Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

Every flavor of a loaded pizza packed into a mushroom cap. Browned Italian sausage, finely chopped pepperoni, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and a mix of seasoned bread crumbs and crushed Ritz crackers fill two pounds of white mushroom caps. Fifteen minutes in a hot oven and the cheese melts, the tops crisp, and the mushrooms release just enough juice to keep everything moist.

The chopped mushroom stems cook in the sausage drippings for 10 minutes, turning tender and concentrating their earthy flavor. The pepperoni goes in during the last 3 minutes so it renders some of its spicy fat into the stem mixture without burning. That flavored stem-pepperoni base is what gives the stuffing its deep, pizza-like savoriness.

The dual crumb mixture of seasoned bread crumbs and crushed Ritz crackers is a smart combination. The bread crumbs absorb moisture and hold the filling together. The Ritz crackers add a buttery richness on top.

Chef Tips

• Use medium to large mushroom caps for the easiest stuffing. Small caps can’t hold enough filling to be satisfying.
• Drain the sausage well on paper towels. Excess grease makes the stuffing soggy and pools in the mushroom caps during baking.
• Mound the filling slightly above the rim of each cap. It shrinks as the mushroom releases moisture during baking.
• These disappear fast at parties. Double the batch if you’re feeding more than six people.

Variations

• Supreme style: Add chopped green peppers and diced onions to the stem mixture for a supreme pizza filling.
• Bacon mushrooms: Swap the sausage for crumbled bacon and add a tablespoon of diced sun-dried tomatoes.
• Buffalo chicken stuffed: Replace the sausage and pepperoni with shredded chicken tossed in hot sauce and use blue cheese crumbles instead of mozzarella.