Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage

This is a great appetizer to throw together when you are feeding a crowd. These stuffed mushrooms are filling and delicious! I used chicken italian sausage in this recipe to cut down on the fat (turkey italian sausage would work great, too). If you can’t get the sausage to crumble into little pieces, give cooked pieces a whirl in the food processor for just a minute. You can make the filling ahead of time  and fill the mushrooms when you are ready to bake. Also, I froze a batch of fully stuffed, unbaked mushrooms on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When the mushrooms are completely frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place appetizers into a freezer bag. Keep in the freezer and bake in oven for a great and easy last minute appetizer.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (makes 20 mushrooms):

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

salt and pepper to taste

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp anchovy paste (optional)

1 shallot, minced

3 links uncooked chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped finely

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

20 large white button stuffing mushrooms

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add in garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add crushed red pepper and anchovy paste to the pan. Stir until paste has melted into the oil. Add shallots, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until shallot become translucent. Add raw sausage and break up into little pieces with wooden spoon. Add balsamic vinegar, let cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer sausage mixture to medium mixing bowl. Add parsley, Parmesan cheese and remaining two tbsp of olive oil. Taste filling, salt and pepper accordingly. Clean and remove stems from 20 mushrooms. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Using a teaspoon, fill mushrooms (gently) with filling and place on baking sheet. Bake in over for approximately 15 minutes – remove when filling is bubbly and mushrooms are beginning to get brown around the tops (see picture). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tagged as: appetizer, chicken sausage, mushroom cap, mushrooms, parsley, recipe, sausage, stuffed mushrooms