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I swear mushrooms aren't all I make... but clearly I'm on a mushroom kick. They're easy and how can you get sick of them when you can simply change the vibe with a great new filling?! Enter Jimmy Dean's Hot Sausage. This is like the miracle ingredient that takes any meal to the next level. My husband explains it simply, "everything it touches is delicious." Combine sausage and cream cheese? EVEN BETTER. Last but not least, the addition of spinach - makes it healthy right?
The reason I threw this together so quickly after the last stuffed mushroom plate, was because I'm having some ladies over for happy hour tomorrow night and firmly believe that my husband makes a better guinea pig than my gal pals. I don't feel nearly as bad when I make a flop for just the two of us... having a group over isn't really the best time to try something new. With that being said, I had full confidence in this one and it did not disappoint. The recipe makes more filling than I needed for the mushrooms so I saved it and am using it for tomorrow's appetizer version.
I love cooking for a small army even though it's just the two of us. The leftovers make great lunches for me to take to work and having so much extra allows me to transform leftovers into new meals throughout the week with way less work.
Ingredients
1 package of Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
1 8oz pkg. of light cream cheese
1/2 c. gluten free bread crumbs
1 16 oz pkg mushrooms (portabello or white button), wiped with damp paper towel and destemmed.
1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking up with spatula as it cooks. Just before it is cooked through, mix in the red onion. Cook until sausage is cooked through and onion is translucent. Add spinach, cover and let steam until wilted. Turn off heat and mix in cream cheese until melted and well combined. Stir in bread crumbs.
Spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place mushrooms stem-side up. Spoon sausage filling into mushroom caps. Top with shredded parmesan cheese.
Bake mushrooms for 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve over spaghetti with your favorite sauce, try it over cooked spinach, or serve alone as an appetizer!