Cooking with Arge 101 - Sausage and Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

I love when people come to me and ask for recipes or to make them something or cooking tips. I love it even more when people ask me to help them to cook. My girlfriend Tara is a self-proclaimed "Non-cook" but she wants to get better at cooking. So last Friday, she hosted a "Girl's Night" at her house. She told me that she wanted to make an appetizer from the Ladies Auxiliary cookbook. She picked one of my recipes - Sausage and Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms. She was nervous but I told her that I would help her, go with her to the store so she can get an idea about the ingredients. So Thursday night we go to Shoprite....get everything we needed (except for mushrooms...they didn't have any so over to Stop & Shop we went) and went back to her house to start the mushrooms. She began cleaning the vegetables, I chopped...she watched me very closly. We got out the frying pan...took the sausage out of the casing...added the vegetables, cheese, seasonings.....the stuffed those mushrooms until they were over flowing with the cheesy sausage mixture. She was so proud of herself and I was proud of her. The end result was delicious and my friend Tara is on her way to becoming a "Cooking Diva".

Sausage and Mozzarella Stuffed Mushrooms

2 packages white stuffing mushrooms, cleaned
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 package Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup sliced green onions
3 garlic gloves, pushed through a press
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms and discard. Take one mushroom and finely chop; set aside. Place mushroom caps in a bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange caps, cavity side up, on a cookie sheet. Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, green onion and chopped mushroom. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking sausage into smaller pieces with a fork for about 8 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and add 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese,stir, then add the mozzarella cheese, 1 cup at a time, until cheese melts. Using a teaspoon, stuff mushroom caps with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until mushrooms are tender.

Footnotes - If possible, use a good quality Parmesan cheese. It makes a huge difference in the taste of the recipe. When it comes to things like cheese, better quality will give you a better end result. This sausage mixture also makes a great stuffing for jumbo pasta shells. Serve with sun-dried tomato alfreado sauce..Yummy!!!