This recipe belongs to my wife. It is her family’s recipe — something she has been making since she was a kid. I did not grow up eating stuffed mushrooms, but the first time she made them I understood immediately why they show up at every holiday, every family dinner, and pretty much any gathering where someone asks “what should we bring.”
They are simple. Breadcrumbs, garlic, pecorino romano, parsley, and olive oil packed into mushroom caps and roasted until the tops turn golden brown. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, and they disappear every single time.
Watch the video below to see how they come together.
Choosing Your Mushrooms
Button mushrooms and cremini mushrooms (also called baby bellas) both work great here. The main decision is size, and that comes down to how you are serving them.
For a sit down dinner where people are eating with a fork and knife, larger mushrooms give you a more substantial bite and look great on a plate. For a party or holiday spread where people are grazing and grabbing things off a tray, smaller mushrooms work better as finger food. You can also do a mix of both if you are feeding a crowd with a variety of preferences.
Whatever size you go with, look for mushrooms that are firm and dry with tightly closed caps. You want as much room in the cap as possible to pack in the stuffing.
The Stuffing
The filling is breadcrumbs at its core, bound together with olive oil and built out with garlic, parsley, and pecorino romano. The ratio of oil to breadcrumbs is the only thing that takes a little feel to get right. You are looking for a mixture that holds together when you press it but is not wet or greasy. Add the oil slowly and mix as you go. The moment it starts clumping and holding its shape, stop.
Pecorino romano is sharper and saltier than parmesan, which is part of what makes this recipe taste the way it does. If you substitute parmesan you will get a milder result, which is fine, but pecorino is the real thing here. Leave the cheese out entirely and use plain breadcrumbs (not seasoned with cheese) if you want to keep it vegan.
The Stems
Do not throw them out. Pop the stems out of the caps and dice them finely. They go right into the stuffing mixture and add both texture and a little extra mushroom flavor throughout. Nothing gets wasted.
Make Ahead Tips
This is one of the best make-ahead appetizers I know. You can fully assemble the stuffed mushrooms, cover the tray with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for several hours before cooking. When your guests are about 30 minutes out, pull the tray from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes while the oven preheats, then bake as normal.
This also makes them a great dish to bring to someone else’s house. Assemble them at home, cover the tray, and bake them when you get there.
What to Do with Leftover Stuffing
If you end up with extra stuffing after all the caps are filled, do not toss it. It makes a great topping for roasted chicken, pork, or fish. Press it onto the top of whatever you are roasting and let it brown in the oven the same way it does on the mushrooms. Easy upgrade to a weeknight dinner.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 25 to 30 medium to large button or cremini mushrooms
- 9 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Italian parsley chopped (fresh or dried)
- 1/2 cup pecorino romano grated
- 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Get the oven going first. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Clean the mushrooms and pull the stems. Wipe the caps clean with a damp paper towel. Pop the stems out and set them aside — you will use them in the stuffing.
- Dice the stems fine. Chop the mushroom stems into a small dice, around 1/4 inch or smaller.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Add the breadcrumbs, parsley, diced stems, minced garlic, and pecorino romano to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add olive oil slowly until the mixture holds together. Drizzle olive oil over the breadcrumb mixture a little at a time, mixing as you go. You are looking for the point where the mixture just starts to clump and hold its shape when pressed. Stop there — you do not want it wet or greasy.
- Pack the caps with stuffing. Use a spoon to fill each mushroom cap, mounding the stuffing just above the rim of the cap and pressing it in firmly so it holds.
- Drizzle the tops with olive oil. A light drizzle over the stuffed mushrooms helps the tops brown and crisps up the breadcrumbs.
- Bake until golden. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes, until the mushroom caps have softened and the tops of the stuffing are golden brown.
