The Ultimate Sausage Mozzarella Sandwich with Zesty Chipotle Lime Slaw
Amp up your sandwich experience with this tantalizing juxtaposition of flavors and textures! Prepare for a truly unforgettable bite.
Are you someone who appreciates bold flavors and exciting culinary twists? If so, then you’re in for a treat with this extraordinary Sausage Mozzarella Sandwich recipe. This isn’t just any sandwich; it’s a vibrant symphony of tastes and textures, elevated by the innovative use of a Saucy Mama marinade. If you haven’t yet discovered the magic of Saucy Mama products, get ready to have your taste buds awakened!
Elevating Flavors with Saucy Mama
Saucy Mama is renowned for its exceptional range of marinades, dressings, condiments, and cooking sauces. What truly sets them apart is their dedication to crafting unique and incredibly delicious flavor profiles. From robust and smoky to bright and zesty, their variety is impressive. I’ve made it my personal quest to explore their entire collection, but for this particular recipe, one flavor stood out above the rest: the Chipotle Lime marinade.
The beauty of Saucy Mama products lies in their versatility. While they are perfect for their intended uses, they also spark creativity in the kitchen. For instance, the Chipotle Lime marinade, with its perfect balance of smoky heat and citrusy tang, became the unexpected star of our slaw. This ingenious twist takes a traditional sandwich and transforms it into a gourmet experience that’s both easy to prepare and incredibly satisfying.
A Culinary Journey and Contest Inspiration
My journey with Saucy Mama began at the exciting 2014 World Food Championships in Las Vegas. That event was an absolute blast, filled with incredible energy and the opportunity to connect with so many talented and passionate food enthusiasts. The atmosphere was electric, a melting pot of culinary innovation and friendly competition. It was an inspiring experience that deepened my love for food and pushed me to explore new flavor combinations. In fact, I’m hoping to return to the World Food Championships next year, perhaps as a contestant myself!
This particular Sausage Mozzarella Sandwich recipe holds a special place, as it was my entry into the Saucy Mama recipe contest. The grand prize? A coveted competitor spot in the 2015 World Food Championships in Kissimmee, Florida. Regardless of the contest outcome, I already feel like a winner. The process of developing this sandwich gave me the fantastic opportunity to experiment with a wide array of delicious Saucy Mama products, allowing me to discover new favorites and unleash my culinary creativity. A huge thank you to Saucy Mama for that!
Crafting the Perfect Flavor & Texture Blend
After considerable taste-testing and contemplation, the Chipotle Lime marinade truly captured my imagination. Its vibrant and complex flavor profile was simply irresistible. Instead of using it as a traditional marinade, I decided to give it a unique role: transforming it into a zesty, creamy dressing for my Brussels sprout and cabbage slaw. This unexpected twist proved to be a game-changer for the sandwich.
The resulting sandwich is a masterpiece of complementary flavors and contrasting textures. Imagine the satisfying crunch and tangy bite of the slaw, perfectly balanced by the smoky sweetness of roasted red peppers. Then, add the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth fresh mozzarella, which provides a cooling contrast to the savory, slightly sweet Italian sausage, beautifully grilled to perfection. Each bite is an explosion of deliciousness that keeps you coming back for more. My husband, for one, couldn’t get enough of it! Thankfully, I still have plenty of that incredible Saucy Mama Chipotle Lime Marinade left to recreate this sensational sandwich again and again.
Why This Sausage Mozzarella Sandwich Stands Out
- Savory Italian Sausage: The heart of the sandwich, offering rich, aromatic flavor. We butterfly the sausages to ensure even cooking and a perfect surface for browning.
- Creamy Fresh Mozzarella: Melts beautifully, adding a smooth, milky counterpoint to the more assertive flavors.
- Sweet Roasted Red Peppers: Provides a layer of sweetness and a soft, yielding texture that complements the other components. Roasting them brings out their natural sugars and a hint of smokiness.
