, Liz!! They are loaded up with all of my favorite things, especially goat cheese! I can totally see why these got devoured! PERFECT for Thanksgiving.. or for my lunch or dinner! Pinned! Cheers, girlfriend!

  5. i’ve never hosted but always on the sides duty. This will be a great one to try this year 🙂

  6. Thanksgiving appetizers here I come! These sound delicious Liz! On the list!

  7. I’m still trying to recover from daylight savings!! Haha! Sure sign of old age. I can totally jam with these mushroom and goat cheese bites on Thanksgiving!

  8. This looks delicious, pinning! I’m recovering from Halloween weekend and daylight savings is throwing me off more than ever! It’s so bright in the mornings and dark in the evenings already?!

  9. Yum, yum, YUM!!! These look delicious! Anything with mushrooms and cheese….count me in!!

  10. This has all of my favorite ingredients!! Looks so yummy 🙂

  11. Crostini with mushrooms and cheese is my fave!!! YES, everything is better with goat cheese!!! and I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, woot woot!!! My sister is.. I’m still helping but a lot with the cooking and planning but it’ll be good to travel someplace else this year! love this crostini!

    • Thanks, Alice! It’s great that you and your sister can take turns hosting. Spread the love (errr…work) out a little bit! 🙂

  12. I LOVE mushrooms and pairing them with goat cheese is brilliant! I’m still recovering from my sugar coma 😉

  13. Goat cheese and mushrooms are one of those pairings that I always pick out of a menu. LOVE this idea. Simple and it sounds delicious!

  14. I drank too much this weekend. No hangover, but still… I hope your Halloween was awesome,Liz! I would gladly gobble up a whole tray of these magnificent mushroom masterpieces!

  15. Crostini are hands down something I always have when entertaining, they’re just so easy and versatile!

  16. Liz I love these! I love goat cheese and mushrooms! I can literally eat these two things all the time so I know I would love these!

  17. I LOVE mushrooms and I LOVE goat cheese so um, I think this was made for me 🙂 Looks awesome!

  18. I’m hosting Thanksgiving and I’m trying to get a turkey trial run underway so I have stock and drippings made in advance! SO much to do, but I love it. And I love mushrooms, so these crostini look off the charts delicious!

  19. Mushroom and goat cheese are the best! Gorgeous appetizer, my friend!

  20. Totally, completely drooling over these. Need in a major way. In fact, if I could, I’d eat them for dinner RIGHT NOW. Gimme all the carbs and goat cheeses and ‘shrooms.

    • Yeah, I like when I call things “appetizers”, but we ALL know that I just shoved the entire tray in my mouth for dinner. Whatever. It works. 🙂

  21. There is no getting over my sugar addiction when I still have a full bowl of leftover candy. Help! This is the best crostini combo ever!

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  24. Can I make the mushroom mixture early in the day and then assemble and heat? Making it for a party this Friday.

    • Hi Jennifer! Yes, you can definitely make the mushroom mixture earlier in the day and re-heat it gently before assembling and serving.

  25. I made this last night for a white wine party and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing an easy yet impressive recipe!

  26. This looks delicious, I even have all the ingredients! Is it intentional not to toast or grill both sides of the baguette? Never seen it done this way with most crostini recipes, best.

    K

    • I don’t like the bread overly crunchy (and this also streamlines things), but if you want to toast/grill both sides then by all means go ahead!

  27. Hi – I’m wondering about serving this as a side dish to a main meal without the crostini….any thoughts on how I should mix the shrooms with the goat cheese? Just throw in some little clumps of cheese with the mushrooms? Thanks so much – i have a wonderful honey goat cheese.

    • Hi Bonnie. This recipe is intended to be a crostini and served as an appetizer or starter. If gluten is an issue, I would try substituting for a gluten-free bread or sturdy cracker that you enjoy.

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