Why I love this mushroom sausage puff pastry bites recipe
These sausage and mushroom puff pastry bites are one of those appetizers that look impressive without requiring a lot of complicated prep.
The flaky puff pastry is topped with a savory mixture of sausage and mushrooms, then finished with creamy goat cheese for a combination that has plenty of flavor in every bite.
They’re easy to serve as finger food, which makes them perfect for cocktail parties, holiday gatherings or any occasion where you want an appetizer people can pick up and eat without a plate and fork.
And while I love the tangy flavor of goat cheese with the sausage and mushrooms, you can easily swap it for another cheese if goat cheese isn’t your favorite.
More puff pastry appetizers
Ingredients
Here is your shopping list (for 32 puff pastry bites):
- Dairy – 8 ounces goat cheese, 1 tablespoon salted butter.
- Frozen goods – 2 sheets 10″ x 9.5″ frozen puff pastry (1 box)
- Meat – 16 ounces raw ground pork sausage
- Fresh produce – 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms, 1 vidalia onion, 3 cloves garlic.
- Herbs – 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, 2 Tablespoons fresh sage.
Substitutions & Additions
- You can use raw ground turkey or chicken sausage instead of the pork if you prefer.
- If you don’t like goat cheese, use shredded Gouda or Gruyère instead.
- Cremini or white button mushrooms also work, although their flavor is a little milder.
- Another sweet onion or a regular yellow onion can replace the Vidalia onion.
- Unsalted butter works in place of salted butter. Taste the filling before adding extra salt if needed.
- If necessary, dried thyme and sage can be substituted for fresh. Use about one-third as much dried herb because the flavor is more concentrated.
- For a shortcut, use pre-made phyllo shells instead of cutting and forming the puff pastry
How to make mushroom sausage puff pastry bites
1 | Prep work
Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions, keeping it cold until you’re ready to use it.
Roughly chop the baby bella mushrooms. The pieces don’t need to be perfectly even, but keep them fairly small so the filling fits easily into the mini pastry cups.
Chop the Vidalia onion.
Strip the thyme leaves from any tough stems, then chop.
Repeat for the sage.
Finely mince the garlic. Using a garlic press is the easiest way to do this.
Cut the goat cheese into small pieces.
They should be small enough to fit easily in a mini cupcake tin. However, goat cheese is soft and sticky so don’t worry about trying to be too precise. You can separate the pieces later.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF so it is fully heated by the time the pastry bites are ready to bake.
Lightly coat the wells of a mini muffin pan with cooking spray so the baked pastry cups release easily.
2 | Make the filling
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the pork sausage. Break it into small crumbles as it cooks and continue cooking until no pink remains.
Transfer the cooked sausage onto a plate.
If there is a lot of fat left in the pan, discard some of it. There should be enough left over to lightly coat the bottom.
Add the salted butter to the pan with the reserved sausage fat. Let it melt and stir so the bottom of the pan is evenly coated.
Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Add the roughly chopped mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they get soft and start to release moisture.
Stir in the finely chopped thyme and sage.
Continue cooking for a couple of minutes, until most of the visible liquid has cooked away and the mushrooms begin to brown around the edges.
Mushrooms release quite a bit of liquid as they cook. Let that moisture cook off rather than draining it so the flavor stays in the filling.
Return the cooked sausage to the pan.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Then stir so everything is evenly combined.
Remove the pan from the heat and set the filling aside while you prepare the puff pastry.
Letting it cool slightly also keeps the warm filling from softening the puff pastry too much.
3 | Prepare the puff pastry
Unfold one sheet of the thawed puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper on the countertop. Keep the second sheet refrigerated until you are ready to work with it so it stays cold.
Use a rolling pin to lightly roll out the puff pastry, just enough to smooth out the folds. Use light pressure. Flattening the pastry too aggressively can compress the layers that create its flaky texture.
