sausage stuffed mushrooms

you’ve probably noticed by now that i’ve got a bit of sweet tooth. cake over steak. i’m usually happy to let the girl do most of the cooking (she’s an amazing cook), but there are times when i have to break out ingredients other than butter and sugar. the results? indulgent. full of bacon.

another common theme: appetizers for dinner. i love making a bunch of little finger foods and just eating them as a meal. growing up, this was a treat reserved for new years eve, complete with mozzarella sticks, potato skins, nachos and *gasp* birch beer (best soda ever). since i’m still young enough that it’s a novelty to go to the grocery store and get whatever i want, if i want snacks for dinner now, that’s what i’m having.

these stuffed mushrooms are straight up indulgent and flavorful bites that work just as well as a main dish as they do party starters. the combination of sweet sausage and earthy mushrooms mixed with caramelized onions and hints of parmesan cheese will make you rethink how you do dinner too. and the way the sausage just crisps up in the oven – i could go on if you want…

the great thing about recipes like this is that you can mix and match any ingredients you like. try turkey or chicken sausage (just had this for the first time recently – surprisingly good!). throw in any spices or herbs you might like, or even mix in some wild mushrooms for a kick.

i don’t actually have any pictures of the mushrooms once they came out of the oven. there’s a perfectly good reason – we finished them off before i could break out the camera. seriously.

sausage stuffed mushrooms
makes about 20 mushrooms. great for a party!

20 medium-sized mushrooms (also called “stuffing mushrooms”)
8 oz sweet italian sausage
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 Tbsp parsley
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
1 small diced onion
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling

1. wash and stem the mushrooms. carefully cut off the sausage casing and crumble the sausage into small pieces. dice the mushroom stems and saute with a few drops of oil,  the sausage, onion, garlic, parsley and salt and pepper.

2. cook until sausage is lightly browned and remove from heat. pour into large bowl and mix with bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese.

3. stuff mushroom caps with sausage mixture while it is still warm and drizzle with olive oil. bake on an ungreased baking sheet at  350 F for 20 minutes.