- Zesty Chipotle Lime Slaw: This is where the magic happens! The Saucy Mama Chipotle Lime Marinade, combined with sour cream, creates a vibrant, tangy, and slightly spicy dressing for the crunchy cabbage and earthy Brussels sprouts. It’s an unexpected but delightful combination.
- Perfect Ciabatta Rolls: The slightly crusty exterior and soft, airy interior of ciabatta rolls are ideal for holding all these delicious fillings without getting soggy.
Tips for Making Your Sandwich Exceptional
Achieving sandwich perfection is all about paying attention to a few key details. Here are some tips to ensure your Sausage Mozzarella Sandwich with Chipotle Lime Slaw is absolutely fantastic:
- Sausage Preparation: When slicing the Italian sausages halfway through, be careful not to cut all the way. This “butterflying” technique allows them to cook more evenly and provides a larger surface area for that delicious browning, ensuring every bite has plenty of flavor. Cook them until they are thoroughly browned and cooked through, typically around 8 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Roasting Peppers: For the red bell peppers, you can grill them alongside the sausages for a consistent flavor profile, or even roast them in the oven for a hands-off approach. Look for them to soften and develop some char marks, indicating they are sweet and flavorful.
- Slaw Shredding: For the shredded Brussels sprouts, a food processor with a shredding disc makes quick work of it. If you don’t have one, thinly slicing them by hand works just as well. The finer the shred, the better the dressing will adhere, creating a cohesive slaw.
- Slaw Dressing: Don’t skip the sour cream in the slaw dressing! It adds a wonderful creamy texture and mellows the intensity of the Chipotle Lime Marinade, creating a perfectly balanced tang and spice.
- Assembly Matters: Layering is key for the ultimate sandwich experience. Placing the mozzarella directly on the warm sausage will help it melt slightly, while the roasted pepper adds a soft layer before the crunchy slaw.
- Fresh Lime Squeeze: The optional squeeze of fresh lime juice over the slaw just before serving brightens all the flavors and adds an extra layer of zing that really cuts through the richness of the sausage and cheese.
This sandwich is not only incredibly flavorful but also surprisingly quick to put together, making it an ideal choice for a weeknight dinner or a satisfying weekend lunch. It’s proof that sometimes the best culinary innovations come from simple twists on beloved ingredients.
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Sausage Mozzarella Sandwich with Chipotle Lime Slaw
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Sausage Mozzarella Sandwich with Chipotle Lime Slaw
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Ingredients
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- 2 red bell peppers
- 16 ounces sweet Italian sausage (1 package, 4 sausages)
- 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage
- ¾ cup shredded fresh Brussels sprouts (about 8 sprouts – I used a food processor to shred them)
- 3 tablespoons Saucy Mama Chipotle Lime Marinade
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 lime (optional)
- 4 ciabatta rolls
Instructions
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Clean the red peppers and slice each in half.2 red bell peppers
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Slice the sausages halfway through along the length of the sausage and pry them open.16 ounces sweet Italian sausage
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Place the red peppers and sausages over medium-high heat on a skillet or grill and cook until browned and done (about 5 minutes for the peppers, about 8 minutes for the sausages), turning about halfway through the cooking time. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, combine the shredded cabbage and shredded Brussels sprouts.1 ½ cups shredded cabbage, ¾ cup shredded fresh Brussels sprouts
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In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and Chipotle Lime Marinade. Add to the cabbage mixture and toss until well coated.3 tablespoons Saucy Mama Chipotle Lime Marinade, 1 tablespoon sour cream
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Assemble the sandwiches by placing a sausage on the bottom half of each roll.4 ciabatta rolls
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Place 2 slices of mozzarella on top of the each piece of sausage.8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
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Place a roasted red pepper half over the cheese,
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Cover the red pepper with chipotle lime slaw
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Squeeze a segment of lime over the slaw (optional).1 lime
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Top with the second half of the roll and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Enjoy every delightful bite of this unique and flavor-packed sandwich! It’s truly a testament to how simple ingredients can come together to create something extraordinary.
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