Why Not? I'm a Fungi ...

Yes, we know there are those out there that who don't like mushrooms... in fact there is one half of TCC who falls into that category, we won't mention any names though.

For those of you willing to serve stuffed mushrooms, try the following recipe.  We created this for a wedding we catered, and has been a staple recipe ever since.  The most time consuming part is brushing and stemming the mushrooms... after that, it's a breeze.

Italian Sausage and Fennel stuffed mushrooms:

1 dozen white mushrooms – cleaned and stems separated from caps
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fennel bulb
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 Italian sweet sausage – casing removed
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 – 3 oz. cream cheese – room temperature
¼ cup bread crumbs
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste


Preheat oven to 375

Sautee fennel bulb, garlic clove, and finely chopped mushroom stems in a small amount of olive oil. Put in bowl to cool slightly.

While cooling, place mushroom caps on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil.

Into the bowl with the sautéed garlic, fennel, and mushroom, add Italian sausage, Pamesan, and cream cheese. Mix until almost combined. Add bread crumbs, and mix until fully combined.

Scoop mixture into each of the prepared mushroom caps (the amount will vary depending on mushroom size). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 375, approx. 25 minutes (or until filling is cooked through).

Serve warm, or room temperature.
 

Notes:

You can make this veggie friendly, by removing the italian sausage and subbing veggie cream cheese for the unflavored cream cheese.  You can also add in some chopped veggies. 

You can heat up the filling by adding hot italian sauage instead of the sweet.