Yields: 16 mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs, divided (Regular bread crumbs will also work.)
- 1 pound white mushrooms (about 16 mushrooms)
- ½ pound uncooked sweet or hot Italian chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed
- ¾ cup Rao's Homemade®Roasted Garlic Sauce (Marinara, Tomato Basil Sauce, or Arrabbiata are also fabulous.)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus extra for serving
Instructions
- First, make the bread crumb topping. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until the garlic is golden. (Be very careful not to burn it!) Stir in 3 tablespoons of the bread crumbs and a small pinch of salt and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden—no need to brown the crumbs fully as they’ll brown significantly in the oven. Transfer to a small bowl or plate to cool.
- Prep the mushrooms! Clean the mushrooms by wiping them gently with a damp towel. Mushrooms absorb water like a sponge, so I don’t recommend rinsing them under the faucet. Remove the stems from each mushroom cap and set aside. (The stems are going to be used for the filling.) Using a teaspoon, gently remove and discard the dark brown gills on the underside of each mushroom cap. (No need to be a perfectionist here.) Place the prepared mushroom caps cavity side up on a baking sheet or in a large braiser/skillet/casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, leaving a little bit of space between each one. Finely chop the mushroom stems (I like to pulse them a few times in my food processor until finely chopped) and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up the meat into very small pieces, until lightly browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for about 3 minutes until the mushrooms are very soft. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly pour in the Rao’s Homemade® Roasted Garlic Sauce. Cook for 2 to 3minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly (you want the filling to be very thick). Turn off the heat and stir in ¼ cup of the cheese, ¼ cup bread crumbs, and the chopped parsley and basil.
- Toss the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese with the cooled garlicky bread crumbs.
- Generously spoon the filling into each mushroom cap and sprinkle the tops with the bread crumb mixture.
- Bake the stuffed mushrooms for 25 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the tops are lightly browned. (You’ll notice a small ring of liquid around each mushroom, that’s fine!)
- Let the mushrooms cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes—they’ll firm up as they cool, which is important. Serve garnished with extra chopped parsley and basil.