Crispy Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

These stuffed portobello mushrooms are packed full with a blend of wild rice and sausage, and topped with crispy toasted panko breadcrumbs.

I lovvvvvve stuffed mushrooms, but my husband is not a fan in the least, so they don’t make a very regular appearance on our table at home.

But when he’s away, or I’m visiting my parents with the kids solo, I’m all about cooking up a dish of big, fat, stuffed portobello mushrooms with a layer of crispety crunchety panko breadcrumbs spilling over the sides!

Portobello mushrooms are thick and meaty, and they hold their own against the hearty filling of wild rice and crumbled sausage.

Slice off the stem of the mushroom and make sure to scrape out the gills (those little black lines on the inside of the mushroom) Slicing out the stem helps make more room for your filling, and scraping the gills out will help the mushroom from getting soggy while it cooks.

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Sausage-Stuffed Portobello with Maple Butternut Squash

Creamy Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage and Broccoli

The crispy panko topping on these stuffed portobello mushrooms is even crispier than normal, thanks to the extra step of toasting it before adding it to the mushrooms.

You can skip the toasting step if you’re in a rush, but believe me- it’s worth it when you take the extra time to toast the breadcrumbs!

Can I swap any ingredients in this recipe?

If you can’t get your hands on big portobello mushrooms, you can use baby bellas or large button mushrooms in place; it’ll just be more like an appetizer than a dinner dish!

You can also leave the sausage aside in favor of just rice. In the case of no sausage, I recommend using a wild rice blend, like something you get from Uncle Ben’s, instead of plain wild rice.

If you are using plain wild rice, I love this brand in particular. Fun fact: did you know wild rice isn’t actually a rice, but a type of river grass? #themoreyouknow

If you can’t get your hands on panko breadcrumbs, then you can still use regular breadcrumbs for this recipe.

If you’re only using regular breadcrumbs though and not panko, toasting the breadcrumbs beforehand is even more important so you get that crispy texture! Just make sure to pull the toasted breadcrumbs off the heat at the first sign of browning – they’ll burn super quick, so stay close to the pan the entire time the crumbs are on the heat.

Can I prep this dish ahead of time and cook later?

These stuffed portobello mushrooms are actually really great for prepping ahead of time.

Scraping the gills out of the mushroom caps during your prep sesh will let them keep for longer once they’re in the fridge.

Toasted breadcrumbs will freeze GREAT, and that easily! You can go right ahead and combine the toasted breadcrumbs with grated parm and basil before freezing. Let the container thaw on the counter, not the fridge, which will help them stay dry as the chill melts off.

Cooked sausage and wild rice can be blended together ahead of time, and stored in the fridge or freezer – instructions for each style of prep are included in the recipe card below.

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Crispy Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

18 mins

 

Stuffed portobello mushrooms with wild rice, sausage, crispy panko topping. Includes easy instructions to prep and freeze!

Course: Dinner, Make-Ahead or Freezer Meals, Side Dish

Keyword: stuffed mushrooms

Servings: 3

Author: Ruthy Kirwan

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Italian sweet sausage
• 1 small red onion sliced thin
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 large portobello mushrooms
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Prep Ahead:

1. Brown and cook the sausage and onions with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
2. Cook the wild rice according to the instructions on the package.
3. Combine the cooked rice and cooked sausage and onions in a large sealed container.
4. Scrape the gills out the mushroom caps and store the caps in a resealable bag or container.
5. Add the panko to a large pan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until it has just started to brown. Remove from heat immediately and set aside until cool enough to handle.
6. Combine toasted panko with the parmesan and basil and store in a sealable bag.
7. Panko/parmesan combo bags/containers can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months or the fridge for 1 month; the cooked rice and mushrooms can be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days or the freezer for up to 1 month.

Prepare From Prepped:

1. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 400*F.
3. Spoon the sausage, onions and cooked rice mixture into the mushroom caps, dividing evenly.
4. Top with toasted panko and parmesan cheese mixture.
5. Bake 8-12 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened and the cheese is melted.

Make From Fresh:

1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package. Divide one cup of rice and set aside to use in this recipe; store the remaining rice in the fridge to use elsewhere.
2. While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over medium heat until warmed, and then add the sausage and red onions.
3. Cook, crumbling the sausage while you do so, until the sausage is completely cooked through and the red onion has softened, about 10 minutes.
4. While the sausage is cooking, remove the stems and scrape the black gills from the inside of the portobello caps.
5. Once the sausage and rice have cooked, combine together in a large bowl until well mixed.
6. Set the caps, gill-side up, in a 9”x13” casserole dish and preheat the oven to 375*F.
7. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a large saute pan over medium heat.
8. Toast, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs have just started to brown. Remove from heat immediately and set aside until cool enough to handle.
9. Combine the toasted breacrdumbs, grated parmesan and chopped basil leaves until mixed.
10. Spoon the sausage and rice mixture into the mushroom caps, dividing evenly.
11. Top the mushroom caps with the panko, parmesan cheese and basil mixture.
12. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and the cheese is melted.

Recipe Notes

Balsamic vinegar adds a punch of flavor to these stuffed mushrooms, topped with umami-filled parmesan cheese and crispy panko breadcrumbs, made crispier by toasting them first in a hot pan. Makes a great make-ahead meal, or an easy weeknight dinner when served with a side salad and a crusty loaf of bread. You can use just wild rice or swap in a wild rice blend, if you’d like.