Pizza Lasagna

"This is a classic Italian dish with a new twist, and a bit of American flare!"

4 lasagna noodles, broken in half, then cooked

4 tbsps of olive oil

1 cup of sliced, fresh mushrooms

1 small onion,chopped

1/2 small green bell pepper, choped

salt & pepper

3 links of mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 small can of sliced black olives, drained

1-8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

                                                                         1 1/2 tsps of garlic powder

                                                                         2 cups of shredded Italian blend cheese

                                                                         36 pepperoni slices

                                                                         1 cup of marinara sauce (use your favorite!)

                                                                         chopped, fresh parsley, for garnish

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, and add the mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper.  Add salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes.  Next, add the sausage and break up in the pan.  Cook until the sausage is brown, about 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and garlic powder.  Then, add 1 cup of the shredded cheese and mix together.  Add the olives to the cooled sausage and mix in.  To assemble the lasagna, you will need an 11x7 in glass* baking pan (looks like a 13x9 only smaller)*.  Pour just enough marinara sauce into the pan to cover the bottom.  Then, lay 4 of the noodles cross-wise in the pan.  Next, spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over the noodles.  Then, spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mix.   Next, layer 1/2 of the sausage mixture evenly, and then cover with 18 of the pepperoni slices.  Then, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese over.  Repeat another layer, starting with the last 4 noodles, and so on.  Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cheese well melted and lasagna is bubbly.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Serve and enjoy! 

*You MUST  use a glass baking dish.  If you bake in a metal cake pan, the acidity in the marinara sauce will react with the metal, giving your food a slight metallic taste. Yuck!

*If you can't find an 11x7 in. dish, you can always double the recipe and use a 13x9 glass baking dish!