Stuffed Baby Bellas — Creminis filled with sausage & spinach

Normally I serve sausage-and-cheese-stuffed (button) mushrooms for an appetizer, but today Zey’s Market had a special on creminis (baby portabella mushrooms) so I decided to turn them into a dinner entrée. Since I had fresh spinach on hand, I threw it in the mix and this in what I came up with . . .

Stuffed Baby Bellas — Creminis filled with sausage & spinach

8 baby portabella mushrooms (creminis)

½ to ¾ lb. ground pork sausage (we use Zey’s fresh ground sausage)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

3 to 4 handfuls fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs

About ¼ to cup shredded Cheddar cheese – divided use

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Cooked rice—I used brown basmati (about ¾ cup to 1 ½ cups of water) and cooked it according to package directions

1 to 2 carrots, finely chopped

Chopped chives for garnish if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Remove the stems and finely chop them.
   
3. Arrange the mushroom caps (hollow side facing up) on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or dish. Leave some room around each mushroom to prevent caps from steaming.
4. Add ground sausage to a hot skillet or pot, stirring to break up as it browns.
   
5. Once it is broken up and nicely browned, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped mushroom stems. Cook over medium heat until onions are tender.
   
6. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste.
   
   Note: the moisture in the spinach will help deglaze the pan at this point.
7. Remove  most of the meat filling from the pot and place in in a bowl (any that remains will be used to flavor the rice). To the bowl of meat filling—stir in enough bread crumbs to make a firm mixture + most of the cheese.
   
8. Divide stuffing among mushrooms, packing it to fill the cap in addition to creating a mound; top with any remaining cheese.
   
9. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
10. As mushrooms bake, add chopped carrots to the filling that remains in the pot. Add lid and cook until carrots are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
11. Mix in cooked rice.
    
12. To serve, either arrange mushrooms on top of a mound of rice or arrange rice on the side; garnish with snipped chives if desired.
    
    
    
    

Recipe without photos . . .

Stuffed Baby Bellas — Creminis filled with sausage & spinach

8 baby portabella mushrooms (creminis)

½ to ¾ lb. ground pork sausage (we use Zey’s fresh ground sausage)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 to 4 handfuls fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs

About ¼ to cup shredded Cheddar cheese – divided use

-----

Cooked rice—I used brown basmati (about ¾ cup to 1 ½ cups of water) and cooked it according to package directions

1 to 2 carrots, finely chopped

Chopped chives for garnish if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Remove the stems and finely chop them.
3. Arrange the mushroom caps (hollow side facing up) on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or dish. Leave some room around each mushroom to prevent caps from steaming.
4. Add ground sausage to a hot skillet or pot, stirring to break up as it browns.
5. Once it is broken up and nicely browned, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped mushroom stems. Cook over medium heat until onions are tender.
6. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Note: the moisture in the spinach will help deglaze the pan at this point.
7. Remove most of the meat filling from the pot and place in in a bowl (any that remains will be used to flavor the rice). To the bowl of meat filling—stir in enough bread crumbs to make a firm mixture + most of the cheese.
8. Divide stuffing among mushrooms, packing it to fill the cap in addition to creating a mound; top with any remaining cheese.
9. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
10. As mushrooms bake, add chopped carrots to the filling that remains in the pot. Add lid and cook until carrots are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
11. Mix in cooked rice.
12. To serve, either arrange mushrooms on top of a mound of rice or arrange rice on the side; garnish with snipped chives if desired.