Want to know the way that Italian people make stuffed mushrooms? They’re a tradition at the Thanksgiving table, or with Sunday dinner.
We use a simple mix of ingredients – sausage, bread crumbs, grated cheese, garlic, parsley. If you love the umami, which is another way of saying savory flavor, you’ll get double umami (Ooh, ooh, mami!) with this hearty holiday favorite.
Before I delve into ingredients and measurements, I want to just talk briefly about a variation. You can just as easily stuff peppers, zucchini or tomatoes with this flavorful sausage mix.
I’ve actually only eaten this at one place ever– my all-time favorite Italian restaurant, Enza’s, up in Hawthorne, NJ.
When I lived in the northeast part of the state, every so often we’d meet up with coworkers for dinner at Enza’s… and oh, what a fine spread they served! Southern Italian cooking at its best, served by the cutest little old Italian grandma and grandpa- aged crew.
It’s been decades since I enjoyed a meal at Enza’s, and I would imagine that my beloved crew of codgers has now passed… but the memory of their scrumptious stuffed mushrooms, peppers and zucchini will always stay with me.
Enough about that though… let’s get to the making of the sausage stuffed goodies!
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (and Peppers, Zucchini, Tomatoes) – Recipe
Sausage always seems to improve a meal, don’t you think? Savory, fatty and packed with flavor, it’s a belly filler and palate pleaser for sure. These stuffed mushrooms and/or other vegetables make the perfect starter, or serve them as a side.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. crumbled sausage
- 3 cups toasted bread cubes (can also use bread crumbs)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- 2 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- Black pepper
To make:
Clean the mushrooms and remove the caps. Dice the caps up into small bits to incorporate into the stuffing mix.
Brown the sausage in a large skillet until all pink is gone. Drain fat and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the diced mushroom caps, bread cubes or bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, parsley, black pepper, and a few shots of the olive oil. Use your hands to mix everything together.
The stuffing should clump together and be moist enough to mound, but not overly oily. If you need to add a little more oil, do so; and if it’s too greasy, shake in some bread crumbs, or cube up another slice of bread and mash that in with your hands until well blended.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with olive oil. Fill each mushroom cap with stuffing, mounding to the top, and add to the pan.
If you plan to stuff other vegetables like bell peppers, banana peppers, zucchini and tomatoes, wash and slice these down the middle, removing any pulp or seeds. Stuff each with the sausage mixture.
Add about an inch of water or white wine to the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Stuffed Mushroom Recipe on Video
Bon appetit!