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Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms are the appetizer that vanishes first at every party, juicy baby bella caps piled high with savory sausage, three cheeses, and a creamy filling that gets golden in the oven, and the first time I brought a tray to a holiday get together they were gone before the second guest took off their coat. If your party lineup includes our jalapeno popper crescent rolls, these belong right next to them.
Ten minutes of prep, one skillet, and a tray of golden, cheesy mushroom caps.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 40 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 385kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory sausage and three cheese filling in a juicy mushroom cap
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our baked cream cheese wonton cups
Quick Answer
Remove and chop the mushroom stems, brown the sausage, and saute the stems in butter. Beat softened cream cheese with an egg until smooth, then mix in the sausage, stems, mozzarella, and parmesan. Stuff the caps with a heaping amount of filling and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes until golden on top.
Jump to:
- Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms FAQs
- Other Recommended Party Appetizer Recipes
- Easy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (with Cream Cheese)
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The chopped stems go back in. Sauteed stems add deep mushroom flavor to the filling and mean zero waste from the pound of baby bellas.
- An egg binds the filling. Beaten into the cream cheese, it sets in the oven so the filling stays piled high instead of melting off the caps.
- Browning the sausage first builds flavor. Fine crumbles get crispy edges in the skillet that a raw sausage filling never develops.
- Three cheeses, three jobs. Cream cheese makes it creamy, mozzarella makes it melty, and parmesan brings the salty, savory punch.
- Draining the sausage keeps caps from getting soggy. A quick rest on paper towels pulls off the extra grease so the mushrooms roast instead of steam.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are a make ahead dream, stuff the caps the night before and bake when guests arrive.
- One skillet and one bowl is the entire cleanup.
- They disappear as fast as our pub style beer cheese dip, so consider making a double batch.
Key Ingredients
Simple grocery store ingredients, big party flavor.
- Baby Bella Mushrooms: Sturdier and more flavorful than white buttons, with caps the perfect two bite size. Pick mushrooms with tightly closed caps.
- Ground Pork Sausage: Regular, sage, or hot breakfast sausage all work. The seasoning in the sausage flavors the entire filling.
- Cream Cheese: Soften it fully so it whips smooth with the egg. It is the creamy glue holding everything together.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan: Mozzarella melts into gooey pockets while parmesan browns on top for that golden finish.
- Egg: The secret to a filling that sets tall and slices clean instead of slumping.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These caps take customization like champs.
- Spicy: Use hot sausage and a pinch of red pepper flakes in the filling.
- Italian style: Swap the breakfast sausage for Italian sausage and add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Extra crunch: Top each cap with seasoned panko before baking.
- Bacon lovers: Mix in crispy crumbled bacon, because bacon makes everything better.
- Creamy and cheesy fans: If this flavor profile is your weakness, our copycat Longhorn hot spinach dip needs to be on your table too.
How to Make Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the dirt off the mushrooms with a damp towel, pop the stems out of the caps, and chop the stems finely.
- Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it into fine crumbles until no pink remains. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet, add the chopped mushroom stems, and cook 2 to 4 minutes until softened. Take off the heat.
- In a medium bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and the egg with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Add the cooked sausage, mushroom stems, mozzarella, and parmesan and mix until everything combines.
- Stuff the caps with a small spoon, piling the filling high, and place them filling side up on a prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden on top. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not rinse the mushrooms under water. They soak it up like sponges and turn soggy in the oven. A damp towel is all they need.
- Soften the cream cheese completely. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that never mix out.
- Drain the sausage well. Grease in the filling means greasy, slumping caps.
- Pile the filling high. It sets as it bakes, so a generous dome gives you that bakery case look.
- Line the baking sheet. Parchment catches the juices the mushrooms release and makes cleanup nothing.
- Make them ahead. Stuff the caps, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours, then bake straight from the fridge with 2 to 3 extra minutes.
- Serve them hot. The filling is creamiest in the first 15 minutes out of the oven.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These are built for the appetizer table. Set them next to cheddar bacon ranch celery sticks and crispy onion petals for a spread nobody walks past.
