Breadstick and Pizza Casserole

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/breadstick-and-pizza-casserole/

This was really good.  I was actually excited about eating leftovers the next night.  I used her breadsticks recipe and then cooked the extra breadsticks it made and we had extras to dip in the casserole. I only used one zucchini because I thought two looked like too many.  The more work you do ahead of time the better. I already had grilled green peppers, cooked onions, and cooked ground and seasoned sausage left over from Mark's breakfast he made for the elder's quorum so that saved me alot of time.

Breadstick and Pizza Casserole

YIELD: SERVES 6-8

Note: This recipe is really adaptable for filling ingredients. If zucchini aren't in season, sub easily with another type of vegetable (corn, winter squash, green beans, etc.). The meat can also easily be subbed with ground beef or turkey, pepperoni, cooked chicken, etc. Even though this recipe only uses 1/2 of this homemade breadstick recipe, I make the full batch and bake the other half of the dough as normal breadsticks because seriously, who doesn't want extra breadsticks hanging around?

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, green, red or yellow
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into rounds
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• 9-12 ounces fully cooked chicken or turkey sausages, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 recipe homemade breadstick dough (see note above)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and diced pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the pepper is tender. Add the zucchini and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until just tender. Stir in the drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken sausage, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the liquid is somewhat reduced. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and stir into the mixture. Spoon half of the sauce mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the top. Spoon the other half of the sauce over the top of the cheese and sprinkle another 1/2 cup mozzarella over the top. Arrange bread sticks in a lattice pattern (see pictures below) over the sauce, trimming to fit, if necessary. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan and mozzarella on top.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the breadsticks are golden brown and cooked through and the filling is hot and bubbly. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.