Italian Sausage and Peppers

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/15/21
Italian sausage and peppers in a pan

 The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 5 servings
Yield: 1 pan

Sausage and peppers is a classic Italian-American dish that is super common in the northeast. You can find it at carnivals, festivals, and potlucks. It’s delicious, simple, and has a signature taste that is fueled from the juicy sausages. Make sure to purchase sausages that are super tasty as they are the star of the dish! 

Traditionally pork sausages are used but you can substitute chicken sausages if you wish.

Serve the sausage and peppers on their own for a hearty low-carb meal or stuff into sliced Italian rolls for a tasty lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

  • 2 hot Italian sausages
  • 3 sweet Italian sausages
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 green bell peppers
  • 1 large Vidalia onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • optional: Italian rolls

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather your ingredients

    Italian sausage and peppers ingredients

  2. Preheat the oven to 400F.

    Grill the Italian sausages in a grill pan or on an actual grill on high heat until you have grill marks on both sides of the sausages. The sausage does not have to be completely cooked through.

    grilled Italian sausages on a grill pan

  3. While the sausages are grilling, slice the bell peppers into long, ½ inch strips.

    sliced peppers on a cutting board

  4. Then cut the onions into half moon slices.

    sliced onions

  5. Heat the olive oil in a large pan (one that will be able to hold all of the sausages as well and that has a lid) and add the onions and peppers as well as the salt and pepper. Saute the onions and peppers until they are just slightly cooked through and bright in color. Do not overcook. They will be cooked again with the sausages.

    peppers and onions sauteed in a pan

  6. Cut the sausages into 1 inch slices. Add them to the peppers and onions. Add the garlic cloves and vinegar. Toss the ingredients together and then cover with the lid. Add the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the peppers are softened and the sausages have finished cooking through.

    italian sausages and peppers in a pan

  7. Toss the sausages and peppers and top with parmesan cheese if you wish. Serve the sausage and peppers on Italian bread for a sausage and pepper sub or just on its own as a one-pan, low-carb meal.

Recipe Variations

  • You can totally make this dish in one pan. We love having the grill marks from a grill or grill pan.. But this is mostly aesthetic, unless you are using a charcoal grill which will add flavor. So, feel free to skip the grill pan and just sear the sausages for a few minutes on each side in the pan you are going to use for the onions and peppers. 
  • You can use any variety of Italian sausages you wish. We like a mix of sweet and spicy sausages for the best flavor, but you can use all sweet or all spicy. You can also substitute chicken sausages if you wish. 
  • Use whatever color peppers you like. Yellow, orange, green, and red all work well. If you want to make it spicy, add in a few chopped jalapeno slices.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
550 Calories
30g Fat
44g Carbs
27g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5
Amount per serving
Calories 550
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 39%
Saturated Fat 10g 48%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 634mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 44g 16%
Dietary Fiber 11g 40%
Protein 27g
Calcium 131mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)