Portabellas Stuffed with Spinach, Sausage, and Peppers

GLUTEN-FREE  |  GRAIN-FREE  |  DETOX-FRIENDLY

Stuffing vegetables is an easy way to incorporate inexpensive cuts of pasture-raised meat into your diet. It's also a good way to make meat more of a condiment than a main ingredient in plant-based diets. 

3 large portabella mushroom caps, wiped clean and stems removed (save them for making broth)
Extra virgin olive oil, first cold pressing
Sea salt 
Freshly ground peppercorn
1 tablespoon ghee
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, any color
2 patties or links of home-made sausage
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves 
1 tablespoon lightly packed fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Place the mushroom caps gill-side-up on a baking pan. Drizzle them with oil and season them with salt and pepper. Transfer them to the hot broiler and cook until they are soft and the gills begin to crisp, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set them aside to cool.
3. Melt the ghee in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and sauté until soft and starting to brown. Break up the sausage as you drop it into the skillet (discard the casing if there is one). Continue cooking until the sausage starts to brown. Grate in the garlic. Stir in the spinach and oregano. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to rest for 2 minutes.
4. Uncover the sausage mixture, stir in the tomato paste, and allow it to cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 300F.
6. Once the sausage mixture has cooled, stir in most of the Parmesan, reserving some for garnish.
7. Pile the sausage mixture on top of the broiled mushroom caps and garnish with the reserved Parmesan.
8. Bake until the stuffing has warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.