I have loved stuff mushrooms for as long as I can remember. It’s my go to starter at any restaurant and have tried so many different kinds I’ve lost track. I decided I needed to just start making them myself and after some trial and error have created these. They have everything I love about a stuffed mushroom – a creamy, strongly-flavored filling with some kick from the sausage and cayenne. These are one of my most requested appetizers.
Stuffed Mushrooms
yield: 36
INGREDIENTS
36 large (2 1/2- inch) while mushrooms
1 lb Italian Pork Sausage
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Discard half the stems. Chop the remaining stems extremely fine, discarding tough ends.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage, breaking up as you cook, until done. Remove sausage and set aside to drain on a paper towel.
- Add vegetable oil to a skillet. Add garlic and chopped mushrooms to skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
- When mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan, pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mix in sausage. Mixture should be very thick. Using a spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of filling. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the mushrooms) in preheated oven. The mushrooms should be piping hot with liquid forming under the caps.