This quick and easy Christmas Appetizer for Mini Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms can be made ahead of time and popped in the oven right before you serve them!
I prepared all of the ingredients for these Mini Italian Stuffed Mushrooms ahead of time, so that all I have to do is spoon the filling into the mushroom caps, add a little cheese over the top and toss them in the oven. Making meals and appetizers ahead of time on and around Christmas will not only allow you to spend more time with family, but it will save your sanity!
Not only do these Mini Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms make a great appetizer, they even make a great main dish. Substitute the mini portobello mushrooms for the larger ones, and stuff those. Stuffed mushrooms are also a great vessel for sneaking in extra vegetables. If your kids like mushrooms and will eat these, puree a little zucchini or spinach and mix it up with the filling.
I didn’t serve any dipping sauce this time with my stuffed mushrooms, but if you want to add a dipping sauce for your mushrooms, heat up some leftover Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce, or make a quick marinara by simmering 1 large can of tomato sauce with a couple basil leaves, a clove of garlic smashed and about 1/8 cup of grated parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
1 lb mini portobello mushrooms (usually the bigger package), washed and dried
1 onion, cut into large chunks
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tsp salt
1 tsp each, black pepper and Italian seasoning
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh parsley
3 links Italian sausage, casing removed or 1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/8 cup shredded mozzarella
shredded mozzarella, to top
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Start by preparing mushrooms by removing the stems. Place reserved stems in the bowl of your food processor. With a small spoon, or a grapefruit spoon, carefully remove the insides of the mushroom.
In the bowl of your food processor with reserved mushroom stems, add onion and garlic. Pulse quickly until everything is in large chunks. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter. Heat until shimmering. Add Italian sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces until no longer pink. Remove sausage from pan, and add veggies from the food processor.
Cook vegetables in sausage fat and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning until softened – about 10 minutes.
Add back in sausage and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool a little – about 10 minutes. If you’re making these Italian Stuffed mushrooms ahead of time, stop at this step and refrigerate until ready to cook then follow the rest of the steps of this recipe.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine parsley, parmesan, mozzarella and bread crumbs. Add cooled sausage and veggie mixture to cheese and bread crumbs and stir until combined.
Place mushroom caps on a parchment lined baking sheet. Fill each mushroom with about 2 tbsp of filling. Top with extra mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly and golden brown, and the mushroom caps are fork tender.
Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes and serve with or without crockpot spaghetti sauce to dip.
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