Sausage and Peppers Skillet Recipe
Sausage and peppers is fairground food that moved into the weeknight rotation: Italian sausage seared until blistered, then sliced and simmered with sweet peppers, onions, and a quick garlicky tomato pan sauce. One skillet, thirty minutes, and endlessly serviceable — over rice, over polenta, piled into hoagie rolls, or straight from the pan with crusty bread. The browning on the sausage is the flavor engine; give it real color before anything else joins the party.
Jump to Recipe ↓Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or mixed)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bell peppers (mixed colors), sliced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (optional but very Italian-grandfather)
- Salt, pepper, and fresh basil to finish
Instructions
- Brown the whole sausages in olive oil over medium-high, turning, about 6 minutes (they finish cooking later). Remove and slice into thick coins.
- Sauté the peppers and onion in the drippings until softened and browned at the edges, 6–7 minutes. Add the garlic and fennel seeds for the last minute.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, broth, and Italian seasoning; scrape up the browned bits.
- Return the sliced sausage and simmer 6–8 minutes until the sausage is cooked through and the sauce clings.
- Season, tear in basil, and serve over rice, polenta, or in rolls.
Ingredient Substitutions
| Ingredient | Substitute | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Italian sausage | Smoked sausage or kielbasa | Already cooked — just brown the coins and cut the simmer to 3 minutes |
| Crushed tomatoes | Jarred marinara (1 1/2 cups) | Skip the Italian seasoning; it's in there |
| Bell peppers | Add 8 oz sliced mushrooms | Stretches it and deepens the sauce |
| Chicken broth | Dry white wine | The Sunday version |
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate up to 4 days — like most tomato-simmered things it improves overnight.
Freezes excellently up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in a covered skillet; the peppers soften but the flavor deepens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use sweet or hot Italian sausage?
Half and half is the family-peace answer — the hot mellows in the sauce and the sweet keeps kids on board.
Why brown the sausages whole instead of sliced?
Whole links stay juicy while they build crust; slicing first leaks the fat early and steams the meat. Brown whole, slice, finish in the sauce.
What's the best way to serve this for a crowd?
Hoagie rolls with provolone melted over the top, sheet-pan style under the broiler. It scales infinitely and disappears accordingly.
Can I make it low-carb?
It already nearly is — serve over zucchini noodles or just in a bowl with extra peppers instead of bread or rice.
Sausage and Peppers Skillet — Quick Card
Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 4
Nutrition Facts (estimated, per serving)
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 520 kcal | 26g | 18g | 38g | 1080mg |
