Italian Stuffed Mushrooms with Goat Cheese are always a popular appetizer choice. Brushing mushroom caps with balsamic vinegar before filling and baking enhance the depth of flavor. Chevre, Italian sausage and shallots make this a deliciously savory stuffed mushrooms appetizer.
The recipe was first published September 2011 and updated January 2021 with new photos and enhanced instructions.
About This Recipe and Why It Works
Stuffed Mushrooms. Always a wonderful treat and with so many recipe variations, any of these bite size offerings are delicious.
We happen to think they make a wonderful side dish for steak and that’s exactly what I served for Sunday dinner.
I’ve talked ad nauseam about our wonderful local market who spoils us with fine offerings of seafood, the best aged beef in town, deli meats and cheeses, and gourmet take home dinners, my beloved Tony’s Market.
Tony’s also spoils us with a fabulous selection of mouth-watering recipes. Like this one for Italian Stuffed Mushrooms with Goat Cheese.
It’s wonderful and actually the only stuffed mushroom recipe that I’ve permanently added to my recipe database.
I served these with Beef Tournedos with Mushroom Wine Sauce and baked potatoes. I must say this was a fabulous dinner. The tenderloin was cooked so perfectly, and topped with out of this world red wine reduction sauce, we’ll probably brag about the meal for years.
Why it works? The Italian flavor combination Italian sausage and shallots make a perfect platform for crunchy toasted panko bread crumbs, soft creamy tart goat cheese. The icing on the cake is the addition of balsamic vinegar.
Let’s take a look at this special Italian stuffed mushrooms recipe.
Ingredients
Mise en place. Always gather ingredients before starting any recipe. It will save you time and organize your mind.
- Mushrooms: Use either white button mushrooms, or darker baby bella mushrooms, depending on how you want them to look. The darker mushrooms give this dish a more rustic feel.
- Italian Sausage: Either sweet Italian Sausage or Hot Italian Sausage will work here.
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Shallot
- Chevre: Choose a brand of the softest goat cheese you can find. Little Friar is a good example. It’s soft and it’s spreadable. Using a high quality milk gives this cheese it’s fantastic creaminess.
- Parmesan Cheese
Ingredient Swaps
- Balsamic Glaze: I’ve made these mushroom many times, and have substituted balsamic glaze for the balsamic vinegar. This recipe instructs to brush or dip the mushrooms in the vinegar before cooking. Use vinegar for brushing the mushrooms and the glaze to drizzle on top before baking. Balsamic glaze adds a deeper layer of flavor to the end result.
- Italian Bread Crumbs: Substitute Italian bread crumbs for the Panko bread crumbs. If you choose to do this, don’t omit the Italian seasoning. It will still add a not too strong extra savory flavor
- Olive Oil: Substitute butter for olive oil to add a buttery flavor to those sauteed ingredients.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Add chopped mushrooms stems, Italian sausage and shallots to a fry pan. Once the sausage has started to brown, add half of the panko bread crumbs and cook until they start to turn golden. Set aside.
Step 2: Using a spoon, fill the mushroom caps with the Italian Sausage mixture.
Step 3: Placed a dollop of the cheese on top of each of the stuffed mushrooms.
Step 4: Sprinkle on the panko, parmesan, Italian seasoning mixture. They’re ready to bake. 420 degrees for 10 minutes.
Tips For Success:
To make panko bread crumbs topping more manageable to stay in place on those mushrooms grind the crumbs in a small food grinder, along with the parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Just pulse a few times to combine.
Mushrooms are like tiny little sponges. If after the cook time, the mushrooms seem a little soggy, simply put them under a broiler for about a minute.
Choose mushrooms wisely. Choose mushrooms that have a wide area around the stem. This will make filling the mushrooms much easier.
Recipe Italian Stuffed Mushrooms with Goat Cheese
These Italian stuffed mushrooms are extremely flavorful. The sautéed stems and onions made for a wonderful base and topped with the salty cheese and Italian toppings the package provided a creamy, savory flavor with a perfect crunchy topping.
So if you’re looking for stuffed mushroom ideas, give this one a try.
I hope you give this recipe for Italian Stuffed Mushrooms a try and if you do, please come back and leave a comment about what you thought about the recipe. Yay or nay, I love hearing from my readers.
