The ultimate Summer dish, Italian sausage and peppers. So, delicious and perfect for the whole family with a combo of hot and sweet sausage.
Looking for some more summer favorites? Try our Italian Summer Pasta with Zucchini, Italian Red Potato Salad (No Mayo), or Bacon Blue Cheese Burger
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Making Sausage and Peppers
Italian sausage and peppers is a staple summer recipe. There's nothing like being outside grilling sausage with a Crisp Non Alcoholic Moscow Mule. We would have sausage and peppers at every party my parents would have and there would always be plenty of Italian bread to eat it with. Our go-to with this meal was to put it on a sandwich and load it up with parmesan cheese.
This is such a foolproof meal too. Anyone can put together sausage and peppers. I always make it a little difficult because I like to use homemade sausage, which you can learn how to make in my guide How to Make Homemade Italian Sausage. But you certainly don't have to. When we lived in New York, we would just get the sausage from the butcher. Even the supermarkets had better Italian sausage than they have in the south. BUT, you can't get country sausage up in the north. That being said, I prefer the Italian sausage. Food is the one thing I miss from living in New York.
Sausage and peppers is one of those recipes that makes for great leftovers too. There's nothing like the leftovers soaked in the juices from the sausage overnight. It works great for breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, or featured for dinner one last time. Nothing like a peppers and eggs sandwich to start the day off, especially if it has a little extra sausage in it too!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Peppers. I always go heavy on the peppers. If you like fewer peppers, just do 2 green and 2 red. Also, feel free to use other color peppers, but traditionally, green and red are the way to go.
Garlic. I like the whole cloves of garlic in sausage and peppers, but you could also do sliced garlic if you want more of a garlic-forward taste. You would just add this in at the end of the recipe instead of early on. Cooking the garlic whole throughout the whole recipe infuses the recipe with a garlic flavor, but cooking the sliced garlic at the end will really bring that taste forward.
Liquid. Sometimes, if I feel I'm not getting enough liquid from the sausage and peppers themselves or if I want them to cook faster, I toss in 3-4 tablespoon of water.
Butter. Adding the butter at the end will make your sauce a little thicker and creamier. It's worth adding especially if you're eating right away!
Don't like pork? You can use any kind of sausage you prefer. Chicken sausage goes well with this recipe!
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
Step-by-Step Directions
Start by heating a cast iron pan to medium-high heat. I usually put my cast iron right on my grill and preheat it with the grill to 400-500℉. Add olive oil to the pan, then add peppers, onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Close the grill to bring the temperature back up before putting the sausage on.
Prep the sausage by adding a little olive oil to coat them, so that they don't stick to the grill and pop. Once your grill reaches 400℉, place the sausage on the grill. After 5 minutes, flip the sausage over for another 5 minutes.
Stir the peppers and onions. Once you start to see some charring, place a piece of aluminum foil over the cast iron. It doesn't have to be tightly wrapped, it will help keep some moisture in to soften the vegetables. Continue to stir the peppers occasionally until they are soft. Then stir in the basil.
Remove the sausage from the grill once it reaches 160℉. Let them rest on the cutting board for a few minutes before cutting them.
Cut the sausage and add it to the peppers and onions along with the basil. Stir and remove the cast iron from the grill. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, covered. This will let some of the sausage juices soak into the peppers and onions. Serve on a sandwich or with your favorite rice or pasta.
Pro-Tips
- Coat the sausage in a tiny bit of olive oil before putting them on the grill.
- Try to keep the grill around 400℉ to make sure the casings don't start popping, like this one below. This sausage below popped open because the heat was too high.
How to Make Sausage and Peppers on the Stove
This recipe can also be done inside on your stovetop. Start by frying your sausage on the cast iron on medium heat. Turn the sausage often on the cast iron so that the casing doesn't pop. Cook the sausage until the temperature reaches 160℉.
Remove the sausage and add olive oil to the pan. Add the peppers to the cast iron, raising the heat to medium-high heat. From here, follow the recipe from this step on.
What to serve with Sausage and Peppers?
- Nothing goes with grilled sausage and peppers quite like Italian Pasta Salad. Plus, you can make it ahead of time!
- Need an appetizer before you have your meal? Go with some homemade Zucchini Fritters.
- Want to add another protein to the mix? Grill up some Chevalatta or Chicken Spiedini.
- When you're eating Italian, you can't pass up on a good Italian dessert like Pistachio Cream Tiramisu or Rainbow Cookie Cake
FAQs
Sausage and peppers are best served on Italian bread or a semolina roll. The bread can be used to soak up all of those delicious flavors in the sauce.
Store sausage and peppers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat by adding to pan on medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. Sausage and peppers are great for a leftovers sandwich, a breakfast sandwich, or for dinner the next night!
More Summer Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Italian Sausage and Peppers
Equipment
- grill
- cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 6 sausages, 3 hot and 3 mild
- 3 red peppers, sliced
- 3 green peppers, sliced
- 1½ large onions, sliced
- 1 head garlic, whole cloves crushed
- 1 handful basil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by heating a cast iron pan to medium-high heat. I usually put my cast iron right on my grill and preheat it with the grill to 400-500℉. Add olive oil to the pan, then add peppers, onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Close the grill to bring the temperature back up.
- Prep the sausage by adding a little olive oil to coat them, so that they don't stick to the grill and pop. Once your grill reaches 400℉, place the sausage on the grill. At this time stir the peppers and onions. Once you start to see some charring on the onions, place a piece of aluminum foil over the cast iron. It doesn't have to be tightly wrapped, it will help keep some moisture in to soften the vegetables.
- After 5 minutes, flip the sausage over to the other side for another 4-5 minutes. Continue to stir the peppers. If your sausage is getting too charred, lower the heat. Remove the sausage from the grill once it reaches 160℉. Rest the sausage on the cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting.
- Cut the sausage and add it to the peppers and onions along with the basil. Stir in and remove from the grill. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Serve on a sandwich or with your favorite rice!
Notes
- Coat the sausage in a tiny bit of olive oil before putting them on the grill.
- Try to keep the grill around 400℉ to make sure the casings don't start popping, like this one below. This sausage below popped open because the heat was too high.
Vinny
The best dish you can make in the summer! Follow this recipe to level up your grilling game!