This stuffed mushroom recipe makes the perfect appetizer or side dish. Scrumptious and savory, it will keep your guests satisfied until the big holiday meal is ready. I normally serve stuffed mushrooms before Christmas dinner, though they can be a deliciously unique accompaniment to your traditional Thanksgiving meal!
Each year when the holiday season approaches, I get so excited to make this creamy stuffed mushrooms. They’re packed full of savory Italian sausage, aromatic onion and garlic, seasonings and velvety cream cheese . Really, you can make these bite sized appetizer any time of year. But they’re so fantastic that I love sharing them with family and friends.
If you’re hosting a holiday gathering at your home this year and need more appetizer inspiration, be sure to check out my Holiday Cheese Board, Baked Brie With Cranberry Sauce, Easy Deviled Eggs, Cocktail Meatballs or these yummy Shrimp Guacamole Bites. These delicious finger-foods will certainly delight guests and bring extra cheer to your celebration.
- Olive oil — Just a touch to grease your baking sheet.
- Sausage — I generally use sweet Italian sausage, but you could use a spicy variety, if preferred.
- Onion — A yellow onion is my preference, though white is also fine.
- Garlic — Freshly minced, whole cloves!
- Mushrooms — baby bella mushrooms (also known as cremini mushrooms) works well. Or even white button mushrooms, white mushrooms and portobello mushrooms.
- Cheese — Cream cheese and freshly grated parmesan.
- Seasonings — Keep it simple with salt and pepper or experiment with your favorites.
- Fresh parsley leaves — Chopped up and added to stuffed mushroom filling. Reserve some for garnish, if desired.
ps: I want to make a gluten-free appetizer for this reason I didn’t use panko crumbs or regular bread crumbs in this recipe. But if you prefer, sprinkle from Panko on top of the Sausage Stuffed Mushroom.
Instructions
Prepare mushrooms:
- First, preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a large baking sheet with some olive oil or cooking spray. Or if you prefer, you can line a baking sheet or a baking dish with parchment paper.
- Next, clean the mushroom with a damp paper towel.
- Then, remove the stem from each mushroom and set them aside. Use a melon baller to hollow out each cap by removing the gills and a bit of flesh.
- Chop up stems so they can be added to the filling mixture. You can also save the gills and flesh from your mushroom caps to include in filling, if desired.
Prepare filling: or stuffing
- Measure olive oil into a large skillet on the stovetop and turn heat to medium heat.
- Remove casings and add sausage links to the skillet. Break meat apart into large, crumbly pieces and sauté until fully browned.
- Stir in diced onion, chopped mushroom stems and minced garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, until onion softens.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to a large bowl and let it cool a bit. Add cream cheese, parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Mix well!
Stuff hollowed mushrooms:
- Place mushrooms on your prepared baking sheet, and stuff each cap with cream cheese filling.
- Bake stuffed mushrooms for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve:
- Remove mushrooms from the oven and then garnish with chopped parsley for extra flavor. Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- When washing mushrooms, don’t completely immerse them in water. This can make them soggy.
- To speed up the process of hollowing out your mushrooms, use a melon baller.
- You can hollow out your mushrooms up to a week in advance. Store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator (avoid using plastic, they won’t keep as long).
- Use your favorite type of sausage in this recipe! You can even substitute chicken or turkey sausage.
- To Store: Allow leftover Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms to cool completely and then place them in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze Stuffed Mushrooms: Cooked, leftover stuffed mushrooms will not hold up well in the freezer so I don’t recommend storing them this way. However, you can fully assemble your stuffed mushrooms, stop short of baking them, and freeze un-cooked.
- To Reheat: Though it takes extra time, It’s best to reheat stuffed mushrooms in the oven or toaster oven. Preheat to 350°F and bake for 10-15 minutes, until completely warmed through. You can microwave your mushrooms, but they may become tough or dry.
Sausage Stuffed Mushroom can be made ahead of time! This is fantastic news if you’re hosting, because coordinating the preparation of many different dishes can get tricky.
To make mushrooms ahead of time:
- Clean and hollow out mushroom cavities.
- Prepare and cook filling on the stovetop.
- Stuff raw mushrooms with cooked filling.
- Line stuffed raw mushrooms on a baking sheet to freeze. After a few hours you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag or container. This prevents them from sticking together in the freezer.
- Store frozen for up to three months.
- Bake from frozen, according to the recipe instructions. Keep in mind that it may take a few minutes longer for the mushrooms to warm through completely. I don’t recommend thawing them first, as the raw mushroom “shell” can become mushy. Just pop them right in the oven, straight from the freezer!
Note: you can also simply place unbaked, Sausage Stuffed Mushroom in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before baking.
In the mood for more mushrooms? I’ve got LOTS of delicious recipes for you!
- Easy Garlic Butter Mushroom Skillet
- Pan Seared Steak with Mushrooms
- Mushroom Cauliflower Rice Skillet Recipe
- Portobello Mushroom Bun Burgers with Guacamole
- Spinach, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Slab Frittata
- One-Pan Chicken in Mushroom Sauce
- Rice with Mushroom and Asparagus
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 18 baby bell or cremini mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb Italian sausage
- ¼ cup onion chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- ½ cup cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley plus extra for garnish
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Remove the stems from each mushroom. Chop up the stems and set aside, then hollow out mushroom caps.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and place on medium-high heat. Remove sausage casings and add it to the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat into coarse pieces and cook until fully browned (5-6 minutes.).
- In the same skillet, add onion, chopped mushrooms stems and minced garlic. Cook until onion softens, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to a mixing bowl, and let it cool slightly. Add cream cheese, parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Place the mushrooms on prepared baking sheet, and stuff hollowed caps with filling.
- Baked stuffed mushrooms for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and browned. Remove from the oven and top with additional chopped parsley.
Notes
- When washing mushrooms, don’t immerse them fully in water. This can lead to sogginess.
- The easiest way to hollow out mushrooms for the filling is by using a melon baller.
- You can hollow mushrooms out a week in advance. Store in a paper bag in the refrigerator.
- You can use any type of sausage you prefer in this recipe.
- To store: Place mushrooms in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- To reheat: Reheat the stuffed mushrooms in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. Do not thaw before baking.
- To freeze: Freeze unbaked stuffed mushrooms for up to 3 months. Baked stuffed mushrooms don’t hold up well in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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