Easy Stuffed Mushrooms are a party perfect appetizer. Loaded with bread crumbs, parmesan and clams, this Olive Garden Copycat Recipe is always a hit!
If you are looking for a great appetizer to serve for your holiday season, game day or any other get together, this Easy Stuffed Mushroom recipe is exactly what you need.
They are easy to put together. Can be made ahead of time. And are the perfect finger food.
I first tried these stuffed mushrooms at Olive Garden. They were one of my absolute favorite things to get. Sure, you get unlimited breadsticks and salad but I still had to order stuffed mushrooms each time we went.
I loved them so much that I decided to recreate them at home. And now I’m sharing the recipe with you so you can too!
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: This is used to sauté the onions and shallots as well as to drizzle over the top of the mushrooms before baking. This will help brown the tops.
SHALLOT/GARLIC: Mince these fine so that you don’t have large chunks of shallots or garlic in the filling.
DRY ITALIAN BREAD CRUMBS: This is going to help bind the filling together.
MINCED CLAMS/CLAM JUICE: Drain the clams but reserve the juice. This will help moisten the filling and give even more clam flavor.
PARMESAN CHEESE: Use the fresh stuff! It tastes much better if you grate it fresh.
FRESH PARSLEY: This adds a fresh flavor and a pop of color.
CRIMINI OR WHITE BUTTON MUSHROOMS: While you want these to be easy to serve as finger food, make sure that the mushrooms you buy are medium sized so that you can fit about 1 tablespoon or so of filling into each mushroom.
STEP #1: Heat olive oil in a small skillet. Cook shallots and garlic until soft. 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
STEP #2: In a bowl combine shallot and garlic mixture, chopped clams, clam juice, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, parsley and salt (if desired).
STEP #3: Stuff about 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture into each mushroom.
Place the mushrooms in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
STEP #4: Bake 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-3 minute or until the tops turn golden.
Yes! That is one of the things that makes them perfect for party planning. Simply follow steps 1 – 4 and then refrigerate the mushrooms until you are ready to bake them. Remove them from the refrigerator about 10 – 15 minutes before you want to cook them so that they have a chance to come up to room temperature. This will help them cook faster.
If you loved these Easy Stuffed Mushrooms and want even more mushroom goodness, check out these recipes:
Looking for more easy party appetizers? Here are some of my favorites!
Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2009. It was updated with new tips, modifications and step by step photos in 2020.
Deseree
April 16, 2009 at 3:11 pmCassie and Rita: Yeah, Ryan was a little unsure of the clams too but I made these and he tried it he totally love them. :)
More cheese is ALWAYS good gn :)
Ohhh those bread sticks are super yummy. Thanks Mrs. L!
Mrs. L
April 16, 2009 at 8:51 amI think I’ve only been to the Olive Garden once and all I remember about it is the bread served before the meal! I never would have thought to put clams in stuffed mushrooms but what a great idea!
gn
April 16, 2009 at 6:55 amI’ve done these before and they are great… I always take a bit more cheese and sprinkle it over the top before they go in the oven.
Rita
April 15, 2009 at 8:53 pmhahaha…you’re right….in sync one more time….I never heard of clams-stuffed mushrooms, sounds very interesting.
cassie
April 15, 2009 at 7:23 pmClam? I’ll give it a try. Sounds great.