An easy and crowd pleasing appetizer – these Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms have fresh mushrooms that are stuffed with sausage and cream cheese.
Appetizers are a favorite around here, and these Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms are right at the top of our list! Check out some other favorites, like this Baked Brie Recipe with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, this Queso Blanco, this Cheese Ball Recipe, or Homemade Egg Roll Recipe.
I am all about the appetizer recipes, especially at the end of the year. I’m making my list for our annual all-appetizers New Years Eve dinner menu, and these Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms usually make that list!
And these stuffed mushrooms – ladies and gentlemen – are a recipe that you want in your holiday arsenal. Believe me – you will make these and watch them disappear. And you will be the most popular person at the party. I’m not even kidding you.
The Secret to the BEST Stuffed Mushrooms
You might wonder why these are so good – the ingredients are quite basic, and probably not very different than a lot of stuffed mushroom recipes out there. But I’m going to give you the big secret – and please don’t get grossed out because it totally makes a difference.
You don’t drain the fat from the sausage.
That sausage fat is the secret ingredient. It’s what keeps these mushrooms moist and full of flavor. If you take that out, you’ll end up with dry, run of the mill mushrooms. Please just trust me on this one. I’ve had more than one (or a dozen) of these so I really know. 🙂
I have made this Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms recipe dozens of times now, and I don’t think I’ve ever been left with any at the end of the night!
Ingredients
Sausage: I don’t know why, but the first time I made these, I used breakfast sausage (the kind that comes in the tube) and have continued to do that to this day. Italian sausage will work, as well, but it’s easy to get the breakfast sausage into small crumbles, and the flavor really does work well for this recipe.
Cream Cheese: I have only tested these using full fat cream cheese. I’m guessing reduced fat would work, but I have not tried it.
Parmesan Cheese: I like to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Parsley: This adds a bit of freshness and herbiness. You could probably get away with skipping it if you don’t have it, but I personally wouldn’t skip it!
Sage: Most sausage (especially breakfast sausage) will have sage in it, so this really intensifies that flavor. Again, if you don’t have it, it wouldn’t be the end of the world to leave it out, but I love the flavor of the extra sage.
Mushrooms: I like to buy my mushrooms at Costco because they are bigger than the mushrooms at the grocery store. They are easier to fill, and easier to serve. Both small and large will work, though. The number of mushrooms you end up with from this recipe will depend on how big your mushrooms are.
How to Make Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
COOK the sausage, breaking it up as it browns. Do not drain the grease from the sausage when it is done cooking.
COMBINE the cream cheese, Parmesan, parsley and sage in a large bowl.
ADD the cooked sausage, grease and all! Mix to combine.
STUFF the mushrooms by setting the cleaned mushrooms upside down and filling the cavity with the sausage filling.
BAKE the mushrooms until they are soft and the filling has browned on top. Let the mushrooms sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes once they are done baking to soak up any juices in the pan.
More Easy Appetizers
Southwest Egg Rolls
Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip
Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos
BLT Dip
Cucumber Dill Toasties
LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 16 oz sausage
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 2 lbs mushrooms stems removed and cleaned*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a medium skillet, cook the sausage until it is browned and cooked through, breaking it up as it cooks. Do not drain.
- In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, parsley and sage. Add the cooked sausage (including the grease) and mix until combined.
- Place the mushrooms, top side down, in a large baking dish. (You may need 2 baking dishes, depending on the size of the mushrooms.) Fill the center of each mushroom with a large scoop of the sausage mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the mushrooms are softened and the filling is browned. (See tips below about baking time.)
- Let the mushrooms sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes to soak up any juices before serving.
McKenzie says
These mushrooms are always a hit! I’ve made them a ton of times using the standard recipe, but have also started to riff on it and use up odds and ends from the fridge, like the last couple of green onions, different kinds of cheese, or a bit of leftover pot roast. One tip I’ll share is that I trim the stems of the mushrooms and then dice up any parts that are tender enough to eat and toss them in to sauté with the sausage. Those bits pick up a ton of flavor, bulk up the stuffing quantity, and help to eliminate a teensy bit more food waste.
Deborah says
Such a good idea!!
Cathleen J says
I first made these years ago for a holiday party, but now my family asks for them all the time!
randy says
These were a hit for my whole family!
Jeanene says
Great recipe! I love chopping the mushroom stems and adding to the filling. No waste!!!!
Dawn says
I doubled this meat mixture, thinking it wouldn’t be enough for the amount of mushrooms I had. Now I have leftover meat n cheese mixture. Any idea what I can use it for??
Deborah says
Hi Dawn – You could eat it as a dip (just heat it up) with crackers or chips. Or use it to stuff jalapenos or mini peppers for a twist on jalapeno poppers.
Cindy Davis says
This recipe was awesome!Will be making it again tomorrow!
Debbie says
does anyone put mozzarella on top .
Dawn says
I did a mozzarella n provolone Sprinkle on top when 5 minutes were left.
Caree says
The filling was just okay but the cooking time was way off! I was making these for a party. I stuffed them and popped them in the oven as directed at 400 and set a timer for 40 minutes. They came out a burnt mess. The topping was hard and the mushrooms were burned and tasted nasty. I won’t make these again
Deborah says
Hi Caree, I’m so sorry the mushrooms burned! I always make these with large mushrooms, but the bake time will depend on the size of the mushrooms. I have updated the recipe card and included a note about the bake time if you decided to give them another try.
Sheldon says
I make it with ground Hot Italian sausage for a little extra kick. Any left over filling is great on Ritz crackers.
Casey says
Love these. Finally a yummy stuffed mushroom recipe for someone who’s allergic to seafood. I like to chop up a jalapeño and add it to the mix if I’m feeling sassy. I also put a quarter slice of Swiss cheese on top of each mushroom with about 5 min of cooking time left. It’s great because it melts and kind of holds the top together. Thank you!
Eileen Particelli says
Can you freeze these mushrooms? Would like to make a head of time.
Deborah says
I haven’t tried, but I think they would be fine as long as they are frozen before they are baked.
dawn says
I love this recipe very much. In fact I make a little more stuffing and mixed it in scrambled eggs next morning. Mmm good. Thanks
Trisha Powell says
Just wanted to add what I do with leftovers and Dawn reminded me. I also make scrambled eggs, use the warm stuffing mix as a base for flour tortillas, next layer scrambled eggs on top, and finish with some salsa. Delish!
Kathy Donnelly says
The mixture was very runny. It is still baking so I’m hoping it will “plump” up. I’ll let you know
Kathy says
My mistake! I misread and used 2 lb. sausage.
Nancy chan says
Can I bake the mushrooms with fillings in the air fryer
Deborah says
I haven’t tried these in an air fryer, so I’m not sure, but I’m guessing they would work!
dawn says
I made these in my air fryer 390 degrees for 5 minutes then checked and 3 more minutes. they were delicious.
Karen says
Can you cook the sausage and stuff the mushrooms ahead of time then take out if fridge to bake them later?
Deborah says
Yes! You may need to bake them a little longer since they will start out cold, but that will work.
Ken McNeil says
My family truly loved them and my son is doing this recipe today for the Browns /Steelers Garm 👏👍💥💥