These sausage stuffed mushrooms are the ultimate party appetizer with tender mushrooms filled with zesty sausage, savory parmesan cheese, and fragrant rosemary. These will be baked and browned to perfection in only 20 minutes!
These sausage stuffed mushrooms are as easy to eat as they are delicious, making them the perfect finger food appetizer, just like my buffalo chicken dip and chicken crescent rolls! This is one of the best appetizer recipes you will ever make in your kitchen!
The mixture of creamy, cheesy, zesty, and fresh, all stuffed into a little button mushroom, is an explosion of flavor with every mushroom you pop in your mouth. While they take a little time to make, I love prepping them in the morning and then popping them in the refrigerator until later, when they just need to be baked for 20 minutes before enjoying!
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Why This Recipe Works
1. These sausage stuffed mushrooms make the perfect finger food appetizer for any get-together, including game days, dinner parties, or a girl's wine night!
2. You can prep them in the morning, then pop them in the oven just before serving! These are the perfect make-ahead appetizer!
3. The rosemary, sausage, cream cheese, and parmesan combine for an incredibly flavorful filling in each bite, pairing perfectly with the meaty texture of the mushrooms.
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Mushrooms: The perfect meaty texture to hold a cheesy sausage filling. Smaller mushrooms are perfect for one-bite appetizers while larger mushrooms can be used for an entree.
- Sausage: Adds a hearty texture that makes these stuffed mushrooms more filling and satisfying. Depending on the type of sausage you use, it can make the overall flavor more intensely spiced or even spicy (hot).
- Breadcrumbs: For an added crunch, use panko breadcrumbs. They really help the filling bind together.
- Parmesan cheese: Adds a sharp and nutty flavor to the mushrooms.
- Cream cheese: Provides a creamy texture and to help the filling blend and bind together.
- Butter: Use salted butter to make the breadcrumb topping. It holds everything together and browns the topping in the oven.
- Rosemary: Fresh rosemary adds an aromatic and earthy flavor to the filling.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic tastes best.
- Italian seasoning: It's a blend of oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and sage. And it provides the perfect seasoning mixture to every bite.
- Salt and pepper. I like to use sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper for the best flavor.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Sausage - I use regular or seasoned pork sausage for these, but you can use chicken sausage, mild Italian sausage, or even just ground beef. If using links, just remove the casing and crumble it before cooking.
- Types of Mushrooms - Use whole mushrooms. White button mushrooms and cremini mushrooms work best for this recipe. You can also use portabellas if you want to serve these stuffed mushrooms as an entree. They're significantly larger, so keep in mind that the cooking time would need to be increased.
- Breadcrumbs - Instead of regular plain breadcrumbs, try using Italian flavored breadcrumbs. Or, substitute the regular breadcrumbs for a gluten-free version.
- Cheese - Instead of parmesan cheese, you can play with the textures and flavors a bit by substituting with Mozzarella Cheese, Gruyère Cheese, or Goat Cheese.
- Herbs - While rosemary is the perfect complement to this recipe, you can also use fresh parsley, thyme, chives, or freshly chopped green onions.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Rinse the whole mushrooms in a colander. Using a paper towel, gently dry the whole mushrooms, ensuring any dirt is removed.
Step 2: Place several mushrooms on a cutting board. Hold one whole mushroom in one hand. Using the other hand, take a dull kitchen knife and gently twist the stem to separate it from the cap. The stem should come off relatively easily. Continue the process for the rest of the mushrooms, one at a time. Set aside.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips: Another option for removing the stems is to use a gentle rocking motion with the knife to cut them away. You can use a small spoon to scoop out the stem from the cap if you don't want to use a knife.
Step 3: In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking the sausage into small pieces as you stir it with a spoon until browned and fully cooked.
Step 4: Add in the cream cheese, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, 3 of the minced garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
Step 5: Stir the mixture in the skillet until the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese melts and completely coat the sausage. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside, allowing to cool for about 5 minutes.
