Sausage and peppers has been feeding crowds since at least 1927, when Italian-American vendors started selling it from carts at street festivals in New York. A century later, it still shows up at every outdoor event worth attending — and for good reason.
It costs almost nothing to make. It takes 35 minutes. And it tastes like someone’s grandmother put in a full afternoon.
What Makes It Italian-American (Not Just Italian)
The dish is not something you would have found in Italy. It was born in the Italian immigrant communities of the American Northeast, where cooks combined affordable pork sausage with the bell peppers that grew easily in backyard gardens.
That blend of old-world technique and new-world ingredients is the definition of Italian-American cooking. Simple. Filling. Built to feed a crowd.
Three Ways to Serve It
The beauty of this dish is its flexibility.
In a roll. The classic street festival presentation. Slice the sausages on the diagonal, pile them into a long crusty roll with the peppers on top, and eat standing up. That is the correct way.
Over pasta. Add a couple of cups of pasta sauce to the pan at the end and toss with rigatoni or penne. This is the weeknight dinner version.
On its own. No bread, no pasta. Just sausages and peppers. This is also a solid keto option — satisfying enough that you will not miss the carbs.
A Few Notes Before You Start
Sweet or hot sausage? Your call. Sweet Italian sausage gives you a milder, more crowd-friendly result. Hot adds heat and depth. A mix of both is not a bad idea.
Steam before you sear. This recipe has you steam the sausages first, then brown them. Do not skip the steaming step. It cooks the sausages through without drying them out, so the browning at the end is purely for colour and crust.
Peppers. Red and yellow peppers are sweeter than green. They also look better on the plate. Use a mix.
The vinegar. One tablespoon of red wine vinegar stirred into the peppers at the end. It sounds like a small thing. It is not. It cuts through the fat and brightens the whole dish.
The Short Version
Good sausage. Fresh peppers. A hot pan. Thirty-five minutes.
That is the whole recipe. Everything else is optional.
Easy Italian Sausages and Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Italian sausages uncooked sweet or hot
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium bell peppers a mix of red and yellow, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 pinch dried oregano
- 2 cups pasta sauce optional
Instructions
- Steam the sausages: prick the sausages in a number of places to prevent bursting. Place the sausages in a single layer in a large skillet. Add water to just cover the sausages turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Once boiled reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let the sausages simmer.
- Heat a large deep skillet to high and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil Add the sliced peppers once the oil is hot. Stir frequently for about 10 minutes, or until the peppers have softened and have started to brown.Add the garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the vinegar then take off the heat. Remove the peppers from the skillet, placing them on a plate and set aside.
- Remove the sausages from the other skillet and cut into 1/2 inch pieces on the diagonal. Return the skillet you just used for the peppers and set on medium heat. Add a small amount of oil into the pan and carefully place the sausages so that a cut side is facing down. Using cooking tongs, flip the sausage slices over to ensure both sides are lightly browned.
- Return the peppers to the pan, and sprinkle with the crushed red pepper and oregano and you are ready to serve.
- If you wish to serve with pasta, add the pasta sauce now and heat.
- We often serve with the pasta.
