Hearty Sausage Sandwich

Mom has made this recipe or something similar a few times before. It's a good casual meal for a group. It's in the section of a Taste of Home about budget meals. I got the bread and sausage on good sales because they were expiring, but I doubt I could otherwise make it for 98 cents a serving. Maybe food prices have really increased that much in six years.

Picture by Taste of Home

Hearty Sausage Sandwich

Ingredients
1 pound Johnsonville® Mild Ground Italian Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (I used canned)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 loaf (1 pound) unsliced Italian bread
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add the cream cheese, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, water and oregano. Cook and stir until cheese is melted.
Cut bread in half horizontally; hollow out top and bottom, leaving a 3/4-in. shell (save removed bread for another use).
Place bread bottom on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese; top with sausage mixture and remaining cheese. Replace bread top. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings. From the April & May 2008 Taste of Home

It was fine. Nothing has sounded good to me lately, but for some reason this did, yet it didn't hit the spot. I was dubious about it really serving six. I cut it into six pieces. I ate one and was surprisingly filled. Brian ate two pieces. I used canned mushrooms, fat free cream cheese (I thought I had gotten neufchatel), and French bread instead of Italian.