Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Well, if you follow my blog , even a little, you know I really, really dislike mushrooms A LOT! I have tried them and made them several ways and still don’t like them, but Mr. MCYM really likes them so every now and then I make him his own batch of stuffed mushrooms! These will make a great addition to any holiday table or party you may be having! I made these for a little appetizer while watching the Patriots game! Mr. MCYM was a very happy man!

INGREDIENTS
24 Large Cremini mushrooms (wipe with a clean damp cloth to clean.)
4 ounces sweet Italian sausage, ground
1/2 of a fennel bulb, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup of Panko crumbs
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons of parsley
2 Tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and finely chop them, set aside.  In a bowl toss your mushrooms with olive oil and season with salt. Place the mushrooms on a sheet pan.  Cook the sausage in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat breaking up the meat until no longer pink. Add the fennel and the mushroom stems cooking until tender. Add garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes.  Cook for one minute, remove from heat and let cool. Mix the breadcrumbs with the parsley and cheese and when the sausage mixture is cool, add the bread crumb mixture and mix well. Divide the stuffing between the mushroom caps and bake for 15-17 minutes. Let cool five minutes and serve warm.

Enjoy,