Italian Sausage and Peppers
Simple ingredients and a little bit of time makes Italian sausage and peppers the most tasty dish and perfect for family celebrations.
Italian sausage dishes are a favorite in my home. Recipes such as this Easy Roasted Cauliflower Gnocchi, Sausage & Tomatoes and this Warm & Comforting Escarole, Bean & Italian Sausage Soup are always a hit when I make them for my family.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You can make it ahead of time
- Crockpot Recipe
- Leftovers can be frozen
- Great for parties
- If you’re gluten-free you can eat it without the bread and it’s just as delicious.
What Peppers to Use
Bell peppers are the best type of pepper to use for this recipe. They can be fresh or frozen. Frozen peppers take less time to prep and cook. You can use a mix of red and green peppers, but you can also use yellow or orange.
The frozen pepper mix I use is from Trader Joe’s and it has three colors of peppers in it and is chopped instead of sliced.
If you are using fresh peppers, you can just remove the seeds and slice them into strips.
One pound of peppers per one pound of sausage is recommended.
* Remember it may seem like a lot of peppers but they will cook down.
Ingredients
Italian Sausage – Sweet Italian sausage links. You can use spicy Italian sausage if that’s more to your liking.
Peppers – Bell peppers, fresh or frozen, can be a mix of red, green, yellow, or orange peppers.
Onions – Yellow onions, you will need 2 large ones.
Garlic Cloves – You will need 3 large cloves of garlic.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – To sauté the peppers and onions.
Provolone Cheese (optional) – Sliced sharp provolone cheese is best, however, if you want, a milder provolone will work as well.
Crusty Rolls or Gluten-Free Bread – Crusty Italian rolls, kaiser buns, or gluten-free rolls work well here. Make sure the rolls are not soft rolls or the sandwich will be mushy.
Cooking The Sausage
The sweet Italian sausage can be prepared in a few different ways:
* Grill the sausage links whole and then slice them into bite size pieces.
* Cut the sausage into small bite size pieces and roast them in an oven for 30 min or until cooked through.
* Fry the bite size pieces of sausage, which is the traditional way but it is more time consuming a makes a frying mess.
Sausage links can also be left whole. However, it serves more people if you cut them into bite size pieces
Instructions
- Cook the Italian sausage, by either grilling, roasting, or frying (see above).
- While the sausage is cooking, slice the onions, garlic, and peppers into strips (if using fresh peppers).
- Add olive oil to a large frying pan and sauté the peppers, onions and garlic until tender.
- Once the sausage is cooked through add them (and any pan juices) to the pan of the softened peppers, onions and garlic and combine.
- Let the mixture cook for approximately 10 minutes so the flavors combine.
- Serve immediately or move to a crockpot to keep warm.
Recipe Tips
Cooking the sausage and peppers separately makes the preperation more manageable. After each component is cooked, they are combined into either a large pan or a crockpot.
Frozen peppers are a time saver.
Can be made a day ahead of time and warmed in a crockpot.
Use crusty rolls as softer rolls will become mushy.
Storage Tips
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can be frozen up to 3 months in the freezer.
Italian Sausage and Peppers
Materials
- 5 lbs Sweet Italian sausage
- 5 16 oz Bag of frozen red and green peppers Can sub 5lbs fresh red and green peppers
- 2 large Yellow onions
- 3 large Garlic cloves
- Sharp provolone cheese (Optional)
- Crusty Rolls or Gluten-free Bread
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°f
- Slice onions and fresh peppers if using and set aside.
- Chop garlic cloves and set aside.
To Bake Sausage:
- Cut the sausage into bite size pieces and place onto 2 seperate baking sheets. Roast for 30 minutes flipping them halfway until cooked through.
To Grill the Sausage:
- Place whole sausage links on grill, cook until no longer pink. Serve whole or remove to cutting board and cut into bite size pieces.
- Using a large skillet, heat olive oil until shimmery, then add sliced onions. Cook for a few minutes until softened, then add the chopped garlic and frozen or fresh peppers.
- Once sausage is cooked add to the peppers and stir together. Cook for about 5 min to let the flavors blend together.
- Serve with crusty rolls and sharp provolone if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Recipes You May Like