And if you have a favorite stuffed mushroom recipe, please let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Mushroom Appetizer Recipes
And if you’re looking for more appetizer recipes, don’t miss my appetizer category, you’ll find lots of small bite recipe ideas, including the most popular appetizer recipe on my site for Pear and Blue Cheese Crostini.
And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. And write a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback.
Italian Stuffed Mushrooms with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 6-8 large white button mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons minced shallot
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Chèvre purchase the creamiest you can find
- 3 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs divided
- 1/8 pound Italian Sausage broken into very small chunks
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Balsamic Vinegar for drizzling or balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wipe mushrooms clean with a wet towel. Remove steps and chop. Combine stems with Italian Sausage and shallots and a pinch of salt, and then sauté with a scant drizzle of olive oil until very soft and sausage is cooked through. Sprinkle with the 1/2 of the panko bread crumbs. Cook until bread crumbs are just starting to turn golden and remove from heat, stirring well.
- Dip or brush mushroom caps with balsamic vinegar. Divide sautéed mushroom caps and Italian sausage mixture between mushroom caps – do not overfill!
- Top each mushroom with chèvre cheese (the amount you use really depends on the size of the mushrooms).
- Mix grated Parmigiano Reggiano with some more Panko bread crumbs and Italian seasoning and sprinkle on top of the cheese. Use a small food grinder to combine this mxture if you'd like. It will make it more manageable to fill the mushroom caps.
- Place on a sheet pan or jelly roll pan and drizzle or mist lightly with olive oil and a small drizzle of Balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze.
- Roast on top rack of a preheated 425-degree oven for 10 minutes or until sizzling and cheese starts to melt. Broil if additional browning is desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Italian Stuffed Mushrooms With Goat Cheese …It’s What’s for a Side Dish with Steak.
There’s a fungus among us! I love stuffed shrooms and these are true beauties. Nice job, Lea Ann!!!!
Thanks Chris!
I’ve had a some mediocre stuffed mushrooms and some excellent. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Like the others, I was looking for the after shot.
Thanks Andrea, hope to see you Saturday.
Mushrooms really do go beautifully with red meat…and with goat cheese stuffed into them…totally swoonworthy.
Thanks Joanne! Always good to hear from you.
Those stuffed mushrooms look gorgeous! I initially thought the topping was coconut. Using panko is a great idea. 🙂
It does look like coconut doesn’t it! Hmmmm that might be good too! 🙂
Love, love stuffed mushrooms. This is a wonderful recipe. The goat cheese really brings it to another level. Very cool. Delicious.
Cheers.
Velva
Thanks Velva.
I’ve just used regular cheese in my stuffed mushrooms… up until now. Next ones I make, the goat cheese is goin’ in!
I can’t remember if I’ve ever used cheese in any stuffed mushroom I’ve ever made. Maybe just a stuffing type recipe. Anyway, these sure were good. As always thanks for topping by and the comment.
Wait…I need to meet this Tony! Super jealous!!!
I find it super difficult to take pictures of dinner like you mention in this post too. Sometimes snapping away for the perfect shot just doesn’t seem appropriate! It all sounds SO WONDERFUL!!!
I love the look of these mushrooms too, I am a huge fan of goat cheese in just about anything! YUM!
Especially when it’s steak! 🙂
These sound amazing Lea Ann and simple. And simply amazing are what I love to make. I get Tony’s newsletter; I need to do a better job of perusing them as I’m obviously missing out a lot.
Yes you should Barb. Really some good recipes that come through and some good sales.
Glad your family liked everything Lea Ann, and sincere thanks for all the kind words – so sweet of you! If folks would like to get all the recipes I send out each week, they can join the Culinary Club, there is a link on our front page at http://www.tonysmarket.com/ and the easy beef tournedos recipe is at http://www.tonysmarket.com/recipe.cfm?id=124 – cheers and happy cooking!
STANDING OVATION for this meal, Lea Ann! I’m totally with you on steak and mushrooms (they go together like peas and carrots as Forrest Gump would say). I love that you stuffed mushrooms to go with this fabulous meal(event) and am anxious to try this. I’ll bet that tangy goat cheese is wonderful. I totally get the lack of photographs, but it sounds like too special a meal to set out and yell, “WAIT!” 😀 Wonderful, wonderful post. I’m inspired.
