Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

I love stuffed mushrooms, however, rest of my family doesn't agree with me on that topic. For a long time I've been searching for a stuffed mushroom recipe that I like and will freeze well and I think I've found it. Actually I found two recipes that I wanted to try but when I started checking to see which ingredients I had on hand, I had part of each recipe and decided to combine and see how it turned out. I rate it a wonderful success.

These would be great to make ahead for the holiday gatherings, and then you just need to pop them into the oven to bake before your guests arrive. They also make great things to take to a party; everyone will think you've spent hours in the kitchen preparing!

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons chopped onion 1 cup heavy cream 2 1/2 cups herb seasoned stuffing 8 ounces sausage (cooked, drained and crumbled) 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 to 3 pounds whole white mushrooms, stems removed

Melt butter in medium saucepan, add onion and cook until translucent.

Add cream and heat until almost boiling.

Add herb seasoned stuffing, stir until moistened. At this point the mixture will be stiff and difficult to stir. I transferred my mixture to a bowl at this point and continued mixing in the rest of the ingredients with my hands.

Stir in spinach, cooked sausage and Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Arrange mushrooms on baking sheet, fill generously with spinach mixture.

At this point the mushrooms can be frozen or cooked. To cook the fresh mushrooms, preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. These tend to do better in a regular oven than a toaster oven. They are stuffed enough that a toaster oven will over brown the top before the mushroom is cooked.

To freeze, place the stuffed mushrooms on a cookie sheet so that they are not touching. Let them freeze for several hours or overnight. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer zip bag or other freezer container. Now you can remove them a few at a time or cook the entire batch.

To cook from the frozen state: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place frozen stuffed mushrooms in pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until filling is lightly browned and mushrooms are done.