I’m loving this sausage, fig and pine nut stuffed mushrooms recipe. I had seen a recipe similar to this made with raisins and I’m sure that would be good too, as would dried cranberries, tart cherries or dried apricots. But, I wanted to try it with figs and it definitely works! You could use Parmesan cheese rather than the Pecorino I used, so you definitely have options in this recipe. Do go easy on the extra salt since the cheese and olives are already salty.
I had a couple of stuffed mushrooms left and heated them up in the oven for lunch the next day. They were really good!
To get started, gather all your ingredients together so you can make the stuffing. You are going to chop your dried figs, garlic clove, pine nuts, parsley, and green olives pretty small. Remember this will be inside a mushroom cap.
Add all the chopped ingredients to a large bowl and add in the sausage, 1/4 cup of the grated cheese, a pinch of salt, black pepper and the Calabrian chili flakes. Mix well. Add one tablespoon of the oil to the bowl and mix that in to.
To make the breadcrumb topping, in a separate bowl, add the breadcrumbs, one tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining 1/4 cup of the cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper and mix well. You now have your stuffing and topping ready to go.
All you need now are the mushrooms. You have lots of options when it comes to mushrooms and choosing the ones that you like and that are good for stuffing should be the goal.
There are several types of mushrooms that work wonderfully for stuffing. Here are some of my favorites:
Cremini Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms, also known as baby bella mushrooms (they are young portobello mushrooms), have a slightly nutty flavor that pairs well with various stuffing ingredients. They have a nice firm texture that holds up during cooking and I chose them for this recipe.
Portobello Mushrooms: Portobello mushrooms are a much larger mushroom and have a meaty texture, making them an excellent choice for stuffing. When stuffed, they become a substantial dish and I’ll serve them as the main course for lunch or dinner. For this recipe, I was making an appetizer portion but you could make this same dish using portobello mushrooms and serve it as a meal.
Shiitake Mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms have an earthy flavor that adds depth to any stuffing mixture. They are not traditionally used to stuff, but they would work. They have a unique shape with a wide cap, providing a good base for stuffing ingredients.
- White Button Mushrooms: This is probably the most common mushroom and the one used for stuffed mushrooms most often. I use them all the time. If you were to choose these, you’ll want to find the larger ones at the grocery store, usually in a bin and not prepackaged. That will give you ample room for the stuffing. These are said to be the least flavorful of the mushrooms but I find them to be a great choice when stuffing with a fabulous filling. These also tend to be the most affordable.
Once you’ve decided on your mushroom type, it is time to clean them. Using a damp kitchen towel or paper towel, gently wipe off any excess dirt on the outside. Remove the tough stem from the middle of the mushroom leaving a cavity for the filling.
Now, add a heaping tablespoon or more to each mushroom cap and place them in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. This will keep the mushrooms from sticking. Sprinkle the stuffed mushroom with some of the breadcrumb mixture.
Once you have all your mushrooms stuffed, topped with breadcrumbs and tucked into the baking dish, drizzle with a little olive oil. This will help them brown in the oven plus add a great taste. You can, alternatively, spray them with cooking spray. Bake the mushrooms for 2-25 minutes until the tops are brown and the sausage is cooked through. The mushrooms will soften while baking. Let the dish cool for about five minutes and serve with a big serving spoon. These are so tasty and go fast. Enjoy!
Did you like stuffed mushrooms? If so, be sure to try my Fonio and Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms and my Crab & Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms recipes. Looking for other appetizer ideas? Check out some of the favorites:
Scallops and Mushrooms in Puff Pastry with a Bourbon Cream Sauce
Elote Corn Ribs Recipe (Riblets)
Corn Cakes with Pineapple and Basil Salsa
Ebi Tempura (Japanese Shrimp Tempura) With Ginger and Lime Dipping Sauce
Sausage, Fig and Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 10 – 12 Baby Portobello mushrooms
- 2 Sweet Sausage links (squeezed out of their skins)
- 6 Dried figs, chopped
- 1 Garlic clove, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Pine nuts, chopped
- 1 Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 4 Large green olives stuffed with pimento, chopped
- 1/2 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- Cooking Spray
- 1/8 Tsp. Calabrian chili flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 Cup Dried, unseasoned bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- To make the stuffing, mix all the chopped ingredients with the sausage in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of the grated cheese to the mixture and mix well. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the mixture and season with salt, pepper and Calabrian chili flakes. Mix again.
- Put the breadcrumbs in another bowl, drizzle with the other tablespoon of olive oil and add the remaining 1/4 cup of the Pecorino to the mix. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spray the bottom and sides of a casserole dish with cooking spray. Lay the mushrooms in the dish and season the insides with salt and pepper. Stuff each mushroom with a generous spoonful of the sausage stuffing and sprinkle the bread crumb mix on top; drizzle with a little olive oil or spray with cooking spray to help the bread crumb mixture brown. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the stuffing is browned, sausage is cooked and the mushrooms are soft.
