I feel honored that I even have this Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe to share with you all. I didn’t even know what Italian Sausage was until I moved to NJ. Seriously! I grew up believing there was only one kind of sausage in the world. You could get it in breakfast links or by the pound at the grocery store.
Looking back, there is one other incident where I had Italian Sausage, but at the time I had know idea what I had eaten, I just knew that it was so flavorful it blew my mind. I was serving as a missionary for my church and we would often be invited to have dinner with people from the congregation in which we were serving. One night we ate with a family who we hadn’t eaten with before and the father, who grew up in New York, made dinner that night. He made the most amazing spaghetti I have ever had. It had giant meatballs and what I now know were large Italian sausage links in it. It was FANTASTIC!!!
I asked him what the other meat was besides the meatballs, and he kind of laughed and said, “It’s a special sausage I order from New York.” I remember thinking it was a little excessive that he (living in California) ordered his sausage from New York.
Then about 6 years later I moved to New Jersey and completely understand why he would go to the trouble of ordering sausage from across the country. The Italians out here in the East really know what they’re doing with their sausage!
I’m hoping good Italian Sausage is more easily available out West than it was when I was a kid. You’re going to need some to make these ridiculously delicious Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches.
Back to the recipe: One of my good friends in New Jersey introduced me to this recipe and taught me how to make it. She is Italian so I feel very fortunate to have learned this art at her feet.
It’s not complicated, but certain things really matter. Like, you brown your sausages. Do not just throw them in the 9×13 baking dish without browning them first. She likes to use half hot and half mild sausages. I really like the hot ones, but my kids don’t so I end up doing all mild sausages most of the time.
Once you have browned the links, you put them in a 9×13 baking dish, slice up as many peppers and onions as you want. I usually slice 2 or 3 onions and one large red and one large green pepper. Then you throw on a handful of peeled and smashed garlic cloves….at least seven or eight. Don’t crush or chop the garlic. Leave it basically whole, just a little smashed or broken. Drizzle with olive oil (the olive oil is another non-negotiable step, don’t skip it or use any other oil), salt and pepper, cover with foil and bake for 2 hours. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of baking.
Serve with nice crusty rolls or your favorite Italian bread. Make sure to dip the bread in those delicious juices on the bottom of the pan. So good!
This recipe also works great in the slow cooker. You do all the same steps, brown sausage, slice onions and peppers, toss in garlic, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper, and then instead of a 9×13 baking dish you put it in the slow cooker and set it to low for 4 hours. Same great results as baking it!
Cooking it in a slow cooker is a great way to serve it at a Super Bowl Party or other Holiday gatherings.
More Italian Sausage Recipes
Amazing Spaghetti SauceKale and Sausage Soup with Cannellini BeansMillion Dollar Zucchini Skillet
7-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and slightly smashed (they should still look like a whole piece of garlic)
Drizzle Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Brown Sausages in a skillet. When browned transfer them to a 9x13 baking dish. Once all of them are in the dish, cover them with the sliced onions, peppers and garlic cloves
Drizzle a small amount of Olive oil over the pepper and onions.
Salt and Pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Serve with Crusty rolls or your favorite buns.
**For Slow Cooker instructions see written post.
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With Whole Grains. Cooked brown rice, farro, or quinoa would all be tasty. ...
As a Sub. Pile the sausage and peppers inside a toasted hoagie bun and top with a slice of provolone cheese (bonus points for warming it in the oven to melt the cheese).
Bake on the lower rack for 30-35 minutes, tossing halfway through until the sausages are cooked through, and the veggies are tender. Serve the Baked Sausage Peppers and Onions hot as is, or serve in a sub roll with some provolone cheese on top.
The best side dishes to serve with Italian Sausage are blooming onion, polenta, sweet potato fries, garlic bread, Caprese salad, cheese dip, sautéed mushrooms, roasted potatoes, mushroom risotto, sautéed spinach, stuffed mushrooms, garden salad, butternut squash, zucchini fritters, Korean corn dogs, green beans, ...
Are you having a sausage party? Or are you just having people over for dinner and need to know how many pounds of sausage to buy? In my experience, when it comes to sausages, a good rule of thumb is a half-pound per person.
Potatoes and sauerkraut are a classic combination. Green beans, cooked, steamed or in a vinaigrette or boiled cabbage and carrots can also accompany polish sausage.
The best side dishes to serve with grilled sausage are blooming onion, french fries, marinara sauce, radish chips, crispy green beans, hummus, sweet mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, baked beans, mac and cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, roasted vegetables, and corn on the cob.
For ovens set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, cook your sausage links for a minimum of 25 minutes, turning each piece at 10-minute intervals, and keep in mind that larger links can take at least an hour to cook through completely.
The oven does most of the work for you. Preheat your oven to around 350 F. While it's heating up, prepare a baking tray or grill, and place the sausages on it, spread apart with plenty of space between them. Cook the sausages in the oven for around 20 minutes, turning them halfway so they brown evenly.
For Italian sausage, you can't go wrong with marinara sauce. You can add meat to your sauce if you want it to be extra hardy. For a delicious Italian sausage sandwich, start with a quality Italian sausage in a toasted sub roll and add marinara sauce, provolone or mozzarella cheese and peppers and onions if you want.
The red pepper flakes are what give the spicy varieties of Italian sausage their signature kick, while fennel is the hallmark flavor that makes it distinct from other kinds of sausage.
Salamella: This sausage is made with pork, veal, lard, spices, and wine. It is smoked to prevent mold and then inserted into a natural casing for aging. Mortadella: This is a large sausage similar to the texture and flavor of bologna. It is often processed with pistachios, jalapenos, or olives.
One and a quarter full fat pork sausages, two reduced-fat pork sausages, or two and a half Quorn sausages. Choosing the reduced-fat options means you can increase your portion size.
In a raised bed, various herbs such as basil, parsley or dill are good companions for peppers. Lettuce, carrots and onions also make good neighbours for peppers in a raised bed.
Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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I feel honored that I even have this Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe to share with you all. I didn’t even know what Italian Sausage was until I moved to NJ. Seriously! I grew up believing there was only one kind of sausage in the world. You could get it in breakfast links or by the pound at the grocery store.
Once you have browned the links, you put them in a 9×13 baking dish, slice up as many peppers and onions as you want. I usually slice 2 or 3 onions and one large red and one large green pepper. Then you throw on a handful of peeled and smashed garlic cloves….at least seven or eight. Don’t crush or chop the garlic. Leave it basically whole, just a little smashed or broken. Drizzle with olive oil (the olive oil is another non-negotiable step, don’t skip it or use any other oil), salt and pepper, cover with foil and bake for 2 hours. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of baking.
This recipe also works great in the slow cooker. You do all the same steps, brown sausage, slice onions and peppers, toss in garlic, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper, and then instead of a 9×13 baking dish you put it in the slow cooker and set it to low for 4 hours. Same great results as baking it!