This one-skillet sausage and peppers recipe is hearty, easy to make, and flavorful.
Sausage, peppers, and onions are made with Italian sausage and strips of colorful bell peppers simmered with white wine and tomatoes.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
I love making this Sausage and Peppers recipe because it’s tasty and on the table in about 30 minutes!
- Difficulty: This is a really easy recipe made in one skillet (aka easy cleanup!).
- Technique: Don’t poke or pierce the sausage, keeping the fat inside ensures they stay nice and juicy!
- Swaps: You can substitute turkey sausage or you favorite Italian sausage in this recipe.
- Time Saving Tip: Check the produce section for a fajita vegetable mix or sliced pepper mix—it will have sliced peppers and onions and save on prep time.
- Serving suggestions: We love to serve this in a roll toasted with garlic butter. Crusty bread, pasta, or polenta are other great options.
What You’ll Need To Prepare Sausage and Peppers
- Sausage: Choose any variety of uncooked Italian sausage. Turkey sausage can also be used in this recipe.
- Peppers: I use a combo of red, yellow, and green bell peppers—the red and yellow peppers add a nice sweetness to the dish.
- Sauce: White wine adds flavor, while canned tomatoes make this dish nice and saucy.
Variations
- Bulk up the dish with mushrooms or extra peppers.
- Try different flavors of sausage or honey garlic, spicy chorizo, or even chicken sausage.
- Replace the wine with chicken broth.
Storing Sausage and Peppers
Store leftover sausage and peppers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat in the microwave, poke the sausage with a fork a couple of times to allow steam to escape.
They can be frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Bell Pepper Faves
Did your family love this Sauage and Peppers recipe? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Sausage and Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage links
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 onion sliced lengthwise
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 large bell peppers green, red, or orange, sliced lengthwise
- ⅓ cup white wine or beer
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes optional
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown sausages on all sides. Add water, cover, and simmer 10-12 minutes.
- Set sausages aside. Discard any remaining water.
- Add butter, onions, and Italian seasoning to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring until onions are slightly softened. Add peppers and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add wine, tomatoes (if using), garlic, and sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until peppers are tender and sausages reach 160°F*.
- If desired, top with a sprinkle of fresh basil or parsley.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, 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.
Great weeknight dinner! Delicious and quick!
I used ground sausage , ie no casings .
Just a preference.
For yrs. I have been making S&P with pasta sauce , sausage skin on cut into chunks . Recipe similar to yours
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! SWP Contractor
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!