Ingredients

2 cups marinara sauce, purchased
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, crumbled (Hillshire Farms or Johnsonville)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, sliced
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, fresh
2 cups Martha White self-rising cornmeal mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh slivered basil, divided
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided
Fresh basil leaves

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat marinara sauce and keep warm. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 10-inch skillet, brown sausage. Remove sausage to a medium bowl. Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Over medium-high heat, cook onion, stirring constantly until translucent. Stir in peppers and mushrooms. Cook and stir about 2 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Place mixture in bowl with sausage. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and place remaining tablespoon of olive oil in warm skillet and swirl to coat bottom. Place skillet over low heat while cornbread mixture is combined.

In a medium bowl, combine Martha White self-rising cornmeal mix, Parmesan Reggiano, cayenne pepper, garlic and 2 tablespoons slivered basil. In a small bowl, combine oil, egg and buttermilk. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Remove skillet from heat.

Pour one-half of the corn bread mixture in bottom of skillet. Spread with back of spoon to level batter. Spoon meat mixture over top of batter, being careful to avoid the edges. Cover the meat mixture with sun-dried tomatoes and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Pour remaining batter over the cheese and smooth batter with back of spoon.

Carefully place the hot skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until corn bread is cooked, sprinkling with remaining mozzarella the last 5 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with remaining slivered basil and fresh basil leaves. Cut into wedges and serve with warm marinara sauce. Serves 5-6.