Stuffed Italian Sausage Food

ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the stems from 24 large cremini mushrooms (finely chop the stems for the filling).
• Wipe the caps clean with a damp paper towel, then toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt . Arrange on a baking sheet.
• Cook 4 ounces sweet Italian sausage (casing removed) in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, 3 minutes. Add 1/2 finely chopped fennel bulb and the chopped mushroom stems and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves, season with red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Let cool, then mix with 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup shredded fontina and 2 tablespoons each grated parmesan, chopped parsley and chopped green olives. Divide among the mushroom caps.
• Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is golden, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then remove from the baking sheet.

STUFFED ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and position the oven rack to the center.
• Carefully cut the Italian sausage links lengthwise, making sure to only cut about halfway down into the sausage.
• Insert a piece of string cheese into each sausage and then pinch the top of the raw sausage closed over the top of the cheese. Place the stuffed sausages into the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish.
• Drizzle the cup of marinara sauce over the top of the sausages.
• Bake the stuffed sausage recipe for 30+ minutes or until the sausages are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

SUNNY'S ITALIAN SAUSAGE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• For the squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the squash on a baking sheet flesh-side up and rub with the olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast until the edges begin to ripple and a poke with a fork reveals tender flesh, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool until easy to handle.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh within the skin of each squash half to help it maintain its shape.
• For the filling: In a large pan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and sausage. While cooking, break the sausage into bits like ground meat with a wooden spoon. Once some of the fat is rendered from the sausage, add the onions, paprika, pumpkin pie spice, sage, celery, bell peppers and a pinch of salt. Cook until the sausage is done and the vegetables are tender.
• Add the mixture to the bowl of squash along with the cheese, walnuts and cranberries and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Fill the hollowed squash halves with the mixture and place back in the oven to melt the cheese and make the tops golden brown, 15 more minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.