Savory Sausage Sandwich...a Red Gold Recipe

Now that the holidays are coming to a close, it is time to start thinking of some regular food. So, while I could probably live on chocolate cinnamon rolls, I thought it best to start adding some quick meals back into my life.

Recently, my favorite canned tomato company, Red Gold Tomatoes, sent me a couple of cans of their crushed tomatoes, along with a recipe for a Savory Sausage Sandwich. I actually made this to bring to my dinner club, for our Christmas get-together...it was so easy to prepare ahead of time!

Savory Sausage Sandwich
Printable Recipe

1 pound Italian Sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (15 oz) cans Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 loaf Italian bread, unsliced, cut horizontally
1 (7.25 oz) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and cut into 1/2" pieces
8 oz sliced Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion, and garlic until browned; drain well. Add the Red Gold and mushrooms. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Hollow out the bottom half of bread loaf. Spoon meat mixture into hollowed out bread. Arrange cheese over meat and top with red peppers. Replace top of loaf and wrap tightly with foil.

Place on baking sheet and heat for 15 minutes, or until heated through. Cut into 2" slices.

If you make this up ahead of time, warm up the sausage mixture in the microwave before you scoop it onto the bread, or it will take longer than 15 minutes to heat in the oven.

Of course, I took a few liberties--I left out the mushrooms, knowing that some of my friends didn't care for them. I also used some frozen chopped onions, to save time. I imagine some chopped green peppers would make a nice addition, as well.

Oops, my red peppers went on before the cheese. It worked. :)

I used smoked Provolone slices instead of Mozzarella.

Don't you just love the melty cheese?

I actually had enough filling left over to make another sandwich at home, for which my husband was grateful. We ended up taking leftovers to work with us. Rather than making a second sandwich, perhaps next time I'll use the leftover filling to put over pasta. Good idea, no?

Did you know that Tuttorosso Tomatoes are a division of Red Gold? We don't have them yet, in Minnesota, but I did get a sample pack to try. Stay tuned for soup recipe featuring the Tuttorosso brand. There will even be a giveaway! :)

Disclaimer: I was given some Red Gold product to try, along with the recipe. All opinions remain my own.