Step 6: In a small bowl, combine the ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs, the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan, 2 Tablespoons butter, and the remaining 3 cloves of minced garlic.
Step 7-8: Using a spoon, place a heaping amount of the sausage mixture into the cavity of each mushroom. From there, sprinkle the breadcrumb topping on top of the stuffed mushroom. Place the mushroom on the lined cookie sheet. Repeat this process until all the mushrooms are stuffed and topped.
Step 9: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with freshly minced parsley for a beautiful pop of freshness and enjoy!
🙋🏼♀️ Recipe FAQS
If your mushrooms have visible dirt on them (like most mushrooms do), it's a good idea to give them a good wash first. Instead of running them under water, dampen a paper towel and gently wash away any dirt or debris.
Using a spoon to gently remove the gills from the inside of the mushroom can leave more room for stuffing.
💭 Expert Tips
- Avoid powdered or crumbled parmesan cheese. The anti-caking agents used in these products can lead to a gritty texture. Grating your own parmesan will give you the best results.
- For less mess, hold your mushroom over each bowl as you add the sausage mixture and then the breadcrumb topping. You'll waste less and keep your workspace clean.
- Don't waste the mushroom stems! Instead of tossing them out, toss them in a paper bag in the refrigerator for a day, then add them to a pan of oven roasted vegetables.
- To save time, you can make the cream cheese mixture up to 24 hours ahead of time, and stuff the mushrooms up to a few hours before baking. Just keep them covered in the refrigerator, remove 20 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.
- To store leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them back on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes (or until warmed through) in an oven that's been preheated to 350°F.
🥘 More Recipes You'll Love
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Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Equipment
- 1 cookie sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 lbs whole white mushrooms, (about 35)
- 1 lb sausage
- 4 ounces cream cheese,
- 1-2 springs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 minced garlic cloves, divided
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, divided
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Preparing The Mushrooms
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with Parchment paper. Set aside.
- Rinse the whole mushrooms in a colander. Using a paper towel, gently dry all the whole mushrooms, ensuring any dirt is removed.
- Place several mushrooms on a cutting board. Hold one whole mushroom in one hand. Using the other hand, take a dull kitchen knife and gently twist the stem to separate it from the cap. The stem should come off relatively easily. Continue the process for the rest of the mushrooms, one at a time. Set aside.
To Make The Sausage Stuffing
- In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat ensuring to break the sausage into small pieces, until browned and fully cooked.
- Add in the 4 ounces of cream cheese, ¼ cup of Parmesan, 3 of the minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Stir together in the skillet until the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese melt and completely coat the sausage. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside, allowing to cool for about 5 minutes.
To Make The Topping & Stuffing The Mushrooms
- In a small bowl, stir together the ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs, remaining ¼ cup Parmesan, 2 Tablespoons butter, and remaining 3 cloves of minced garlic.
- Using a spoon, put a heaping amount of the sausage mixture into the cavity of each mushroom.
- From there, sprinkle the breadcrumb topping on top of the stuffed mushroom. Place the mushroom on the lined cookie sheet.
- Repeat this process until all the mushrooms are stuffed and topped.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow for to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Avoid powdered or crumbled parmesan cheese. The anti-caking agents used in these products can lead to a gritty texture. Grating your own parmesan will give you the best results.
- For less mess, hold your mushroom over each bowl as you add the sausage mixture and then the breadcrumb topping. You'll waste less and keep your workspace clean.
- To save time, you can make the cream cheese mixture up to 24 hours ahead of time, and stuff the mushrooms up to a few hours before baking. Just keep them covered in the refrigerator, remove 20 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.
- To store leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them back on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes (or until warmed through) in an oven that's been preheated to 350°F.
Jamie
Wow! This is such a cool recipe that everyone can make at home! Definitely looks incredibly delicious! Everything just looks perfect! Loved it!
Amanda Mason
So glad you loved it!!