I have a secret. A happy secret. An exciting secret. A secret that I can’t wait to tell all of you. Unfortunately, it’s a secret, and it has to stay a secret for quite some time. It may just kill me. Well maybe not kill me, but it’s going to have me all hopped up and energetic, and ready to bubble over. I’m going to do my best to keep it in though, perhaps whispering it into the ears of a few select special people, because let’s just face it, I suck at keeping secrets.
So what do secrets have to do with mushrooms? They are the little hidden secrets in nature, just waiting to be discovered. Stuffed mushrooms are wrinkled goodness in a small package. While most people delegate these juicy little morsels to the appetizer category, B.O.B. Bob and I tend to consider them a meal in themselves, especially on summer evenings when the desire to eat a huge meal is lacking from both of us. If they’re not enough to satisfy you on your own, try serving them alongside a simple salad of mixed greens, drizzled with a light vinaigrette.
Apologizing now for the insane use of the word “secret” in this post, but I’ve got one, and I can’t wait to share it. This is going to be hard.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 Large Fresh Apple Sausage Links
- 1 Medium Sweet Onion, Finely Diced
- 1 Teaspoon Sage, Finely Chopped
- 1 Sprig of Thyme, Leaves Removed and Finely Chopped
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 (8-oz.) Packages Brown Baby Bella Crimini Mushrooms, Stems Removed
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Crumbled Feta
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the sausage, onion, sage, thyme, pepper, and salt. Cook until the sausage is completely cooked and the onions turn translucent.
- Arrange mushroom caps, gill side facing up, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Evenly distribute the sausage mixture among the mushroom caps, and then sprinkle with panko.
- Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, top each mushroom with a bit of crumbled feta, and then bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Suggestions:
- Do not bake the mushrooms in a glass dish, they will steam instead of roasting. Allow about an inch between each mushroom cap.
- The easiest way to fill the mushroom caps is with your hands. Gently press the mixture down into each cap.
- For this recipe I used fresh pork apple sausage links that I purchased from a PA Dutch Market, but you may use any type of fresh sausage that you prefer.
- Don’t worry about the bits of sausage, panko, or feta that may fall onto the baking sheet; they will turn golden brown and crispy, and add a great crunch when sprinkled over top of the finished mushroom caps.
Improvements:
- Substitute freshly grated Parmesan in place of feta.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped dried apples to the sausage mixture.
