• Preheat oven to 350º F.
• Lightly grease a casserole dish or 9x9 oven-proof dish.
• Cook rice (brown or basmati) according to package instructions. I use the Instant Pot for fuss free rice.

Red Sauce (homemade or store bought)

• If you are making homemade marinara sauce, start that now. Authentic Italian Rich Red Marinara Sauce recipe.
• OR use your favourite store-bought red sauce (marinara, arrabbiata, tomato basil sauce, etc.)

Mozzarella Cashew Sauce

• Place all ingredients* into the cup of a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.
• If no high-speed blender, soak the cashews in boiled, hot water, covered for an hour or until plump and juicy. Drain water and continue with recipe as written.

Mushrooms and Chickpeas

• Brush any debris from the mushrooms with a kitchen towel. Remove stems being careful not to break the caps. Rough chop the stems to add to casserole (or save for another recipe).
• Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside.
• Arrange chickpeas to cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with chopped mushroom stems if using.
• Place mushrooms caps on top of the chickpeas - cups pointing up. 
• Add a drizzle of mozza sauce in each mushroom cap.
• Cover the mushrooms with the marinara sauce.
• Swirl a layer of cashew sauce over the marinara. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and cover with tinfoil.

Baking the Casserole

• Place in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and the mushrooms are cooked. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes so the mozza gets golden and toasty.
• Tip: The cooking time will vary depending on how big the mushroom caps are and how hot your oven runs. Test by poking a mushroom with a fork to ensure it is cooked through before removing from the oven.

Putting it All Together

• Serve a scoop of the baked mushroom chickpea stew and sauce over rice garnished with a sprinkle of chopped parsley-basil.