At office potlucks and family reunions, one person often starts by bravely signing up to take care of the main course. At the same time, another offers to bring the salad, only for the rest of the attendees to inevitably show up with bag-loads of soda, cookies, and chips. After all, cooking is complicated and time-consuming, and surely everybody loves a good, simple snack. However, there’s nothing more lackluster than a buffet table with nothing but a bowl of coleslaw and five bowls of tortilla chips.
Appetizers are an excellent contribution to any group meal, and the best part is that they don’t have to be overly complex. Sausage and Cheddar stuffed mushrooms are the perfect example. Looking for something you can contribute to the annual Thanksgiving dinner? The combination of browned sausage with smooth, melty cheese layered over the earthy flavors of South Mill Champs mushrooms screams comfort food and is bound to be an absolute hit, especially as we enter the chillier months of the year.
If you’re looking for something a little heartier, you can use your sausage and Cheddar stuffed mushrooms as toppings for a simple salad. That way, you get to enjoy the fantastic flavors of the dish while contributing more substance to the event, with the added health benefit of incorporating greens.
What makes this truly the best stuffed mushroom recipe is that aside from being delicious, it’s also incredibly easy to make, requiring only six main ingredients. Regardless of your skill in the kitchen, you’ll get compliments at your next event with this dish. It is extremely convenient for your schedule, given that it cooks in just over five minutes and can be prepped in advance. You can assemble these up to six hours in advance. Just keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to pop them in the oven.
Selecting Your Stuffed Mushroom Ingredients
Despite the simplicity of our sausage and Cheddar recipe, you have some freedom when selecting the ingredients, allowing you to make this appetizer your own. Express your individuality by putting some thought into each of the main components.
Fresh Mushrooms
South Mill Champs mushrooms are absolute superfoods, effectively combining incredible taste with amazing health benefits, making them the real heart of this dish. However, there are multiple types of South Mill Champs mushrooms available. If you’re looking for a smaller, more delicate option, then button mushrooms are ideal. If you prefer something bigger with a stronger flavor, then consider choosing baby bella mushrooms instead.
Add Sausage
Depending on the kind of flavor profile you’re looking to create, you could incorporate different types of sausage into the recipe. Opting to use Italian sausage will result in a lot more sweetness than, say, a smoky chorizo. If you’re feeling particularly creative, you could make multiple batches of sausage and cheddar stuffed mushrooms and ask your friends and family to vote on which one they like best.
Spice It Up With Cheese
In this recipe, we’ve chosen to use Original Velveeta cheese for the stuffing. The smooth, creamy texture is perfect when combined with the sausage, and attempting to use cheese with a different hardness could lead to mixed results. However, nowadays, Velveeta comes in several varieties. Feel free to spice things up by experimenting with flavors like Jalapeño, Sharp Cheddar, Queso Blanco, and more.
Use A Fresh Garnish
For the garnish, we opted for a refreshing, crunchy blend of bean sprouts, parsley, thin slices of Anaheim peppers to balance out the heaviness of the sausage and cheesy stuffed mushrooms, followed by a sprinkling of feta cheese to add in a layer of complexity. You’re welcome to swap any of these ingredients out with whatever garnish you prefer.
Tips for Making Stuffed Mushrooms
If you’ve already assembled all your ingredients and are ready to learn how to make sausage and Cheddar stuffed mushrooms, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few handy tips for making stuffed mushrooms that will ensure they come out perfectly every time.
Prevent Overly Soggy Mushrooms
The last thing you want is for a soggy mushroom to ruin your delicious, cheesy appetizers. Mushrooms often have a little residue on them that needs to be cleaned off. Some people accomplish this by soaking the mushrooms in water; however, this will cause them to absorb large amounts of moisture and become soggy after they’re baked. Instead, give them a quick rinse and pat them as dry as you can when you’re done.
Baking Sheet vs. Baking Dish
Another way to minimize sogginess and ensure everything cooks evenly is to use a baking sheet. These are designed to allow rapid moisture evaporation instead of baking dishes, which tend to keep that moisture in.
Prep More Than Six Hours Ahead of Time
Finally, if your schedule is complex and requires you to prepare these far in advance, or you want to have a stash of stuffed mushrooms ready to bake, don’t fret. These sausage and Cheddar stuffed mushrooms can be frozen once you’re done assembling them, staying fresh for up to a month. When taking them out of the freezer to bake, no thawing or defrosting is required. Instead, add about 10 minutes onto the cooking time.
Get the recipe here: Sausage and Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms.
