Appetizers Pork

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

October 31, 2014

A few days ago I got back from visiting my friends Carol and Mike, who just had a baby girl! I couldn’t wait to meet her! You may remember my visit to their house last year. I knew with a 2-month-old in the house that we’d be hanging out at home mostly. This was ok with me because I knew Carol would be down with making some goodies in the kitchen. We found these Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms in the latest issue of Food Network magazine. There were several variations, but these sounded so good with all the cheese and fennel. These hearty appetizers would also be great for watching the game later that night!

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

So, how’s it taste?

Everyone loved them! I was worried the fennel would be too prominent and that Carol’s husband Mike wouldn’t like them, but he approved! I love cooked fennel because it gets so mellow and just insanely delicious. It was a nice change using it over onion, but you could certainly sub onion if fennel isn’t your thing. The olives sounded like an odd addition, but they really went well with everything else. The smell of the sausage mixture assured me that we were about to eat something awesome. We only had seasoned breadcrumbs and I think they worked better than plain. Even with all those stuffing ingredients, it still needed that extra boost. These were so good that we all inhaled about six of them each in one sitting. I could not get over how well they turned out! Bookmark these for your next gathering. The perfect party appetizer and you can make them ahead!

Yield: 24 mushrooms

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

24 large cremini mushrooms
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt
4 oz. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1/2 finely chopped fennel bulb
2 chopped garlic cloves
red pepper flakes
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded Fontina
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. chopped green olives

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Remove stems from mushrooms and finely chop for the filling.

2. Wipe the caps clean with a damp paper towel; toss with olive oil and season with salt. Arrange on a baking sheet.

3. Cook sausage in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add fennel and mushroom stems. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and season with red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute. Let cool.

4. Mix cooled sausage mixture with breadcrumbs, Fontina, Parmesan, parsley, and olives. Divide mixture among mushroom caps.

5. Bake until mushrooms are tender and filing is golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and serve.

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  • Toni October 31, 2014 at 10:45 am

    My family loves stuffed mushrooms, and I can’t wait to make these.

  • Cailee+@+http://hellohealthyeating.com November 1, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    Congrats to your friends on their baby! SO exciting! These look delicious too! Perf for a little finger food πŸ™‚ CUTE!

  • Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron November 1, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    These look delicious! Love the simplicity, and sausage + mushroom is a can’t go wrong combo πŸ™‚

  • Olivia+-+Primavera+Kitchen November 2, 2014 at 10:03 am

    Leah, congrats to your friends on their baby!!! It is such a special moment!
    Your recipe looks awesome and very tasty!! Have an awesome Sunday πŸ˜‰

  • Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice November 2, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    Stuffed mushrooms are just about my favorite appetizer ever, Leah! These sausage mushrooms look amazing! Such a great combo!

  • Isadora November 2, 2014 at 8:27 pm

    I was just looking at that issue of the Foodnetwork magazine and these mushrooms looked delicious! I’m glad to know that you guys all enjoyed them! I’ve never cooked with fennel before, but I’ve been wanting to use it and these mushrooms loos like the perfect way πŸ™‚

  • Annie @Maebells November 3, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    Yum!!! These look awesome! I am kind of obsessed with fennel so this is right up my alley! I have to make soon! πŸ™‚

  • Natalie @ Tastes Lovely November 5, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    I love stuffed mushrooms! The fennel sounds like a yummy addition, great mix of flavors. Glad you had a good visit with your friends!