Easy Italian Sausage Peppers and Onions Recipe (2024)

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This Italian sausage, peppers and onion recipe is easy, simple, and absolutely delicious. This Italian recipe is from my mother and is always a hit for parties, family get togethers, and holiday meals.

I’m sharing this sausage, peppers and onions recipe with you so you too can use it as a must-have in your go-to stash of recipe favorites.

The flexibility of this recipe makes it a great accompaniment to larger meals such as apasta bake,lasagna, or even witheggplant cutlets(one of my favorite recipes)!

It can also be a main meal with its own side dishes.

We still use this recipe in our family today, and it will certainly satisfy any meat lover. It’s one of those dishes that smells so delicious as the sausage, onions and peppers all cook together.

Ingredients for Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions Recipe

Everything for this recipe can be bought at your local grocery store. It only takes 45 minutes from start to finish with most of the time spent in the oven cooking.

Here are the main ingredients that you will need.

• Olive oil
• Italian sausage
• Green bell peppers
• Onions

About Italian sausage

Italian sausage is not the same as regular sausage. It includes Italian seasoning in the meat that gives it its distinct flavor and aroma. Here are the three types of sausage I most commonly see in the grocery store.

• hot Italian sausages (aka spicy Italian sausages)
• sweet Italian sausages
• mild Italian sausages

Unless you know your family or friends are fine with hot and spicy foods, I’d recommend either sweet Italian sausage or mild Italian sausage for this particular Italian sausage recipe. Either kind of sausage is fine to choose so don’t fret if you’re wondering which one is best; they both are winners.

​About the peppers

The recipe I grew up with uses mostly regular green bell peppers, onion and sausage together. You can add in yellow, red or even orange bell peppers, but keep in mind these other peppers are sweeter than green peppers.

The green peppers compliment the sausage best in my opinion, but adding some extra other peppers can help with variety and certainly add a nice splash of color in the presentation!

In the end, it’s totally up to you. Some people don’t like green peppers at all, in which case don’t use them. This recipe is so flexible as you’ll see in the many comments below as people share their own variations.

About the onions

Nothing earth-shattering here with the kind of onions you can use. I prefer the yellow onions as I think they blend perfectly for this sausage, peppers and onions recipe.

If you try vidalia onions, they will be sweet which some people love. You can also try some red onion for a more Mediterranean flavor.

How to Cook Italian Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

My family recipe has a step that some people like to skip, and that’s frying all the ingredients on a stove in a frying pan prior to cooking them in the oven.

If you prefer to skip the frying, make sure to read the next section since the cooking requirements will change.

Step 1. Chop the onions and peppers into 1″ wide chunks.

Step 2. Cut the Italian sausage links into thirds or smaller.

Step 3. In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Step 4. Add the peppers and onions and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until the peppers and onions are soft and limp. Then remove them to a plate or oven baking dish if your skillet is not oven proof.

Step 5. Add the Italian sausage and 2 Tablespoons of water to prevent burning. Cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes until the sausage turns brown on all sides. Make sure to turn them frequently to evenly cook.

PRO TIP:Just because the sausage looks cooked, don’t think it is unless it is at 165F. We want to finish cooking the sausage in the oven.

Step 6. Once the sausage is cooked on the outside with a nice brown color, turn off the stove and add the peppers and onions back in.

Step 7. Transfer to the oven, cover and bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until the sausage registers 165F internal temperature.

PRO TIP:If you don’t have an oven proof skillet, transfer the mixture to a baking dish and make sure to transfer all the browned bits.

How to Cook in the Oven with No Frying

I’m not going to fault anyone who prefers not to fry the ingredients. If you want to just bake the sausage recipe in the oven, follow these steps.

Step 1. Prepare the ingredients as above and place in an oven proof dish.

Step 2. Drizzle with olive oil (don’t need a lot) to lightly coat the ingredients.

Step 3. Cover and bake everything at 350F for about 45 minutes or until the internal temp of the sausage reaches 165F.

I do think you lose a little bit of flavor without frying, but honestly, it will still taste and smell amazing.

Sausage and Green Pepper Substitutions

Green peppers, sausage, onion, and olive oil are all you need for this recipe. But you can make some substitutions if you’d like. Here are some recipe ideas.

• Use both green and red peppers. Many people like the sweetness red peppers have.
• Top your cooked sausages with somemeatless marinara pasta sauce.
• Don’t cut up your sausage, instead cook the whole links intact and then serve them in hot dog buns for a sausage and peppers sandwich.
• Try other meats instead of pork sausage. If you are concerned with using pork sausage, I can relate. Although I love the taste of regular sausage, that doesn’t change the fact that it is really hard on the digestive system and loaded with saturated fat. Choose some turkey sausage or my favorite, chicken sausage instead. However, make sure to still go with organic brands to avoid the unnecessary use of chemicals, nitrates and the like.

​Preparation, Storage and Reheating Tips

Here are some additional tips you can use to get the most out of this one pan dinner.

How to prepare in advance?

If you want to prepare your sausage and peppers recipe in advance, no problem! Simply prep all the ingredients and store in airtight containers for a day ahead of time.

How to store sausage and peppers?

If you manage to have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want to store them longer, then label and date the containers and place in the freezer.

Try to use the recipe before 3 months, but generally the dish should be good up to 6 months before losing freshness.

How to reheat?

To reheat your sausage and peppers, let it thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen. Then place in an oven proof baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.

To reheat your dish over the stove, place the leftovers in a large skillet over medium heat, covered for 10 minutes. Add a Tablespoon of water to create steam and to keep the dish from drying out.

Additional Recipe Tips

• Don’t use garlic. Avoid using fresh garlic to try and make some roasted garlic. One time I decided to add some garlic in with the other ingredients. Big mistake. The garlic will burn, especially in the oven.
• Cooking sausage is deceiving. When you cook the Italian sausage in the skillet, it will no doubt, start to blacken on the outside as it pan fries. Do not think that this means the sausage is cooked through. Use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature and you’ll be surprised how under cooked it actually is.
• Don’t rush the recipe. When cooking sausage, I find that slow and steady wins the race. If you try to cook the meat too quickly, the sausage will burn creating a mess in your pan.
• Serve with vegetables. Since this is a heavy meat dish, I recommend serving it with vegetables on the side if using it as a main dish.

What to serve with Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions

When growing up, we’d most often have this recipe as a complimentary side dish at holidays. Here are some ideas for what this recipe goes with.

This recipe goes great as a side to a simplemeatless lasagna.

Another recipe that this can be served with iseggplant parmesan.

Enjoy this recipe with an Italian potato salad. This is perfect for picnics!

Similar Recipes You May Enjoy

Here are some additionalItalian recipesyou may also really like to try.

Fried Zucchiniis perfect for warm summer months and can even be reheated!

If you love meats, check out this article to learnwhat is Tripeand how to eat it.

If anyone loves this pepper, sausage and onion recipe, they’ll also love a meat-filled antipasto tray. Learnhow to make an antipasto plattereveryone will love!

If you love peppers, try this recipe forItalian stuffed cubanelles.

This recipe holds its own with its easy preparation, simple ingredients, and quick cooking. I grew up with my mother making this Italian sausage, peppers and onions recipe and there were never any leftovers! Let me know if you try it and if you make your own modifications. I’d love to hear from you!