I really heart stuffed mushrooms. They’re easy, portable, and you can stuff them with just about anything. I brought these to a holiday party this year and they seemed to go over well. The only change I would make is choosing a stronger sausage…though I picked Italian, it was a chicken sausage and I thought the mushrooms could use a bit more kick than this really provided.

I found this on a blog called Sweetsugarbean.com, which I landed on after sorting through what I felt were twenty-bajillion mushroom filling suggestions!

• 20 large mushrooms, cleaned with damp paper towel, stem removed and saved for later use
• 2 links Italian sausage
• 1 tsp dried rosemary OR 2 tsp fresh, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried fennel seed
• 1 onion, diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3 ounces Asiago cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms with the balsamic vinegar and 3 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in a preheated 350* oven for about 30 min.  Stir once or twice.  Remove from oven.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium high heat, squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing  and cook until no longer pink, breaking it apart with the back of a spoon.  You want it fairly crumbly and in small pieces.  Stir in onions and garlic and spices, and cook a few minutes longer, until onion is softened.  Remove sausage mixture from pan and drain on paper towels until grease is removed.

Place in a large mixing bowl along with the cheeses (save some of the Asiago for topping).  Stir well to combine.   Take a generous teaspoon and fill each mushroom cap.  Sprinkle with  remaining Asiago.  Bake at 375* for about 30-40 minutes, until golden.