Cut the sheet into 4 equal strips in one direction, then turn it and cut it into 4 equal strips in the other direction. You should end up with 16 roughly equal squares.
Place one pastry square into each greased mini muffin well.
Gently press the center into the bottom and ease the pastry against the sides, leaving the corners extending above the pan.
You can repeat with the second sheet, but you will need a second muffin tin for the extra dough.
If you only have one tin, leave the other puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator until you have finished baking these ones. Then assemble the second batch. (In that case, remember to save half of the mushroom sausage mixture).
If the pastry starts sticking or feels very soft, chill it briefly before continuing. Cold puff pastry is easier to handle and puffs better in the oven.4 | Assemble the appetizer
Add about ½ tablespoon of the sausage-mushroom filling to each pastry cup.
Add a small amount of goat cheese.
Then top with a little more filling and another small amount of goat cheese.
Avoid packing the cups too tightly or piling the filling too high. Leaving some pastry exposed around the edges gives it room to puff and brown.
5 | Bake
Bake the filled pastry bites for about 15 minutes, until the puff pastry has risen and the exposed edges are golden brown.
Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing them so the pastry can firm up slightly.
How to make ahead
The sausage and mushroom filling can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Let it cool, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it. It is fine to use the filling cold when assembling the pastry bites.
Keep the puff pastry frozen until you are ready to thaw it. Then thaw and bake it the same day whenever possible. Puff pastry that stays thawed too long may not rise as well.
For the best texture, assemble the pastry cups and bake them closer to serving rather than storing them already put together. Otherwise the puff pastry may get soggy from the filling.
Storage
Let leftover puff pastry bites cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For the best texture, reheat them in the oven or air fryer until warmed through and the pastry is crisp again. The microwave will warm them, but the pastry will lose its texture.
Mushroom Sausage Puff Pastry Bites
Ingredients
- 16 ounces raw ground pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 vidalia onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh sage finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 sheets 10″ x 9.5″ frozen puff pastry thawed
- 8 ounces goat cheese crumbled
Equipment
- 24-cup mini muffin pan
- cooking spray
- large sauté pan
- slotted spoon or spatula
- cutting board
- Sharp knife
- parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400º.
- Spray your mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
- Brown the sausage in a saute pan over medium heat.16 ounces raw ground pork sausage
- Once cooked thoroughly, remove the sausage from the pan. Discard excess fat, leaving enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan along with the leftover sausage fat.1 tablespoon salted butter
- Saute the diced onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.1 vidalia onion
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.3 cloves garlic
- Add the roughly chopped mushrooms to the pan. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.16 ounces baby bella mushrooms
- Stir in the thyme, and sage. Cook for a couple more minutes or until the liquid in the pan starts to disappear and the mushrooms brown.2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, 2 Tablespoons fresh sage
- Return the cooked sausage to the pan.
- Toss in salt and pepper to taste and stir everything together.salt and pepper to taste
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Unfold the thawed puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper on your countertop.2 sheets 10″ x 9.5″ frozen puff pastry
- Lightly roll out each sheet of puff pastry.
- Cut each sheet into 16 roughly equal squares by cutting it into quarters lengthwise, then quarters crosswise.
- Place each square into one cup of the mini muffin pan and gently press it into the bottom and sides of each well.
- Fill each pastry with about a ½ Tablespoon of filling. Add a little goat cheese and then finish topping it off with more filling and a little more goat cheese on top.8 ounces goat cheese
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Notes
- You can use raw ground turkey or chicken sausage instead of the pork if you prefer.
- If you don’t like goat cheese, use shredded Gouda or Gruyère instead.
- Cremini or white button mushrooms also work, although their flavor is a little milder.
- Another sweet onion or a regular yellow onion can replace the Vidalia onion.
- Unsalted butter works in place of salted butter. Taste the filling before adding extra salt if needed.
- If necessary, dried thyme and sage can be substituted for fresh. Use about one-third as much dried herb because the flavor is more concentrated.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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