These easy Italian Stuffed Mushrooms are little gems of amazingness! Each one is loaded with sausage, spinach, garlic, and parmesan cheese…making each bite pure perfection. They make great appetizers for your next party, holiday, or even as a dinner option if you make them with larger mushrooms.
What type of mushrooms to use in stuffed mushrooms
There is no competition with this one. The only answer is portobello mushrooms, also known as crimini mushrooms. They come in the “baby” version, which work great if you are making appetizers. The other option are large portobellos which are the ones you would purchase if you want to use the recipe as a main dish instead.
Yes, the white button mushrooms are less expensive but they are also “less” in how they turn out. Portobellos are just “meatier” in both texture and flavor so spend the bit extra for the better mushrooms.
What type of sausage is best in Italian stuffed mushrooms?
This all depends on your own personal preference. You have three basic options to choose from:
- Mild Ground Italian – this is my personal preference because it is packed with flavor without being overwhelming. It has a hint of sweetness along with the classic Italian seasonings.
- Hot Ground Italian – if you like spicy foods, you will love this option for your stuffed mushrooms. Spice levels aren’t too crazy. Just enough to add a bit of heat to your dish.
- Regular Ground Breakfast – while this is definitely an option, it is my least favorite because it is just too neutral of a flavor option. It is basically just ground pork with a bit of seasoning. Since each mushroom only has a bit of sausage in each one, you need one of the other options to give them enough flavor.
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Print Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
Perfect little bites of deliciousness for your next party, holiday, or even as a main dish at dinner this week!
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 24 mushrooms 1x
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
24 medium portobello mushrooms
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 pound mild ground Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic
Stems from 20 of the mushrooms
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
3 pieces bread, toasted and diced very small
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/3 cup + 2 Tb freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Clean mushrooms with a barely damp towel and remove stems. Save 20 of them for the stuffing.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, the mushroom caps, salt, and pepper. Sauté caps 5-7 minutes until they are lightly browned and tender on the edges.
- Remove from the pan and place mushrooms on a clean towel, insides facing down towards to towel to allow excess moisture to drain away.
- Return skillet to the heat and add sausage. Cook and break it up into small pieces until there is just a bit of pink left in the meat.
- While the sausage cooks, place garlic, mushroom stems, celery, and onion in a food processor. Pulse just until it is chopped into small even pieces. Do not over chop. Add to the sausage and sauté them for together for 3-5 minutes until sausage completely browns and vegetables soften. Transfer into a bowl.
- Add dry spinach and mix to combine. Add bread and 1/3 cup cheese and toss just long enough to evenly distribute in the stuffing. Do not over mix.
- Place mushroom caps on baking sheet and use a small spoon to fill. Be sure the stuffing fills the whole inside of the cap and also piles on top of each mushroom. Sprinkle on remaining 2 tablespoons cheese then bake for 6-8 minutes until stuffing edges begin to crips and cheese melts. Serve immediately.
Notes
* you can use hot Italian sausage if you want to make them with a bit of spice
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mushroom
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
Keywords: easy appetizer recipe
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