Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms with Rustic Tomato Sauce

This is one of those meals that you almost have to close your eyes while you chew each bite because it is so satisfying. The different textures presented by the meaty Portobello, the soft tomatoes in the sauce, and the crispy bits of the sausage is such a fantastic combination. We normally would have topped these with a bit of broiled Grana Parmesan or fresh mozzarella, but as we are doing a dairy free month, we omitted it but did not miss it at all. The rustic tomato sauce made with grape tomatoes is the perfect finishing touch.

Ingredients for stuffed mushrooms:

1 lb. pork sausage, spicy or mild

4-6 large portobello mushroom caps

1/2 sweet onion, diced very small

2 stalks celery, diced very small

1 medium carrot, diced very small

3 cloves garlic, diced

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 tsp italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for sauce:

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp dried oregano

4 fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Directions for mushrooms:

Lightly brown sausage over medium-hi heat. Remove sausage from pan, but leave 1 tbsp of fat. Add onion, celery, garlic, and carrots to pan and cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add cooked veggies, parsley, and Italitan seasoning to sausage. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Clean Portobellos (remove stem and scrape off the gills). Place a heaping amount of stuffing into caps and bake at 425 degrees (400 degrees convection) for 20 minutes, or until top of sausage gets some nice crispy bits. Serve with sauce (recipe below)

Directions for sauce:

Place all ingredients except salt and pepper in a small pot and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.