Sausage and Sweet Potato Stuffed Portobellos

I bought some organic portobellos at the farmer's market this week and couldn't wait to use them. In this recipe, I puree the sausage and sweet potato mixture in the food processor, but if you prefer it chunkier, you can just mash the potato with a fork and hand mix the ingredients. The flavor will be just as good. If you can't find sweet potatoes, try using butternut or acorn squash. We chopped the leftovers and mixed them with eggs for breakfast. Enjoy!

Adapted from www.foodnetwork.com.


Serves 3-4.


Ingredients
1 lb bulk nitrate-free Italian sausage
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 yellow onion, minced
4-6 Portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup almond meal
good-quality balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place sweet potatoes in a small sauce pan and cover with water. Boil until soft (15-20 minutes), drain well, and set aside.
3. Clean mushrooms and remove mushroom stems. Mince stems and set aside. Drizzle mushrooms with olive oil and use your hands to coat the tops. Place bottom-side-up and in a shallow baking dish.
4. While potatoes cook, saute sausage in a large skillet until browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion and mushroom stems and saute an additional 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add garlic and cayenne and continue cooking about 1 minute.
5. Let mixture cool slightly and place in bowl of food processor. Add sweet potatoes and almond meal and pulse until finely chopped and well combined.
6. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and mix in 1/4 cup basil. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Scoop about 1/2 cup of sausage mixture into each mushroom and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. 
8. To serve, place mushroom on plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and garnish with basil. I served this with a simple green salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.