One of my husband’s favorite dishes when we dine out is Baked Stuffed Shrimp. I decided to bring the restaurant experience home and created a simple version that is tender, with a moist flavorful stuffing.

Departing from the usual crab and cracker stuffing, I opted for chopped mushrooms. The mushrooms prevent the shrimp from drying out in the oven. For the best result, be sure to press the stuffing firmly onto the shrimp before baking.

Serve the shrimp with some microwaved brown rice for a quick dinner.

Helpful Hints:

Any type of mushroom can be used.

Make sure your ground thyme is less than 6 months old for best flavor.

Ground oregano can be used instead.

Finely chopped onion can be used instead of frozen diced onion.

Two garlic cloves can be used instead of minced garlic.

Vegetable oil spray

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided use

3 tablespoons frozen diced onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound peeled tail shell on jumbo shrimp

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil.

To make the stuffing, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium-size skillet. Add the onion and saute 2 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the breadcrumbs, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to the mixture. Mix well.

Place the shrimp on their side on the foil lined baking sheet. Add a small spoonful of stuffing on top of each one to mostly cover the shrimp.

Spray all prepared shrimp with the vegetable oil spray and place the baking sheet into the oven. Bake until the shrimp are pink, about 15 minutes. Serve with the rice. Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 package microwaveable brown rice to make 1 1/2 cups cooked

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons parsley leaves (optional garnish)

Microwave brown rice according to package instructions. Place in a bowl and mix in olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add parsley leaves (optional garnish). Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

Tribune News Service