Sausage and Peppers is a simple, and flavorful meal that is perfect tucked inside a soft Italian roll and topped with a slice of cheese. To make this into a pasta dish, add tomatoes, slice sausage and serve over pasta (or keep it low carb and serve it over Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles))!
We love making this simple recipe when we need a quick and easy weeknight meal that everyone will love! Use any kind of sausage from mild to spicy based on your preferences!
Italian Sausage recipes are a regular in our rotation (like Italian Sausage Linguine). Add in some peppers, garlic and a splash of white wine for a simple meal loaded with flavor!
How To Cook Italian Sausage
To make this Italian sausage and peppers recipe:
- Gently brown the sausages over medium heat, cover and simmer.
- Cook onions and peppers with seasonings.
- Add sauce ingredients and stir for a few minutes!
You’ll want to ensure that the Italian sausages are cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Note: We learned that by leaving the skins intact, this keeps the sausages much juicier, post updated to include this information!
More Italian Favorites
- Italian Wedding Soup – a classic
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Italian Pasta Salad – great for potlucks
- Chicken Parmesan – Reader favorite!
- Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
What To Make With Italian Sausage And Peppers
This dish is super simple and goes with just about everything. I like to add tomatoes to this recipe to make it a little bit saucy.
Most commonly, we purchase rolls at our local Italian market, spread them with Homemade Garlic Butter and toast them in the oven. Fill each roll with sausage and peppers, top with a slice or two of cheese and broil until the cheese starts to melt.
To serve this recipe over pasta, slice the sausages once cooked (and don’t skip the tomatoes). Toss with cooked pasta and top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and fresh basil to serve!
Italian salad makes a great side dish if you’re hoping to keep things low carb. It’s a healthy and delicious meal!
Leftover Sausage and Peppers
Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. To reheat Italian sausages, cut them in half (to allow steam to escape) and microwave or cook on the stove top until heated through. If using the stove top, I’d suggest cooking the sausages first until almost hot and then adding the peppers at the end to keep them from overcooking.
Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. They can be reheated as directed above or even chopped and added to pasta sauce or marinara sauce to create an easy meal!
Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage links
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large bell peppers green, red, or orange, sliced lengthwise
- 1 onion sliced lengthwise
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup white wine or beer
- 14 ½ ounces diced tomatoes optional (canned)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Brown sausages on all sides. Add water, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes.
- Remove lid, remove sausages and set aside. Discard any remaining water.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter, Italian seasoning and onions to the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes stirring until onions are slightly softened. Add peppers and cook 2 minutes.
- Add garlic, wine, tomatoes if using and sausage. Cook 3-4 minutes or until peppers are tender and sausages reach 160°F*.
- Top with a sprinkle of fresh herbs (basil/parsley) if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Should garlic be minced?
Yes, the garlic is minced before adding. Enjoy Mary!
Love this recipe!!
Had this for dinner tonight! It was amaaaazing!
Used spicy kielbasa sausages, and put them on crusty rolls with homemade garlic butter as suggested. We used Italian seasoning in the garlic butter for extra flavor. 10/10!
That sounds so delicious! Thanks for sharing Bailey!
Beginners may not know that they will need to cut the onion and bell peppers before cooking!!!
Updated, thank you Cynthia!
Made as recommended with pinot grigio and penne. Nice, light, dish.
Looks good going to try to make
It took another 15 minutes for my sausages to reach 160 and the peppers burned. Was I supposed to cover it for the last step? The directions didn’t say or give a heat range.
The pan was not covered once the peppers were added. Were your sausages completely thawed when you added them to the pan?
The way the recipe is written is confusing. The sausages should be cooked to temperature – 160 – in the first step: 1)Heat olive oil over medium heat. Brown sausages on all sides. Add water, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes. Cook sausages until 160 degrees, then follow with the rest of the recipe. Don’t worry about cooking the sausages to 160 degrees in the fourth step – you already did that in the first step.
good
I am just about to start cooking Italian sausage, hopefully without drying it out this time! I was reading a couple more of the recipes and the method of cooking on the stove top differs and also the temperature. One recipe says to start them in some water and cook them slowly until the water evaporates and they brown, recommending a temperature of 160°F. Another recipe Said to brown them in the pan with olive oil, then add water, and cook them to an internal temperature of 165°F. A little confusing, and I thought you just might want to straighten it out. I will leave a review once I’m finished. Wish me luck!
Apologies for the confusion Grace. According to the USDA, uncooked sausages that contain ground beef, pork, lamb or veal should be cooked to 160 °F. Uncooked sausages that contain ground turkey and chicken should be cooked to 165 °F. I’ve updated to include this information as well. I hope they were great!
Every recipe I try from you is a thumbs up. This Type of recipe I’ve cooked a hundred times, but when I follow yours A+. I believe the Italian seasoning and white wine made the difference here. I’ll be looking for spend with pennies on my next search.
What can you substitute for the wine or beer?
You could use broth or water if you prefer Barbara. It’ll just change the taste a bit. Enjoy!