Stuffed Mushrooms with Italian Sausage

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms are the ultimate holiday appetizer! White button mushroom caps are stuffed with a creamy sausage filling. Then topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and baked to perfection. This is the best stuffed mushroom recipe out there!

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms: The Ultimate Holiday Appetizer 

When it comes to bite-sized holiday appetizer recipes… nothing beats stuffed mushroom caps. Especially when they’re made the right way. Proper stuffed mushrooms should be tender yet crispy, with TONS of filling – fill that cap all the way up to the top, baby. And have plenty of gooey cheese on top!

You can stuff your mushrooms with almost anything from crab to finely chopped mushroom stems. But my current favorite stuffed mushroom recipe features a cheesy sausage mixture topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. They’re baked to perfection and topped with a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a pop of color! These basically fly off the tray, so make sure you have enough for guests to eat 3 or 4. Because they will!

Stuffed Mushroom Recipe: Ingredients 

• White Button Mushrooms: Large cremini mushrooms (aka baby bella mushrooms) make a fine substitute. No need to save the stems, because you don’t chop the stems for this recipe.
• Olive Oil: The recipe divides the olive oil, so you will use it in two different parts. Any olive oil will work, no need to get fancy here.
• Sausage: I prefer sweet Italian sausage, but you may use spicy. Whatever variety of sausage you use, remove it from the casing before cooking it.
• Shallots: Adds a subtle sweetness. You can use a small yellow onion instead, if needed.
• Garlic: Adds just the right amount of garlicky flavor, without overwhelming the other flavors in the dish.
• Spices and Seasonings: Rosemary, thyme, salt and black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes add spice and flavor. Please use fresh herbs! And add more salt and pepper as needed.
• White Wine: I prefer a dry white here, such as Sauvignon blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay. But use any white wine you enjoy the taste of. If you don’t consume alcohol, low-sodium chicken broth will work as a sub.
• Mascarpone Cheese: If you can’t find this, make the cheese filling for the stuffed mushrooms with cream cheese instead. Full-fat brick style cream cheese makes a great replacement. Be sure to bring it to room temperature before use. 
• Panko Bread Crumbs: I love the texture panko adds, but in a pinch, plain bread crumbs will work. You can also use gluten free bread crumbs to make this recipe gluten free.
• Parmesan: I like finely shredded parmesan cheese here because it adds a little extra texture. But freshly grated parmesan will work great, too.
• Parsley: This is an optional ingredient, but if you do use it, be sure to use FRESH parsley, not dried. And finely chop it before sprinkling it on top of the mushrooms caps. Fresh chives would also work nicely here.

How to Make Stuffed Mushrooms in 20 minutes! 

1. Oven Prep: 20 minutes before baking, preheat your oven. Grease a large baking pan with nonstick spray and set it aside until needed. Now you’re ready to make stuffed mushrooms!
2. Clean the Mushrooms: Gently clean the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel. This can be time consuming, so plan about 10 minutes for this step.
3. Prepare the Mushrooms: Remove the stems from the mushrooms and gently hallow them out using a small spoon. Set the mushroom caps aside. I discard my mushrooms stems, but you can add the chopped stems to the filling, if desired. It makes the filling a little more watery.
4. Cook the Sausage: Add the sausage to a skillet over medium heat and cook the sausage until no pink remains. Add in the spices, herbs, and wine.
5. Make the Filling: Scrape the sausage mixture into a large bowl and let it cool down for a few minutes. Then add the cheese, bread crumbs and parmesan. The mixture should be extremely thick.
6. Stuff the Mushrooms Cavity: Fill each mushroom with the sausage mixture. Be generous with the filling, letting it mound over the rim of the cap. It won’t spread in the oven.
7. Bake the Stuffed Mushrooms: Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese, arrange the mushrooms on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until golden brown.

The cooking time will vary, so keep an eye on them! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days!

Make Stuffed Mushrooms in Advance

• You can fully stuff and assemble this stuffed mushroom recipe 12 hours before baking. Simply cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake them.
• Or make the sausage filling up to 24 hours in advance. Cover tightly and refrigerate until needed.
• If the filling feels too stiff to scoop, simply let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then try again. I don’t suggest microwaving the filling.
• Once baked, I don’t suggest reheating the stuffed mushrooms again. The mushroom caps will release excess moisture when double baked and become soggy.
• But if you must reheat them, I preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or just until warm.

Suggestions for Serving Stuffed Mushrooms

These yummy stuffed mushrooms are our go-to appetizer for entertaining! We make them on Christmas Eve, for baby and bridal showers, and sometimes even for Easter dinner. They pair wonderfully with champagne, red wine, beer, or white wine! So they’re great for cocktail hour appetizers, too.

I find people cannot STOP eating these, so if you’re serving a larger crowd, double the recipe. My guests typically enjoy 3 to 4 mushroom caps, so I’d plan for that when thinking about how many mushroom caps per person.

Looking for a few other appetizers to pair them with? Try my baked brie bread bowl, sweet and spicy chicken wings, or prosciutto wrapped shrimp! They’re all great holiday appetizers!

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