Stuffed Mushrooms is a classic appetizer to serve for any occasion. Be it a fancy New Year’s party or a football party, everyone always enjoys this simple appetizer. These stuffed mushrooms are made with a mixture of Italian sausage, cream cheese, Mozzarella cheese, and some garlic and parsley for more flavor.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
It’s been a really long time since my husband and I have gone to a New Year’s party. Little kids and New Year’s parties just don’t mix well and with my son especially. He could not care less about the whole ball dropping, midnight, new year hooplah. He wants to be in bed, sleeping just like he does every night.
For the last couple of years I’ve been asking him if he wants to stay up and watch the new year begin with us and he is just not into it. So I grab a bottle of champagne and make some tasty appetizers for two.
That is what’s perfect about making stuffed mushrooms because you can make them for 2 or for 20 and they are always very well received. The same recipe can make 8 mushrooms or it can make 16 simply by picking larger or smaller sized mushrooms.
For a bigger party, where it’s better to have hands free, you’ll want to serve smaller, one-bite stuffed mushrooms. For a more intimate party, like a family dinner, you can choose bigger sized mushrooms. Either way, the stuffing combined with the mushrooms is just heavenly.
How to make stuffed mushrooms:
Making stuffed mushrooms is very simple and part of it can even be prepped ahead of time.
The whole process can be broken down to just preparing the mushrooms, preparing the stuffing, stuffing mushroom caps, and baking.
Start by washing the dirt off the mushrooms and gently popping the stems off the caps. Save the stems, you can use them in stuffing. (If you’re preparing the stuffing ahead of time, don’t worry about saving the stems.)
Preheat a medium cooking pan over medium heat and cook sausage, breaking it apart as much as possible. Cook until fully done. (If using mushroom stems, dice them up and cook them with sausage.)
Combine cooked sausage, cream cheese, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and Mozzarella cheese and mix until all is evenly incorporated.
Stuff each mushroom cap with some of the filling, pressing it in gently and enough to have a dome on top.
Place mushroom caps in a lightly greased baking dish.
Sprinkle with a little more cheese and parsley on top and bake for 20-22 minutes. (Time will slightly depend on the size of mushrooms by 2-4 minutes.)
Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe:
This recipe is for mushrooms stuffed with sausage and cream cheese mixture but there are many options to variate flavors. Sausage stuffed mushrooms can be done with spicy Italian sausage instead of sweet, and pepper Jack cheese can be substituted for Mozzarella. That will give a great spicy kick to the mushrooms.
Some veggies can also be added. Try dicing some yellow onion and bell pepper and cooking it along with sausage. Just strain off extra juices if any have accumulated.
Tip: Don’t worry if you ever have any stuffing leftover. It’s already cooked so it can be eaten with some crackers or veggies like a dip.
Making stuffed mushrooms ahead of time:
The stuffing for mushrooms can be made ahead of time.
Cook sausage until done, breaking it apart as much as possible and mix all the ingredients for stuffing.
Place it in a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to stuff and bake mushrooms.
Yes, mushrooms can be washed and stuffed ahead of time but I don’t really recommend it because mushrooms start to get soft and soggy. So unless you are preparing it just a few hours ahead, just prepare the stuffing.
Shelf life for mushrooms also gets shorter fast once they have been washed.
Some more appetizer recipes to try:
Bacon and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
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Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 16 oz mushrooms baby bella or white
- 12 oz sweet Italian sausage taken out of the casing
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp minced parsley
- 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- Salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese for topping
- 1 tbsp minced parsley for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Wash mushrooms and carefully take off the stems. Toss mushroom caps lightly in olive oil and set aside. (Save stems.)
- Preheat a medium cooking pan over medium heat, add a little oil and cook sausage, breaking it apart as much as possible.
- Dice mushroom stems and add them to the sausage about half way through cooking. Cook until sausage is done.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cooked sausage, cream cheese, pressed garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and Mozzarella cheese and mix until all is evenly incorporated.
- Stuff each mushroom cap with some of the filling, pressing it in gently and add enough to have a dome on top.
- Place mushroom caps in a lightly greased baking dish.
- Sprinkle with a little more cheese and parsley on top and bake for 20-22 minutes. (Time will slightly depend on the size of mushrooms by 2-4 minutes.)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Carla says
They were so fab!
lyuba says
Thanks, Carla!
Himalayansalt says
These look so delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Trish says
Outstanding!! Made these for New Year’s Eve, everyone loved them…will make again:)
lyuba says
I am SO happy to hear that, Trish!
Thank you 🙂
AdrianeC says
I have made these twice and taken them to people’s houses for an appetizer and everyone love them and needed the recipe. I can’t eat pork sausage so I made them with turkey sausage and they were still delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
lyuba says
Wonderful! Thank you so much, Adriane!
[email protected] says
Made these for a family gathering, and even my father-in-law, who hates mushrooms, but loves cheese and sausage, liked them! A great appetizer or potluck dish!
Greta says
Love them!
LyubaB says
Thanks, Greta 🙂