The best appetizer you've never had

If you ask me what my favorite foods are, mushrooms will be at the top of the list. I LOVE mushrooms and don't discriminate against any: raw, canned, cooked, sauteed. I love them all. But my all time favorite mushroom dish has to be these stuffed mushrooms. I am submitting this recipe for the SITS recipe contest because it is DELICIOUS, easy, quick, and requires only a few ingredients....all things I look for in a recipe. Let's begin, shall we?

You need 12 portobello stuffer mushrooms (or 4 large cap mushrooms), mozzarella cheese, one small chopped onion, sage sausage, 8 ounce block of cream cheese, bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning. You with me so far?

First, brown the sausage with the chopped onion. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

While the sausage is browning, scoop out the stems and mushroom guts.
Once the sausage is browned, add the block of cream cheese.

Heat the cream cheese until soft and stir together.
Fill each mushroom with the sausage mixture.

Sprinkle each mushroom with mozzarella cheese.

Next, spoon some bread crumbs on top of the cheese. (I used Italian style bread crumbs.)

Drizzle melted butter or margarine on top of the bread crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (The large caps take a little longer, about 20 minutes.) If you want to crisp the top, just put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Just look at these babies. Are they calling your name yet?

These go perfectly with any pasta dish, steak (which is how we ate them tonight) or you can eat them as they are. They are very filling and so delicious. I'd love to hear your verdict if you try them!

If you want to see more SITS recipe contest entries, click here. Wish me luck in becoming of the 5 finalists!