RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
August Pick: Crockpot Meals

Italian Sausage and Peppers

Homemade fennel sausage browned and slow-cooked over green and red peppers and onions in a garlicky tomato sauce, finished with basil and parmesan.

Why you'll love Italian Sausage and Peppers

Sausage and peppers is the Italian-American street-festival classic, and in August, when bell peppers are piled high at every market, it is the dinner to start in the slow cooker before a hot day. Green and red peppers and sliced onions melt into a glossy, garlicky tomato sauce, and the sausages braise on top until tender and juicy.

The sausage is made from scratch in five minutes. Ground pork seasoned with fennel seed, garlic, sweet paprika, red pepper flakes, and black pepper is exactly what fresh Italian sausage is: meat, salt, and spices. Shaping it into logs and browning them in a skillet sets their shape for the long, gentle braise and adds the caramelized flavor that only high, dry heat makes.

Serve it in shallow bowls with torn basil and parmesan, or over zucchini noodles to catch the sauce.

Quick overview: This Italian Sausage and Peppers takes 25 min of hands-on time and about 6 hr 10 min in all and makes 4 servings, each 2 sausages with about 1 1/4 cups peppers and sauce. You'll need a slow cooker and a skillet.

Jump to recipe

Italian sausage with peppers and onions in tomato sauce
Prep 25 minCook 5 hr 45 minTotal 6 hr 10 minServes 4Serving 2 sausages with about 1 1/4 cups peppers and sauceYou'll need Slow cooker, Skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
  • 6 cloves garlic, 2 minced for the sausage and 4 thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, divided
  • 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt, divided
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
  • 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes Label: tomatoes, and salt if any
  • 1/4 cup torn basil leaves, to serve
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan, to serve

Instructions

  1. Season the sausage: In a bowl, combine the pork with the crushed fennel, minced garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano, and 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt. Mix with your hands for about a minute, until the mixture feels slightly sticky. That brief kneading with the salt binds the meat, so it holds together as sausage. With damp hands, shape it into 8 logs about 4 inches long and 1 inch thick.
  2. Load the vegetables: Put the onions, green and red peppers, and sliced garlic in the slow cooker with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of oregano and toss. The vegetables go on the bottom because they need the most time in the liquid, and the sausages will braise above them in the steam and juices.
  3. Brown the sausages: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the logs for 6 to 8 minutes, turning them every couple of minutes, until deep brown on all sides; they will still be pink inside. Nestle each one into the vegetables in the slow cooker as it finishes, since partly cooked meat should go straight on to finish cooking.
  4. Deglaze and add the tomatoes: Pour the water into the hot skillet, scrape up the browned bits, and pour it over the sausages and vegetables. Spoon the crushed tomatoes over the top. Those browned bits are concentrated sausage flavor, and the water carries them into the sauce.
  5. Slow-cook: Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until the peppers are silky and an instant-read thermometer in the center of the thickest sausage reads 160°F (71°C).
  6. Reduce the sauce: Peppers give off a lot of juice. Lift the sausages onto a plate, pour the liquid from the slow cooker into the skillet, and boil it for 5 to 8 minutes, until reduced by about half and glossy. Stir it back into the peppers and return the sausages.
  7. Serve: Spoon the peppers and sauce into shallow bowls, set two sausages on each, and finish with the basil and parmesan.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; the flavor gets better overnight. Reheat gently in a covered pan until the sausages are hot through to 165°F (74°C).

Freeze in portions for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Variations

  • Store-bought links: Use 1 1/2 pounds of fresh Italian sausage links whose label reads only pork, salt, and spices, with no sugar, dextrose, or curing agents. Skip the first step and brown the links the same way.
  • Hot sausage: Double the red pepper flakes in the sausage and add a sliced serrano to the peppers.
  • Chicken sausage: Use ground chicken in place of the pork and cook until the sausages reach 165°F (74°C).
  • With mushrooms: Add 8 ounces of thickly sliced cremini mushrooms with the peppers.

Notes and tips

  • Crush the fennel: A few seconds under the flat of a knife releases the oils that make it taste like Italian sausage.
  • Wet your hands: Damp hands keep the meat from sticking as you shape the logs.
  • Give them room: Leave space between the sausages in the skillet so they brown well; work in two batches if needed.
  • Use both colors: Green peppers bring a grassy bite and red ones bring sweetness, which is the classic Italian-American balance.
  • Check the tomato label: Crushed tomatoes should read tomatoes, and salt if any.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Pork brings complete protein, thiamin, selenium, and zinc, and mixing the sausage yourself means the whole ingredient list is meat, salt, and spices.
  • Bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes make up most of each bowl, with fiber and plenty of vitamin C, especially in the red peppers.
  • Fennel seed, garlic, and oregano give the sausage its flavor, so a modest amount of salt goes a long way.
  • Slow, moist heat turns the peppers silky and sweet, and the olive oil and pork fat carry their flavor through the sauce.
  • As you eat, notice the sweetness of the slow-cooked peppers against the fennel in the sausage, and check in later in the evening: a bowl of meat and vegetables like this should hold you comfortably for at least 3 to 4 hours.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Italian Sausage and Peppers? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Why make the sausage myself?

Most store sausage carries sugar or dextrose, and some is cured. Mixing your own takes five minutes and gives you fresh sausage that is only pork, salt, and spices. Store-bought links work too when the label reads that way.

Do I have to brown the sausages?

Browning gives the sausages their shape and their caramelized flavor. Unbrowned logs come out pale and soft and can break apart in the sauce, so the ten minutes are worth it.

How do I know the sausages are cooked?

An instant-read thermometer in the center of the thickest sausage should read 160°F (71°C).

What can I serve with it?

It is a full meal in a bowl. For more, serve it over zucchini noodles or with a green salad.

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Tags: August Pick, Crockpot Meals, Italian-American