Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Perfect for a large crowd, these appetizers can be made ahead and baked when the guests arrive – giving you more time to enjoy your company!
1 pound (or about 24 count) larger-sized mushrooms, cleaned well and dried
1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, or enough to coat skillet – plus a bit more to coat baking pan, and brush tops of mushrooms before cooking.
½ onion (about ½ cup) – chopped fine
1 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon basil (fresh or dried)
10 ounces of ground sausage - use sweet or hot Italian sausage if desired. (Check label for allergens)
¼ cup of chicken broth - plus another ¼ cup, if needed, depending on the type of gluten-free bread you use for the bread crumbs. (Check label for allergens)
2 cups of gluten-free bread – processed into fine crumbs, or 2 cups of gluten-free bread crumbs (Check label for allergens)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the stems from each of the mushrooms and chop the stems well. You should yield about 1 to 1 ½ cups of chopped mushrooms.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add in chopped mushroom stems, chopped onions, thyme and basil. When translucent, add in the sausage. Blend well and cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Add in 1 tablespoon of the chicken broth, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and add the bread crumbs to the mixture, and stir gently to mix. Slowly add the remaining broth to the mixture, stirring after each addition. If needed, slowly add in more chicken broth and mix after each addition. You want to achieve a moist (but not wet) mixture. (Note: the mixture should hold together well when pressed.)
Coat a 9” x 13” baking pan with olive oil. Place a tablespoon or so of the mushroom mixture into each mushroom cap. Press gently with a back of a spoon to stuff into each cap. Arrange the mushrooms on the prepared baking pan, lightly brush tops with a bit of the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake form another 7 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and the stuffing is lightly browned.
Serve immediately while hot.
Makes about 24 stuffed mushrooms.