Italian stuffed mushrooms is an appetizer that everyone loves! Mushroom caps are filled with a delightful blend of breadcrumbs, chopped mushroom stems, garlic, parsley, and Parmigiano Reggiano that has been lightly sauteed with white wine and lemon juice, and baked until tender. These are perfect to serve at any gathering but are so good you'll want to make them for quiet evenings in too!
Italian stuffed mushrooms are a dish I grew up eating.
They almost always appeared at every holiday either as an appetizer or with dinner.
I believe the main reason for their popularity, besides the fact that they're loaded with garlicky breadcrumbs and baked in white wine, is that they are quite possibly the easiest dish to make.
Cleaning the mushrooms is probably the hardest part!
If you have aspiring young chefs in your home (yes, Nonnas and Nonnos of the world, I'm talking to you) get them involved in making stuffed mushrooms.
It's fun, easy, and one of the perfect dishes to get kids excited about cooking, plus engaging your grandkids, or kids in the kitchen can be an incredibly gratifying experience for all involved.
What type of mushrooms for Italian stuffed mushrooms?
The best types of mushrooms for stuffed mushrooms are white button mushrooms or baby Bellas.
These types of shrooms are the easiest for stuffing, and one might observe that perhaps they were designed specifically to be stuffed.
After all, they come with their own cavity, once you've removed the stem that is used to make the stuffing. Sounds serendipitous to me.
While other mushrooms, such as oysters, trumpets, cremini, or shitake are all fabulous, save those for other dishes, like this creamy garlic mushroom pasta, or chicken Valdostana, as they're not amenable to stuffing.
As far as size goes, it depends on what you like. I used a variety of sizes for this post as pictured below.
Some grocery stores will sell large stuffing mushrooms, especially during the holidays, which are great if you'd like a larger mushroom.
Personally, I love the smaller one-biter mushrooms that I can just pop in my mouth!
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 425f and set the rack to the second-highest level. Chop off the very end of the stem and discard. Remove the remaining portion of the stem and mince. Save ¾ cups of the minced stems. Discard or save the remaining bits for another purpose.
- Saute the garlic in a ½ cup of olive oil over medium-low heat until golden (about 2-3 minutes). Once golden add in the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds longer.
- Next, add in the minced mushroom stems, turn heat to medium, and continue to saute for another 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add in the ½ cup of dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or chardonnay all work well) and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add in all of the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, parsley, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, and ½ cup low sodium chicken stock. Turn off the heat.
- Also, add in the juice of 1 large lemon (roughly 3 tablespoons of juice) and mix the stuffing well.
- Taste test the stuffing and make any adjustments to salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. The stuffing should be very moist. It should stick to your fingers. If it's too dry, add in a bit more of the reserved chicken stock.
- Stuff the mushrooms by packing the stuffing into each mushroom cap and let it mound on top a bit. Pour the remaining chicken stock into the dish. Sprinkle a ½ cup of extra stuffing (if you have even more remaining stuffing, save it for another purpose) into the dish. It will mix into the chicken stock to make a sauce.
- Grate 2 more tablespoons of Parmigiano onto the mushrooms. Bake the mushrooms for 20-25 minutes until brown and cooked through.
- For extra color, broil for the last 60 seconds but watch carefully so they don't burn. The extra pan sauce can be spooned onto the mushrooms upon serving, or the stuffed mushrooms can be eaten as is. Serving with lemon wedges is definitely recommended. Enjoy!
Top tips for great stuffed mushrooms
It's pretty hard to screw up stuffed mushrooms, but the number one issue that can crop up is dryness.
Breadcrumbs can be a fickle thing so its important that the stuffing be kept wet enough so the mushrooms don't dry out.
When making the stuffing, add a bit more stock to moisten if needed.
I love using white wine with stuffed mushrooms as it adds another flavor dimension. I'd recommend using a Sauvignon blanc, or Pinot Grigio.
Chardonnay would work well too. I would not recommend using red wine for stuffed mushrooms.
To clean your mushrooms, simply wipe the dirt off the shrooms with a slightly damp paper towel. Don't wash them or submerge them in water.
To make this dish vegetarian, simply use vegetable or mushroom stock in place of the chicken stock.
To make vegan stuffed mushrooms, in addition to using vegetable stock, omit the cheese.
Stuffed mushrooms go perfectly with a squeeze of lemon, and I highly recommend serving them that way!
More great mushroom (and other veggie) recipes
In addition to the mushroom recipes mentioned above, we think you'll love these other recipes as well!
- Marinated mushrooms - The perfect addition to any antipasto platter!
- Mushroom meatballs - Meatless meatball option that everyone loves!
- Balsamic portobello mushrooms - Earthy mushrooms sauteed in butter and balsamic vinegar.
- Sauteed garlic mushrooms - Browned mushrooms with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a pinch of hot red pepper flakes.
- Baked artichoke hearts with breadcrumbs - Topped with breadcrumbs, lemon, garlic, and white wine, just like stuffed mushrooms.
- Baby broccoli with seasoned breadcrumbs - Roasted baby broccoli topped with breadcrumbs and toasted pignoli nuts.
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Ingredients
- 24 ounces white or baby Bella mushrooms see notes below
- ½ cup parsley minced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- ⅝ cup Parmigiano Reggiano divided. ½ cup for stuffing and 2 extra tablespoons for topping
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock divided
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 large lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425f and set rack to the second highest level. Cut off the very end of stem and discard. Remove the good part of the stem and mince. Save ¾ cup of minced stems. Use remaining for another purpose.
- Sautee the garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat until golden. Add in the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Next, turn heat to medium, add in the ¾ cup of minced mushroom stems, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Next, add in the wine and cook for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Add in a ½ cup chicken stock, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, ½ cup grated cheese, salt, and parsley. Mix well, turn off the heat, and taste test. Make any adjustments to salt and pepper if required. If the stuffing is too dry add a bit more stock (it should be very moist).
- Stuff the mushrooms well and save any remaining stuffing.
- Place the stuffed mushrooms into a large baking dish and pour in the remaining chicken stock. Sprinkle no more than a ½ cup of the remaining stuffing mixture into the stock. Grate 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano on top of the mushrooms.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender. If needed, broil for the last 60 seconds to brown the top. Spoon the sauce on top of the mushrooms or serve as is. Also, serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cut off and discard just the very end of the mushroom stems. The remainder should be minced finely for the stuffing.
- Large stuffing mushrooms, small white button, and baby Bellas all work well for this recipe.
- Dry white wines such as pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and chardonnay all work well for this recipe.
- The stuffing should be wet to keep the mushrooms moist. When making the stuffing, add a bit more chicken stock to moisten if required.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven at 350f until warm or the microwave.
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