Authentic Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe

A cast iron skillet full of Authentic Italian Sausage and Peppers with a wooden spoon.

5 from 7 votes

Authentic Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe

Italian Sausage and Peppers is a savory, filling meal that can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. If you are looking for a quick meal that is sure to satisfy, give this one a try!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Servings

Calories 534kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil divided
4 Mild Italian Sausages
4 Green Bell Peppers sliced thinly
1 Sweet onion sliced
2 15 oz Tomato Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)

Instructions

In a large skillet, add 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Once warmed, add the 4 Italian sausages into the skillet. Heat for about 5 minutes until the skin is brown on one side. Then, flip the sausage over and heat for another 5 minutes. The sausages do not need to be cooked all the way through at this point.
Remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil into the skillet and warm again over medium heat.
Add the 4 sliced bell peppers and 1 sliced onions into the skillet.
Saute for about 10-15 minutes until the peppers and onions are mostly soft, but still have some structure.
Add the 30 oz of tomato sauce into the pan along with the 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and 1 tsp garlic powder. Add a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, slice the sausages into ½” - 1” pieces. The sausage will still be pink in the middle.
Once the 10 minutes is up, remove the lid from the skillet and add the sausage pieces into the sauce. Stir to combine.
Continue cooking, with the lid off, for about 10-15 more minutes, until the sauce has reduced a little and the sausages are cooked all the way through (they should reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit).
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.

Mild Italian Sausages: Authentic Italian sausage is best for this recipe. If you like a little spice you could use spicy Italian sausage.
Green Bell Peppers: You can also add sweet bell peppers like red bell peppers or yellow peppers, but my grandmother always kept it simple with just green pepper.
Sweet Onion: You could use a yellow onion or vidalia onion.
Tomato Sauce: The sauce in this recipe is so simple and is flavored mostly by the vegetables and sausage. No need to complicate things, but you could add a little Italian seasoning if you would like.
There are so many ways to enjoy this meal. It is delicious on its own but you could also serve it over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, pasta, or on a toasted hoagie. It pairs perfectly with a green salad and breadsticks!
Feel free to use red and yellow peppers as well and any other fresh vegetables you like. It goes great with zucchini, mushrooms and sweet potatoes.
If your sauce turns out thinner than you would like, allow it to cook for an extra minute or two with the lid off to reduce the amount of moisture.
Be careful not to overcook your onions and peppers during the saute stage. They will finish cooking during the simmering, so saute until just tender.
Obviously this is an Italian dish so it makes the most sense to use Italian sausage. You can find authentic Italian sausage links at the grocery store or an Italian deli. You could also substitute a different kind of sausage. Chicken sausage, turkey sausage, kielbasa and even ground sausage all work. Spicy sausage, mild sausage, sweet sausages all pair well with onions and peppers.
Searing your sausage is what brings out the delicious flavor. Then allowing it to sit for a few minutes before slicing it gives it a chance to redistribute moisture and become extra juicy and delicious.
This recipe is not spicy, but if you would like to add some spice feel free to use hot Italian sausage or add some red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Some chefs like to use a little butter instead of olive oil to cook the vegetables to add a little extra flavor. Feel free to give it a try!

Nutrition