Sausage, Peppers and Onions

This sausage peppers and onions recipe is the perfect solution when you’re looking for a fast and delicious weeknight meal. It’s hearty, smells incredible and makes you think of old-school Italian delicatessens. I make this dish quite often because of its flexibility. 

Serve it low carb with a fork or in hoagie rolls for a sandwich. It’s also great served over hot pasta. Best of all, it’s made in one pan with minimal prep. All you need is a few fresh ingredients to make this satisfying and comforting dish for your family.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

It all cooks in one skillet and no more washing a bunch of pots. The meat releases flavorful juices to deglaze the pan and create a lovely sauce. The vegetables get some nice browning and don’t require constant stirring.

What I love most about this meal is how easy it is to customize to please picky eaters. You can serve mild or spicy sausage and adjust the spices for each person’s liking. It’s a breeze to throw a few veggies into a pan and let the heat work its magic.

What You Need

To whip up this classic Italian-American comfort food, you will need Italian sausage links, bell peppers, sweet yellow onions, olive oil, fresh garlic, and crushed tomatoes.

Italian Sausage

You can choose between sweet, hot or mild Italian sausage. I suggest buying uncooked links to allow the juices to infuse with the vegetables while they cook in the skillet. If you prefer to cut back on the calories, try a leaner option such as chicken or turkey sausage.

Bell Peppers

I love to use a variety of colors of peppers to give this dish visual appeal and a hint of sweetness. Slice them into thick strips to maintain texture as they cook. Green bell peppers work too if that’s what you have in your fridge.

Crushed Tomatoes

Adding crushed tomatoes helps create a rustic sauce from the meat juices. Don’t use too much because it will make the dish soupy. Just enough to combine the flavors. You can substitute tomato paste diluted with a bit of broth if you don’t have crushed tomatoes.

How to Make Sausage, Peppers and Onions

Choose a good-sized skillet and a chopping board to prepare this dish.

Prep the Veggies

Cut onions and peppers into thick strips. Mince garlic and set everything aside so you are completely ready to cook.

Brown the Sausage

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm up some oil. Now, add your sausage links to the skillet and let them cook until they are browned on all sides. 

Slice the Meat

Once cooked, remove the links to a cutting board and let sit for 1 minute. Carefully slice them into thick, bite-sized coins on a slight diagonal.

Sauté the Vegetables

Toss your peppers and onions into the skillet, along with the pan drippings from the sausage. Cook for 10 minutes until the veggies have softened and caramelized.

Simmer and Serve

Add the garlic and crushed tomatoes to the skillet. Return the sliced sausage to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes until the sausage is cooked through.

My Top Recipe Tips

Make sure to leave your pepper and onion slices fairly thick when you are doing your prep work. If you slice them too thin, they will melt down into the sausages as they cook.

Don’t clean the skillet after browning the sausage. The crispy bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet are pure flavor. Adding the vegetables to the skillet will release their moisture which will combine with the crispy bits to create an amazing sauce.

Add some crunch. Toast your hoagie rolls under the broiler with a slice of provolone on top. The cheese melts to create a seal so the saucy sausage doesn’t soak into the bread.

Storage and Reheating

• Store: Store any remaining sausage and peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Place the cooled, cooked sausage and peppers in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: Place the sausage and peppers in a skillet and cook over medium heat, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Serving Suggestions

• Piled high on toasted garlic rolls with melted provolone cheese.
• Served over a bed of fresh penne pasta.
• Spooned over creamy parmesan polenta.
• Served alongside a simple salad tossed in an Italian vinaigrette.

Sausage, Peppers and Onions

Jennifer

Juicy sliced italian sausage cooked with sweet colorful bell peppers and tender onions in a large sizzling cast iron skillet. Easy sausage peppers and onions recipe, the ultimate fast weeknight dinner.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main

Servings 4

Equipment

• Large skillet
• Cutting board
• Chef's Knife

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb Italian sausage links mild, sweet, or hot
• 3 bell peppers sliced into strips, various colors
• 2 yellow onions sliced into strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce

Instructions

 

• Slice the peppers and onions into strips and mince the garlic.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the whole sausage links and cook until browned on all sides.
• Remove the sausage to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 1 minute.
• Slice each link into thick slices.
• Add the sliced peppers and onions to the skillet with the pan drippings.
• Cook for 10 minutes until the veggies have softened and caramelized.
• Stir in the minced garlic and crushed tomatoes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
• Return the sliced sausage to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes until the sausage is cooked through.

*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you’re using with each recipe.

©PinkWhen 2023

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use pre-cooked smoked sausage instead?

Yes, you can! Simply slice the cooked sausage up and add it to the skillet with the peppers and onions. They will heat up and get slightly browned.

How do I know when the raw sausage is completely done?

The sausage is cooked when it is no longer pink in the middle. You can also use an instant read thermometer and ensure the internal temperature reaches 160°F.