stuffed portobello mushrooms

Last night I came home and I felt like I could chew off my arm.  I needed satisfying food and I needed it fast - preferably within fifteen minutes of unlocking my front door.  Usually, I'd fry up an egg and pan-sear some brussels sprouts on a night like this, but, as I already told you, I'm trying to break up with brussels sprouts.  My old stirfry standby was also out because I had barely any peanut butter left.  (Um, yeah, I've been eating it a lot with bananas for a "sweet treat".)

So I did what any sane person would do.  Order take-out on the way home.  Make stuffed portobello mushrooms, obviously. 

Before I go any further, you should know that I have a strange fascination with stuffed foods.  Burritos.  Empanadas.  Tamales.  Now, before you think I am just obsessed with Latin foods, (in all fairness, I am), I'll give you a few more examples.  Pastries.  Ravioli.  Stuffed chicken.  Stuffed eggplant and peppers.  You get the idea.  There's just something fun about biting into your food and being surprised by what is inside.
 
I just used what I had on hand, but this recipe is infinitely adaptable.  I used some vegetables I had leftover from making a flourless pizza (recipe forthcoming), and added sausage from a friend's farm in northeastern North Carolina.  The sausage was a Christmas gift, so it was already cooked and frozen by the time I used it yesterday.  All I had to do was pop it in the microwave for three minutes before slicing it vertically and crumbling the meat from its casing.  Similarly, you could use an uncooked sausage, just start browning it first, before you add the vegetables.  You could also use a different meat - ground turkey or ground beef come to mind.  Or, you could make it entirely meatless, substituting quinoa for a protein boost.  Use whatever kind of cheese you have - this would be equally as delicious with feta or goat cheese.  This particular recipe makes two shrooms, enough for one starving girl for dinner, or two people for an appetizer/first course.  Enjoy!     

Stuffed portobello mushrooms
Makes two stuffed shrooms
A caramelized memoir original 

2 portobello mushroom caps
olive oil
1/4 yellow onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1 handful baby spinach
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 sausage link (I used a farm-fresh smoked pork sausage that was probably ~3 ounces), cooked, removed from its casing, and crumbled
1 tablespoon pesto
pinch of oregano
salt and pepper
shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese, for topping

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Remove the stems from the portobello mushrooms; chop them and set aside.  Trim the underside of the cap with the back of a spoon, if necessary, ensuring that there is enough room inside the cap for stuffing.  Spray the mushrooms with olive oil or cooking spray, and cook in the oven, top side up, for 5-7 minutes, or just enough to soften slightly. 
2.  Meanwhile, chop the onion, red pepper, spinach, and tomatoes into very small pieces.
3.  Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add garlic, onion, red pepper, spinach, tomatoes, chopped stems, and crumbled sausage.  Add spices and pesto.  Saute 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
4.  Remove the mushroom caps from oven and fill them each with half the mixture.  Top each half with grated parmesan and shredded mozzarella.
5.  Return to oven to cook for five more minutes.  Switch to the broiler, and broil for 30-60 seconds, until cheese is melted. 
6.  Remove from oven and serve warm.