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Old-fashioned Italian sausage and peppers are delicious stuffed inside toasted hoagie rolls for sandwiches, served over pasta, or paired with a loaf of crusty bread.
Table of Contents
If you love Italian sausage, be sure to try this Italian sausage pasta, sheet pan Italian sausage with potatoes, and the best spaghetti sauce recipe, too!
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- Use sweet Italian sausage, mild, or hot Italian sausages — whichever variety you prefer. Italian turkey sausage or chicken sausage will also work!
- A package of uncooked links works well, but you can also start with fully-cooked sausage.
- If starting with pre-cooked link sausages, slice them into rounds and brown in a skillet. Remove the browned sausage to a plate. Prepare the rest of the recipe as instructed, stirring the sausage into the sauce and peppers at the very end (since it doesn’t need that extra cooking time).
- Add the tomatoes and other ingredients to the skillet while the peppers and onions are still slightly firm. They will continue cooking in the pan with the sausage, and you don’t want to end up with mushy, over-cooked veggies at the end. Crisp-tender peppers and onions is the goal!
- In order to achieve great tomato flavor, it’s important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a sauce that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of brown sugar in this sauce perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes and the vinegar.
Directions
These authentic sausage and peppers are an Italian classic! The simple blend of crisp-tender veggies, sweet onions, and zesty sausages in a tomato, garlic, and herb sauce is always a hit. Best of all, the easy dinner comes together on the stovetop with just one pan! You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Brown the sausages in a large skillet with olive oil. Remove to a cutting board.
- Sauté the peppers, onions, and garlic in the same pan.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, herbs, and red pepper flakes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan after stirring in the tomatoes. These add great flavor to the sauce!
- Slice the sausage into thick rounds and return to the pan.
- Cover the skillet and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes. You’ll know the sausage is done when it’s no longer pink in the center. If you’re using an instant read meat thermometer, it should reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and extra sugar, if necessary.
- Garnish each serving with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, as well as fresh herbs like basil or parsley.
Serving Suggestions
The sausage, pepper, and onion mixture is often served as sandwiches inside toasted hoagie rolls. You can also spoon the sauce over penne pasta, pair it with rice, risotto, or cauliflower rice, or just offer a delicious loaf of crusty no-knead bread, garlic bread, breadsticks, baguette, or homemade focaccia to soak up any extra juices. A crisp green salad dressed in red wine vinegar salad dressing is always delicious on the side, too!
Preparation and Storage Tips
Leftover Italian sausage and peppers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the cooked dish for up to 3 months; however, the vegetables will be softer and mushier when thawed.
Reheat the mixture in a skillet over low heat, just until warmed through — about 7-10 minutes. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until warm.
More Italian Sausage Recipes to Try
Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
30 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Italian Sausage Casserole
45 minutes mins
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
35 minutes mins
Old Fashioned Italian Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 (1 ¼ lb.) package uncooked Italian sausage links (about 5 links)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh basil or parsley; grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional, for serving: toasted hoagie rolls, a loaf of crusty bread, cooked rice, or cooked pasta
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the sausages and brown on all sides, about 5-6 minutes total. They do not need to be cooked through at this point. Remove the sausages to a cutting board and let rest.
- While the sausage rests, add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Add peppers and onions and cook until just starting to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, parsley flakes, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Slice the sausage into thick rounds (about 2 inches each), and then return the sausage to the skillet. Cover the skillet and simmer until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and additional brown sugar, if necessary. Garnish with fresh herbs and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve over pasta or rice, or tuck inside toasted hoagie rolls.
Notes
- Use sweet Italian sausage, mild, or hot Italian sausages — whichever variety you prefer. Italian turkey sausage or chicken sausage will also work!
- If starting with pre-cooked link sausages, slice them into rounds and brown in a skillet. Remove the browned sausage to a plate. Prepare the rest of the recipe as instructed, stirring the sausage into the sauce and peppers at the very end (since it doesn’t need that extra cooking time).
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- You can leave the sausage links whole, rather than slicing into smaller chunks. The whole sausage links may require a slightly longer cooking time.
- Add a splash of red wine or chicken broth to deglaze the skillet (scraping up any browned bits) before adding the tomatoes and other ingredients.
- Sliced fresh mushrooms would also be a great addition to the sauce and vegetables.
- Don’t want to make a tomato sauce from scratch? Use a jar of store-bought marinara sauce instead of the tomatoes and seasoning!
This recipe was originally published in January, 2022. It was updated in July, 2024.
