Sausage and Mascarpone Stuffed Mushrooms
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A Note from Feedfeed
Stuffed mushrooms, IMHO, are majorly underrated. They often get overshadowed by cheese boards, dips or dainty hors d'oeuvres when it comes to holiday appetizers, but 2020 is the year that everyone needs to give stuffed mushies the love they deserve. Let me make my case. They are deeply savory; that roasted mushroom flavor is something you are not gonna get on a fancy crostini. Plus, the stuffing!!! I’ll take any excuse I can to incorporate any form of stuffing into both my appetizer and my main course. This stuffing is filled with tons of flavor thanks to Italian style sausage, wilted leeks, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, plus three (yes, three) kinds of cheeses. The end result is pretty much the most perfect bite you could ask for; umami laden mushrooms filled with cheesy stuffing with a little bit of crunch on top thanks to some good ol’ Italian style breadcrumbs. Yum! This recipe is a hybrid of the kind of stuffed mushrooms I grew up eating at my own holiday table, combined with the Italian-influenced version my in-laws serve so everyone wins!
Recipe and Headnote Molly Adams
- Recipe Card
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 (8 ounce) packages large white button mushrooms, stemmed
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 leeks, tender inner white bulb only, thinly sliced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Add 1 tablespoons of the olive oil to the prepared pan, making sure the entire surface is coated with oil. Place the prepared mushrooms (stem side up) on top.
Step 2
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a fork, until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon, reserving the rendered fat in the pan, and place in a large bowl.
Step 3
To the same skillet, add leeks and celery and cook for about 5-7 minutes over medium-low heat, or until very tender. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant, then add ¼ cup white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom. Cook for about 1 minutes, or until the wine reduces by half.
Step 4
Add the leek mixture to the sausage, then stir in cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, mascarpone and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 5
Using clean hands, mound the stuffing mixture into golf-ball sized mounds, and place on top of mushrooms, repeating until all of the stuffing is used and all of the mushrooms are filled.
Step 6
Drizzle the remaining white wine onto the bottom of the pan, then bake for 45- 50 minutes, or until the mushrooms are dark in color and the stuffing is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.