Lamb Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

These are my most favorite appetizer to make, serve or eat! They are so incredibly easy to whip up and are full of vegetables in a homemade stuffing! I have never met a person who didn't love them, and you can make them ahead of time and freeze them till you are ready to bake. They are the ultimate recipe to have in your kitchen arsenal, for sure! I use local, pasture raised lamb sausage that is spicy and delicious, it gives a great flavor to the stuffing. I also fill the stuffing with lots of traditional vegetables like onions, garlic, carrots and celery, so hearty and so healthy! Use homemade bread crumbs and some local cheeses and you have yourself a great alternative to a store bought appetizer. The stuffing is creamy and incredible, it pairs with the earthy and tender mushrooms just beautifully.

I have made them for homemade, steakhouse dinners, brunch menus, potluck bbqs or just because I wanted to have them. Every single person always asks me for the recipe and people who claim to hate mushrooms or sausage always devour them without a complaint! I actually had someone say "I could eat a whole bowl of this stuffing."

This recipe makes 9 large mushrooms, very overstuffed.

Ingredients

9 Large, white button mushroom caps, you want to pick caps big enough to stuff amply.
3 Links, local, farm raised, spicy lamb sausage, casings removed and meat crumbled, pork sausage can be substituted.
Pasture raised bacon fat, 1 Tbsp, olive oil can be substituted.
1 Tbsp pasture raised, salted butter.
1 Organic carrot, peeled and diced.
1 Organic celery stalk, diced.
1/2 White onion, peeled and diced.
2 Cloves organic garlic, minced.
1 Sprig organic thyme, leaves only, chopped finely.
1 Sprig organic rosemary, leaves only, chopped finely.
1 Tbsp organic, dried sage
1 Organic bay leaf, fresh or dried.
1 Cup homemade seasoned bread crumbs, click here to get my recipe, or organic herb stuffing mix can be substituted.
1/4-1/3 Cup homemade chicken broth, organic canned can be substituted, or milk works as well.
1/4 Cup parmesan cheese, grated.
1/4 Cup pasture raised mild cheddar, grated.
1/4 Cup organic cream cheese, softened.
1/4 Cup pasture raised, whole milk mozzarella, grated.
Few Tbsp olive oil, to drizzle over the top before cooking.
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Scrape the black gills on the underside of your mushroom, I do this with a spoon and be careful not to ruin or break the natural "cup" they should scrape pretty easily, I do it over a garbage can and just dispose of them. Wipe the mushrooms off with a damp rag, don't do this till you are ready to use them. Set them up in a small baking dish so that they are all touching and keeping each other upright during the cooking process.

In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, melt the bacon fat. Cook the crumbled sausage for 5 minutes, until browned and just heated through, remove and set aside. In the same pan turn down the heat to medium and add the butter and cook the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, salt and pepper them. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until they are soft and slightly browned. Add in the thyme, rosemary, sage and bay leave. Stir to combine and cook for another minute. Add in extra fat if you feel the pan is dry, I like to add butter. Next add in the bread crumbs, and add the sausage back in. Stir well to coat them with the fat and vegetables. Stir in the 1/4 cup of chicken stock just till the bread crumbs are wet and start to stick together, you can add more liquid if you feel the mixture isn't coming together, just be careful not to add to much moisture or the mixture will not stay in your mushrooms nicely. Remove the mixture from heat, transfer to a large bowl.

Add in parmesan, cheddar and cream cheeses. Mix to combine well. Taste for salt and pepper and season as needed.

Stuff the mixture into the mushrooms, mounding it up. The mixture should stay mounded nicely if it is too wet add in more bread crumbs to get a better consistency. Top each with a tiny bit of mozzarella cheese, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes. The stuffing will be browned, and the mushrooms will be tender.

Remove from the oven and place on a beautiful serving platter and enjoy! We like to serve them as an appetizer or side dish!