Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Sausage, Spinach, and Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 large Portobello mushrooms
• 12 oz. mild or hot Italian sausage
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• 8 oz. coarsely chopped spinach leaves
• 2 T chopped fresh basil
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella, plus 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top

Directions

1. Get your gas or charcoal grill nice and hot over high heat.
2. Warm a small splash of olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Crumble the Italian sausage into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, using the back of your turner to break it into pieces as it browns. Once the sausage is nicely browned, scoop it into a bowl.
3. If the pan looks dry, add a little more olive oil, then cook the onions until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and keep cooking for a few minutes more, until the onions are beginning to brown.
4. Slide the Italian sausage back into the pan, then add the red pepper flakes and tomato sauce. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes while you chop the spinach.
5. Add the chopped spinach and stir as it wilts, letting it cook down into the sausage and onion mixture so everything is well combined. Turn off the heat and fold in 1/2 cup mozzarella, chopped basil, and parsley.
6. Gently pull the stems from the mushroom caps so you do not crack them. If you want to, scrape away the brown gills from the inside of the mushrooms, then brush olive oil over both sides of each cap.
7. Place the mushrooms on the grill with the inside facing down. Cook about 4 minutes, until they have a little color and are beginning to soften. Take them off the grill and set them on a wooden cutting board.
8. Carefully spoon the sausage, spinach, and cheese filling into each mushroom cap, then sprinkle each one with about 2 T grated mozzarella. Ease the filled mushrooms back onto the grill with the stuffing facing up, naturally.
9. Cover the grill and cook about 5 minutes, checking often. Take the mushrooms off the grill when they are cooked through, the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, and the filling is hot. Serve right away.