Game day? Add a warm bowl of queso dip with chips and a tray of copycat Pizza Hut cheese sticks and the coffee table becomes the buffet.
They also moonlight as a dinner side. Serve three or four caps alongside a grilled steak or roast chicken and watch them outshine the main.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms FAQs
Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel instead of rinsing them, drain the browned sausage well, and bake the caps filling side up on a lined sheet. The caps release some juice as they roast, which is normal, but these three steps keep them firm and meaty.
Yes, they are a great make ahead appetizer. Stuff the caps, cover them, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time straight from the refrigerator. You can also bake them earlier in the day and rewarm at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
Baby bella mushrooms, also sold as cremini, are ideal. They are sturdier and more flavorful than white button mushrooms, and their cap size makes a perfect two bite appetizer. White buttons work fine if that is what your store has.
This recipe uses all three of the greats: cream cheese for the creamy base, mozzarella for the melt, and parmesan for salty flavor and golden color. Sharp cheddar, gouda, or pepper jack are fun swaps for the mozzarella.
Refrigerate cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat them in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven or air fryer for about 8 minutes so the filling warms through and the caps do not turn rubbery like they can in the microwave.
Freeze them unbaked for the best texture. Stuff the caps, freeze them solid on a sheet tray, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, adding about 10 minutes to the bake time.
Ready for a dinner with a kick? Our spicy pad thai brings the takeout heat in 30 minutes flat.
For a meatball twist, make our Italian stuffed mushrooms.
Easy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (with Cream Cheese)
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby bella mushrooms
- ½ pound ground pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Using a damp cloth or paper towel. Brush off the dirt from the mushrooms. Pop off the stems from the caps and chop the stems finely, set aside.1 pound baby bella mushrooms
- Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up into fine crumbles until there is no pink left, drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.½ pound ground pork sausage
- Melt the butter in the skillet and add in the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 2-4 minutes until softened, take off the heat and set aside.1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Put the softened cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl and mix in the egg with an electric hand mixer until smooth.4 ounces cream cheese softened, 1 large egg
- Add the cooked sausage and cooked mushroom stems.
- Add in the mozzarella and parmesan and mix so everything combines.½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon grated parmesan
- Stuff the mushroom caps with a small spoon, allowing a heaping amount on top. Place on a prepared baking sheet filling side up.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden brown on top. Garnish with parsley if desired, serve immediately.Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Notes
- You can double this recipe easily to serve more people.
- Be sure to use clean mushrooms. Make this the best side dish ever.
- Use your favorite type of shredded cheese, we use mozzarella.
- If you want to drain your moisture before baking see my notes above on how to keep them from becoming soggy.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- Make sure you clean and wash your mushrooms before using.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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This was absolutely delicious and a huge hit at our Christmas celebration this year. It was easy to make. I even prepared it ahead of time and cooked later. The only thing I added was onion and garlic while cooking the stems and a little shredded mozzarella on top before cooking. Would definitely make it again and again.
i wish my crohns allowed me to eat mushrooms. i so miss them and my mouth is watering looking at this recipe. thanks for linking up to the all things pretty party.
Hi Dana! Your Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms are one of the Top Features from last week’s Sweet Wednesday Link Party, congratulations! http://www.my-sweet-mission.com/2014/01/top-features-from-swlp-16.html Also, this recipe has been pinned to my “Features from Sweet Wednesday Link Party” board: http://www.pinterest.com/mysweetmission/features-from-sweet-wednesday-link-party/
I was so pleased that you linked up with us, thanks so much!
Heather
MySweetMission.net
Hi there! Wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your recipe, hello football party, and have chosen it as one of my favorites from last week’s Saturday Spotlight blog hop. I’m getting the features organized for the next party and YOU will be featured. Thanks so much for linking up, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you have to share next time. Also, I’m making a special announcement at tomorrows party, it’s all about new beginnings for the new year. 🙂