6 Easy Dinners With Sausage and Peppers
Sausage and peppers is a backyard and ballpark favorite that is easy any night. These six use simple ingredients and most take 20 to 30 minutes.
1. Classic sausage and pepper hoagies
Time: 25 min · Also need: onion, hoagie rolls, provolone
The ballpark favorite at your own kitchen table.
Brown 1 lb Italian sausage links in a skillet, then add ¼ cup water, cover and cook 10 minutes until 160°F.
Slice the sausage. Cook 2 sliced bell peppers and an onion in the pan until soft and a little charred.
Pile into toasted rolls and top with provolone.
Mild sausage keeps it kid-friendly. Hot sausage is for the grown-ups.
2. Sheet pan sausage, peppers and potatoes
Time: 35 min · Also need: onion, potatoes, olive oil, Italian seasoning
One pan, lots of color, very little cleanup.
Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss 1 lb small potatoes, 2 sliced peppers and an onion with oil and seasoning. Roast 15 minutes.
Add 1 lb sliced smoked sausage or Italian sausage chunks.
Roast 15 to 20 more minutes until the potatoes are tender and fresh sausage reaches 160°F.
Smoked sausage is already cooked, so it only needs to brown.
3. Sausage and pepper pasta
Time: 25 min · Also need: penne, a can of crushed tomatoes or pasta sauce, garlic
Hearty and fast, with lots of flavor from the sausage.
Cook 12 oz penne.
Brown 1 lb Italian sausage (casings removed) until no pink remains. Add 2 sliced peppers and 2 garlic cloves.
Stir in a 24 oz jar of sauce, simmer 5 minutes and toss with the pasta.
Top with parmesan or a spoon of ricotta.
4. Sausage, peppers and rice skillet
Time: 30 min · Also need: onion, rice, broth, Cajun or Italian seasoning
Kind of like a quick jambalaya. One pan from start to finish.
Brown 1 lb sliced smoked sausage. Add 2 diced peppers and an onion and cook 5 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup rice, 2 cups broth, a can of diced tomatoes and 1 tsp seasoning.
Cover and simmer on low 18 to 20 minutes until the rice is tender.
Add a handful of shrimp in the last 5 minutes for a treat.
5. Sausage and pepper breakfast-for-dinner hash
Time: 25 min · Also need: potatoes, eggs, onion
Breakfast for dinner always wins.
Cook 1½ lb diced potatoes in oil, covered 10 minutes, then uncovered until crisp.
Add 1 lb sliced sausage, 2 diced peppers and an onion. Cook until browned.
Make 4 wells, crack in eggs, cover and cook until the whites are set.
Frozen diced hash browns save a lot of chopping.
6. Sausage and pepper tortellini
Time: 20 min · Also need: refrigerated cheese tortellini, pasta sauce or cream
Fresh tortellini cooks in 3 minutes, which makes this one of the fastest dinners here.
Cook 20 oz refrigerated tortellini.
Brown 1 lb sliced smoked sausage with 2 sliced peppers.
Add 2 cups pasta sauce (or 1 cup cream with ½ cup parmesan) and toss with the tortellini.
A handful of spinach stirred in at the end adds some green.
Quick answers
What temperature should sausage be cooked to?
Fresh pork sausage should reach 160°F (71°C). Smoked or precooked sausage only needs to be heated through.
Which sausage should I use?
Italian sausage is classic. Smoked sausage or kielbasa is precooked and faster. Chicken sausage is a lighter swap.
Which pepper colors are best?
Red, yellow and orange peppers are sweeter. Green peppers are more savory. A mix looks great.
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