Say hello to the ultimate holiday party appetizer recipe: Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms! White button mushrooms are stuffed with a creamy sausage filling and topped with parmesan cheese, then baked to perfection. These never last long!
Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Caps
When it comes to holiday appetizer recipes, nothing gets me more excited than a hot tray of stuffed mushroom caps. Especially when they’re done right!
Proper stuffed mushrooms should be tender yet crispy, with TONS of filling (fill that cap all the way up to the top, baby), and gooey cheese on top! And while you can stuff your mushrooms with almost anything, my current favorite stuffed mushroom recipe features a cheesy sausage mixture that’s topped with parmesan cheesecake and baked to perfection. A sprinkle of fresh parsley adds a pop of color and freshness!
These basically fly off the tray, so make sure you have enough for guests to eat 3 or 4. Because they will!
Stuffed Mushrooms Ingredients
- Fresh White Mushrooms: Look for larger ones if possible! These will hold more filling, and their shape better as they bake. Portobello mushrooms make a fine substitute if desired.
- Olive Oil: The oil is divided in the recipe, meaning you’ll use it in two different parts. Any olive oil will work, no need to get fancy here.
- Italian sausage: I prefer sweet Italian sausage, but spicy may be used. Whatever variety you use, removed it from the casing before cooking.
- Shallots: A small yellow onion may be used 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 pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes add spice and flavor. Please use fresh herbs!
- White Wine: I prefer a dry white here, use anything you enjoy the taste of. If you don’t consume alcohol, chicken broth will work as a sub.
- Mascarpone Cheese: If you can’t find this, cream cheese makes a fine 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.
- Parmesan: I like finely shredded for texture, but grated will work in a pinch.
- Parsley: This is an optional ingredient, but if you do use it, be sure to use FRESH parsley, not dried.
Let’s Make Stuffed Mushrooms
- Preheat the oven. Clean the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel. Then remove the stems and hallow them out. I discard my mushrooms stems, but some people like to add the chopped mushrooms stems to the filling, and you may absolutely do that if you desire. It makes the filling a little more watery in my opinion.
- Add the sausage to a large pan and cook the sausage until no pink remains. Reduce to medium heat and add in the spices, herbs, and wine.
- Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and cool. Then add the cheese, bread crumbs and parmesan. The mixture should be very thick.
- Stuff the mushroom caps. Be generous with the filling, letting it mound over the rim of the cap.
- Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese, arrange the mushrooms in a baking pan or on a baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown. Serve warm!
More Italian sausage Recipes:
- Italian Sausage and Peppers
- Italian Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup
- Italian Sausage and Peppers Stuffed Mushrooms
- Italian Sausage Meatballs
- Italian Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Boats
- Italian Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Stuffed Dumplings
Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 24 whole fresh white mushrooms
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound (454g) sweet Italian sausage casings removed
- 2 small shallots peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 cup (57ml) dry white wine
- 8 ounces (227g) mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup (40g) panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley minced, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease a large baking sheet (or line with parchment paper).Â
- Carefully clean the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel, removing all dirt and grit. Then gently remove the mushroom stems and, using the tip of a small spoon, hollow out the center of the mushrooms.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons (28ml) of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains, about 8 minutes.Â
- Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons (28ml) of olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for another minute or two, just until fragrant.Â
- Pour in the wine to deglaze the skillet, scraping any stuck bits from the bottom, and allowing the liquid to evaporate for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove the pan from heat.
- Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and set aside and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the mascarpone cheese, panko bread crumbs, parmesan, and parsley. The mixture should be very thick.Â
- Using a small spoon, stuff each mushroom cap with a generous amount of the filling, letting it significantly mound over the rim of the cap.Â
- Sprinkle each cap with about 1 teaspoon of additional Parmesan cheese. Arrange the mushroom caps neatly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and bake until the stuffing is deeply browned and liquid starts to form under the caps, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm!Â
Sandy says
Can u prep these a day ahead
christine says
going to make these they look delicious but can you use any thing in place of mascarpone cheese
Ashley Manila says
Cream cheese will make a fine sub 🙂
Maureen says
Looking to make and take to party. Can I make ahead??? Don’t see any info on that.. thank you
KissTheChef says
Gonna make these for an upcoming party…. But I have to ask, what’s the “parmesan cheesecake”????? It’s in the second paragraph towards the end… I’m sure that it is just that you type cheesecake often and it auto populated that word, but it did give me a chuckle…Thanks for the recipe….