These sausage stuffed mushrooms are button or cremini mushroom caps marinated in vinegar and oil, then filled with browned Italian sausage, cream cheese, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic, and parsley. The chopped stems go into the filling too. They bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are golden, and one batch makes 20, so they are an easy appetizer for a holiday party. You can make the filling a day ahead and stuff the caps right before baking.
Most of the ingredients are ones you may already have on hand, and every step is simple, so it is a good recipe for beginner cooks.
The caps marinate in the vinegar and oil while the sausage browns, so the whole recipe comes together in under an hour.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- An easy party appetizer for holidays, game days, and potlucks.
- Straightforward ingredients you may already have on hand.
- Savory and cheesy, with Italian sausage, cream cheese, and Parmesan in every bite.
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make this sausage stuffed mushrooms recipe
This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prep Mushrooms: Clean mushrooms by wiping with a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush. Using your hands, remove the mushroom stems and set them aside (don’t discard the stems).
Recipe Tip: Gently wipe each mushroom with a damp paper towel or use a mushroom brush. This removes dirt without putting the mushrooms in water, which can make them soggy. Avoid washing them under running water as mushrooms absorb water easily, which will affect their texture when cooked.
- Marinate Mushroom Caps: Transfer the mushroom caps to a large mixing bowl and toss with vinegar and oil. Set aside to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pull out and set aside a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Cook Sausage: To a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground sausage and cook until it’s browned and cooked through and reaches 160°F internally, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. This usually takes 5 to 7 minutes.
- Chop Mushroom Stems: While the sausage is cooking, finely chop the mushroom stems.
- Remove Excess Grease: Remove the skillet from the heat and use a paper towel to blot away any excess grease from the sausage. Alternatively, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Prepare Sausage Filling: To a mixing bowl, add the cooked sausage, chopped mushroom stems, softened cream cheese, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix everything until it reaches the consistency of a stuffing.
- Stuff Mushrooms: Take each marinated mushroom cap and use a small spoon to stuff them generously with the sausage mixture, pressing it in gently, to form a small mound. Then, transfer each stuffed mushroom to your baking pan.
- Bake Stuffed Mushrooms: Transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and the stuffing is golden brown on top.
- Serve: Remove the baking pan from the oven and let the mushrooms cool for a few minutes before moving them to a serving platter.
👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions
- Italian Sausage: Use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Cream Cheese: Goat cheese or ricotta can be used.
- Breadcrumbs: Sub in panko breadcrumbs or even crushed crackers.
- Parmesan Cheese: Swap with Asiago or Romano cheese.
- Garlic: ½ teaspoon garlic powder can be used.
- Parsley: Use other herbs like fresh basil or cilantro.
✨ Variations
- Add red pepper flakes or diced jalapeños to the stuffing for some added heat.
- Sprinkle other spices or seasonings into the stuffing, like smoked paprika, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and/or Italian seasoning.
- Add more varieties of cheese, like shredded mozzarella or blue cheese, to the stuffing.
- Stir in chopped green onions or chives to the stuffing.
- Mix in some chopped cooked shrimp or crab meat to the stuffing.
💬 FAQs
Can sausage stuffed mushrooms be made in advance?
Yes, follow these instructions:
1. Clean Mushrooms (1 to 2 Days in Advance): Clean and remove the stems from the mushrooms, then finely chop the stems and refrigerate them in a separate covered container for the filling. Store the cleaned mushroom caps in a paper towel-lined container or a plastic bag and refrigerate.
2. Prepare Filling (1 Day in Advance): Cook sausage, then mix it with the chopped mushroom stems, cream cheese, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Once mixed, transfer filling to an airtight container and refrigerate.
3. Stuff Mushrooms (Day Of): Take prepared filling and cleaned mushroom caps out of the refrigerator, then marinate for 10 to 15 minutes in vinegar and oil. Stuff the marinated mushrooms with filling.
4. Bake (Day Of): Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake the stuffed mushrooms as instructed (see Step #9 in recipe card). You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time to account for the cold filling and mushrooms.
How should sausage stuffed mushrooms be stored?
Let them cool, then transfer them to an airtight container, using parchment paper between layers, if needed. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (32 ounces) whole white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms
- 3 Tablespoons vinegar (white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar will work)
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ pound ground Italian sausage
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Prep Mushrooms: Clean mushrooms by wiping with a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush. Using your hands, remove stems and set aside (don’t discard stems).
- Marinate Mushroom Caps: Transfer mushroom caps to a large mixing bowl and toss with vinegar and oil. Set aside to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Pull out and set aside a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Cook Sausage: To a large skillet over medium heat, add ground sausage and cook until it’s browned and cooked through and reaches 160°F internally, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. This usually takes 5 to 7 minutes.
- Chop Mushroom Stems: While sausage is cooking, finely chop mushroom stems.
- Remove Excess Grease: Remove skillet from heat and use a paper towel to blot away any excess grease from the sausage. Alternatively, transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Prepare Sausage Filling: To a mixing bowl, add cooked sausage, chopped mushroom stems, softened cream cheese, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix everything until it reaches the consistency of a stuffing.
- Stuff Mushrooms: Take each marinated mushroom cap and use a small spoon to stuff them generously with sausage mixture, pressing it in gently, to form a small mound. Then, transfer each stuffed mushroom to your baking pan.
- Bake Stuffed Mushrooms: Transfer baking pan to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and the stuffing is golden brown on top.
- Serve: Remove baking pan from the oven and let mushrooms cool for a few minutes before moving them to a serving platter.
TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE:
- Clean Mushrooms (1 to 2 Days in Advance): Clean and remove the stems from the mushrooms. Finely chop the stems and refrigerate them in a separate covered container for the filling. Store the cleaned mushroom caps in a paper towel-lined container or a plastic bag and refrigerate.
- Prepare Filling (1 Day in Advance): Cook sausage, then mix it with the chopped mushroom stems, cream cheese, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Once mixed, transfer filling to an airtight container and refrigerate.
- Stuff Mushrooms (Day Of): Take prepared filling and cleaned mushroom caps out of the refrigerator, then marinate for 10 to 15 minutes in vinegar and oil. Stuff the marinated mushrooms with filling.
- Bake (Day Of): Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake the stuffed mushrooms as instructed (see Step #9 above). You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time to account for the cold filling and mushrooms.
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