Braided Spaghetti Bread (Spaghetti Baked Inside Garlic Bread) ! - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 loaf rhodes bread dough, thawed to room temperature (or use other brand, or make your own homemade dough)
6 ounces spaghetti, cooked (or use angel hair)
1 cup thick spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup cooked vegetarian Italian sausage (or cooked veggie crumbles or hamburger) (optional)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
dried basil
smoked paprika (optional)
fresh parsley

Preparation

Pre heat oven to 350* F. Lay out a large sheet of parchment paper (Do it. Don't even bother trying to go sans the paper. I'm 99% sure you'll make a mess when trying to transfer) & roll your loaf out into a 12x16 rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap & let it rest while you get everything else ready (10 min or so).
Cook your spaghetti (or angel hair) according to directions & drain. Mix in the tomato sauce & vegetarian Italian sausage/hamburger (or use real meat-optional) & let it cool slightly while you continue to prepare.
Cut your block of mozzarella into chunks.
Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish & stir in the minced garlic & a few pinches of basil. Uncover the dough & using a pastry brush, brush a little more than 1/2 of the butter mixture onto the dough.
Now spoon the spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of the dough- top with the mozzarella chunks.
Make cuts 1 1/2 inches apart on the long sides of the dough to within 1/2 inch of the filling.
Start braiding by folding the strips towards the filling- braid left over right, right over left, etc etc- all the way down.
Finish the ends by pulling the strips over & tucking under the braid.
Then brush the remainder of the garlic butter all over the top of the bread. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese, a little more basil & some garlic powder. Add smoked paprika to taste, a pinch or two. Sprinkle parsley over the top.
Slide the parchment paper to a large baking sheet & bake in your pre heated oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let it rest for about 5 minutes & then slice to serve.
Enjoy!