Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Best Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe – These delicious mushrooms feature sausage and tangy cream cheese filling, and are topped with breadcrumbs for a delightful crunch. They’re easy to prep and perfect to serve as a satisfying appetizer, party snack, or main dish.
Why We Love This Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
We love our cream cheese stuffed mushrooms for holiday parties and events. They are an easy prep-ahead recipe that can be baked right before guests arrive and always taste elegant yet homey.
Similar to our chorizo and cheese and seafood versions, this meaty Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms recipe is filled with spicy sausage, cream cheese, and parmesan for a soft interior with robust flavor. It includes breadcrumbs to hold in the moisture and soften the texture of the savory sausage filling. However, you can swap the breadcrumbs for a GF version or even “pork panko” for a keto and grain-free version.
Ingredients You Need
- White button mushrooms – stems removed and caps cleaned (white buttons, cremini mushrooms, baby bellas)
- Ground Italian sausage – your choice of mild or spicy
- Onion – shaved
- Garlic – minced
- Bread crumbs – unseasoned (panko crumbs or regular)
- Cream cheese – softened
- Parmesan cheese – grated
- Italian seasoning – homemade or store-bought
- Crushed red pepper flakes – optional, for a yummy extra kick of heat
- Salt – just a bit to taste
- Parsley or scallions – optional to garnish
How to Make Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Drizzle a small amount of oil in the dish and brush it around the bottom of the sides of the pan.
Clean the mushrooms by dusting off any dirt and debris with a damp paper towel. Do not submerge the mushrooms in water. Then gently remove the stems, leaving an open cavity in the bottom of each mushroom cap. (You can save the mushroom stems for later use or discard them.)
Set out a mixing bowl. Combine the Italian sausage, shaved onion, minced garlic, ½ cup of breadcrumbs, softened cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and salt.
Mix by hand until the mixture is completely smooth.
Set out a small bowl with the remaining ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. One at a time, fill the mushroom cavities with the sausage mixture, gently packing it down into the cavity and then forming a dome over the top.
Roll the top of the sausage mound in extra breadcrumbs.
Place each mushroom cap-side-down in the baking dish.
Get the Complete (Printable) Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Once all the mushroom caps are filled, bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are fully cooked, and the tops are golden brown.
Recipe Variations
- Panko or breadcrumbs – use whichever you prefer
- Gluten-free – easily swap regular breadcrumbs with your favorite GF variety
- Keto-friendly – use pork “breadcrumbs” to make these a delicious keto snack
- Turkey Italian sausage – instead of pork
- Other sausage – use plain ground sausage instead of Italian, or other flavors you like
- Vegan – swap traditional sausage and cheeses with your favorite plant-based alternatives
Serving Suggestions
Tender, tasty sausage stuffed mushrooms are fabulous as an irresistible hors d’oeuvre or appetizer. They are a finger food that begs to be plucked off of a serving platter! Serve them alongside other cocktail party classics like Clams Casino, Spicy Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese, and Baked Camembert Cheese.
You’ll agree these hearty filled shrooms are satisfying enough to be a main dish. Pair them with a simple green salad or your favorite carby side dishes… They go well with rice or orzo, pasta noodles, mashed potatoes, or even just with hunks of warm and crusty garlic bread. You really can’t go wrong here!
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a great recipe to prep a day or two before an event. Cover the dish well and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Be sure to gently clean them without completely submerging the caps in water. Otherwise, this water will get absorbed into the mushrooms and then released when baked.
Also, over-stuffing the mushrooms with the cream cheese and Italian sausage filling helps to prevent them from getting too moist and mushy.
Sausage cream cheese stuffed mushrooms taste best soon after baking. But leftovers will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge. Let them cool completely before placing them in an airtight container and refrigerating.
Yes, but they should be frozen BEFORE baking. After filling with the sausage and cream cheese mixture and coating with breadcrumbs, flash-freeze the mushrooms for 1 hour on a baking sheet. Then place them all together in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat mushrooms from frozen, bake them at 400°F for an additional 20 minutes (so about 45-50 minutes total).
Looking for More Easy Appetizer Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Mini Spinach Ricotta Calzones
- Creamy Sausage Cheese Dip
- Stuffed Tomatoes with Cheese Soufflé
- Baked Cheesy Pretzel Poppers
- Zesty Prosciutto Cheese Rolls
Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound button mushrooms
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- ¼ cup shaved onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs divided (sub GF panko or pork panko for low carb)
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional Garnish: chopped parsley or scallions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Drizzle a small amount of oil in the dish and brush it around the bottom of the sides of the pan.
- Clean the mushrooms by dusting off any dirt and debris with a damp paper towel. Do not submerge the mushrooms in water. Then gently remove the stems, leaving an open cavity in the bottom of each mushroom cap. (You can save the mushroom stems for a later use or discard.)
- Set out a mixing bowl. Combine the Italian sausage, shaved onion, minced garlic, ½ cup of breadcrumbs, soften cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and salt. Mix by hand until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Set out a small bowl with the remaining ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. One at a time, fill the mushroom cavities with the sausage mixture, gently packing it down into the cavity and then forming a dome over the top.
- Roll the top of the sausage mound in extra breadcrumbs and place mushroom-side-down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms. It’s ok if the mushrooms are packed into the pan and touching.
- Once all the mushroom caps are filled, bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are fully cooked, and the tops are golden brown. Serve warm.
Tried this Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe and I’m glad that I did’ i’m adding this recipe to our list of favorites!
Yum!! I love the filling!! I am making these for a Thanksgiving appetizer for sure!! My family is going to love them! They are small, but big in flavor!
We are addicted to these stuffed mushrooms, even the picky liked them. The filling is a winner. I’m adding this recipe to our meal rotation.