Italian Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

Tonight's featured dish is a fun dish to make, and the completed product seems a lot more difficult and impressive than the effort that goes into it. Your diners will be impressed and consider you a culinary genius with this one.

Prep Time 35 minutes Servings 3 to 4 (depending on if your diners can eat one or two tomatoes)

Ingredients:
1lb. of Italian Sausage (you can get links and cut them out of the casing) $4.00
4 oz. white mushrooms $1.00
4 oz. baby portabellas $1.00
6 to 8 large tomatoes (Using Heirloom tomatoes is the best. Here in Memphis, when they are in season, I use Ripley tomatoes) $5.00
8 oz. bread crumbs $1.00
8 tbsp EVOO $1.00
one small white onion $.70
2 garlic cloves $.10
salt and pepper $.10
1 tsp. oregano $.25
4 oz. Asiago Cheese $2.00

Total Cost $16.15 Cost per serving $4.04

In a heated skillet, add the Italian sausage, onion and garlic (both of which should be chopped). Break-up the sausage and sautee until brown. Halfway through, add the mushrooms. Once the sausage is browned and cooked through and through, set the mixture aside to cool.

Pit the tomatoes by cutting a circle out of the top of each tomato and scooping out the seeds and pulp inside. Drizzle EVOO in all the pitted tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.

Place the sausage, pepper and onion mixture in a mixing bowl and add the bread crumbs and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should start to combine and look like stuffing. If the mixture does not smooth but separates and crumbles, add a little water. Fill each tomato with stuffing and place in a oven-safe pan or dish. Bake at 350F in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place GRATED asiago cheese on top of each and return to oven for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve Hot.