If you’re looking for an appetizer that goes beyond the basic charcuterie board or crudité, check out these sausage stuffed mushrooms! They are hearty as an appetizer and can also be served as a dinner entree or accompaniment alongside a nice Italian or Caesar salad. Whichever way you serve them, these mushrooms are sure to make a statement at your next dinner party or casual family gathering.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves: 6-8 as an appetizer
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Total time: About 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- About 1lb (16oz) of baby portobello mushrooms (caps only, gills removed with a spoon and stems discarded)
- 1lb of Italian pork sausage, casings removed (you can also use spicy & chicken varieties)
- 2 Tbsp EVOO, plus more for cooking
- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced
- 4-6 large cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 tsp of fennel seed
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs or panko (you can also use plain breadcrumbs and add in a handful of Italian seasoning)
- Salt and pepper
Let’s do this!
1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.) Heat a large pan or skillet over medium heat, add enough EVOO to coat the pan. Once it is hot, add the diced onion and cook until soft and golden. Stirring occasionally, cook the onions for about 10 minutes.
3.) While the onions are cooking, start prepping the mushrooms by cleaning them and removing the stems and gills (with your fingers or lightly using a spoon).*
4.) By now the onions should be caramelized. Lightly season the onions with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the sausage to the pan and cook until it is browned, constantly breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Once the sausage is crumbled, stir in the grated garlic (2-4 cloves) along with the fennel seed. If you want to add heat to this dish, you can sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flake.
5.) Drain off the fat and transfer the cooked sausage to a bowl and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
6.) Combine the bread crumbs (or panko), the remaining 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, 2 cloves of grated garlic, Italian seasoning (or 1 tsp each of dried basil, oregano & parsley), about ½ Tbsp of EVOO (if the breadcrumbs are still dry, you may want to add a little more oil) and a sprinkling of salt.
7.) Spray a sheet pan or baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Space the baby mushrooms out evenly and gently stuff each mushroom with the sausage mixture, topping each mushroom with the breadcrumb mixture.
8.) Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and the breadcrumbs are toasted.
9.) Allow the mushrooms to cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!
*Never completely immerse mushrooms in water. They naturally retain water and submerging mushrooms in water will make them rubbery while cooking. Instead, I recommend using a damp paper towel to clean the dirt and grim off of the mushrooms. It is time consuming, but it is worth it.