This was actually our Valentines Dinner, except a day early on Sunday. The steak was out-of-this-world and I was so tickled with myself that I got it pan seared to a perfect medium rare. Of course Tony’s quality filets could probably make any mediocre steak-er like myself into a pro. That goat cheese is just a little thicker than sour cream. It worked wonderfully to dollop onto these mushrooms. Thanks for all of the accolades! I’m basking in your compliments. 🙂
I enjoy stuffed mushrooms but had never made any I liked really well, so I look forward to trying these.
Well, for some reason we really liked these. Maybe it was the balsamic vinegar…maybe it was that wonderful steak…maybe we were just hungry? Anyway, we really liked them.
got me wondering … in old comic books, the stodgy newspaper editor or mayor or other authority figure would express his dismay by shouting, “Criminey!” wonder if that comes from the crimini mushroom somehow.
hate to be a break crumb snob here, but there’s something about Rudi’s (out of Boulder) whole wheat that makes just perfect bread crumbs. fluffy and easily combined with whatever else you’re mixing.
cheers!
Too funny. My dad would always exclaim “well criminetly”. Hard to say where a lot of those old sayings came from. You can be a bread crumb snob anytime you want with me. I am familiar with Rudi’s and love their products. Am also a Udi’s fan. I think they’re local. I pick up both whenever I get a change. Great breads.
I had forgotten how good stuffed mushrooms are until I saw your post. They would be fabulous with steak. I’ll be sure to give yours a try. How can you go wrong with goat cheese.
Speaking of mixing things into panko crumbs, I added a little chopped cilantro to them and then used it as a breading for shrimp. Yum, yum. Don’t you wish we had invented panko crumbs? We’d be smart and wealthy.
Sam
I am loving your shrimp/cilantro/panko idea! Fabulous Sam.
Gorgeous stuffed mushrooms. Love the cheesy top.
Thanks Ellie, and as always, thanks for stopping by and the comment.
Mushrooms and steak are a perfect combination. Your mushrooms look delicious.
Thanks Karen!
Agree with you on Tony’s Market. I get sooooo spoiled by the quality of meat and speciality items.
These look so cute and fabulous! I can’t wait for you to post the recipe of the steak! I’m always looking for new ways to work with steak. I feel the same way about my little local import store, Avanti Savoia, though they don’t have fresh foods like cheeses and meats. Lucky for you, you have Tony’s!!
I really should make that steak again and take a picture. It’s a fabulous recipe thanks to Chef Mick. I actually put it into my database and threw out a couple of mediocre recipes that I’ve had for years. I did post a link, you can see the recipe if you click. I agree, I’ve known I was lucky to have Tony’s for a very long time. Thanks Food Hound…and thanks for the comment.
Hi LeaAnn! These look so savory and good. Love that you make them for dinner (vs pupus for a cocktail soiree). I would love to learn more about Tony’s market. Have only learned of it through you and it’s feeling like a place to come and explore. Hope all is well with you!
I’ve always love creamed, stuffed, sautéed mushrooms with a steak dinner. I don’t think you have a Tony’s near you. You’ll have to make a stop when you come down for our blogger meetup. All is well with me and I look forward to meeting you this weekend.
Why is it that some of our best dinners never get photographed? Is everyone (including us) so anxious to eat? My daughter is pretty good about asking: do you need a photo mom? On the other hand, my boys just roll their eyes. They want to eat!! Sometimes I get a photo of the dish before everyone digs in, but it doesn’t look like much ’cause I’m rushed. Oh well…food blogging is only truly understood by other bloggers!
I love stuffed mushrooms. Last batch I made were Ina Garten’s and we weren’t crazy about them. But we love Chèvre, Lea Ann, so these will be a winner at my house. That beef recipe sounds yummy too.
That steak recipe is wonderful Barbara. WONderful. And with steak being such a time sensitive operation, you bet we dug in. And it was so good that I didn’t even think to grab the camera for a partially eaten shot. I’ve made a couple of stuffed mushroom recipes that were just “ok”, we really did like this one.
Whenever I encounter stuffed mushrooms, I always eat so many that they’re no longer appetizers — they become a MEAL!
Too funny…and you notice that I only made 6 for that very reason! As always thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.