Skillet Italian sausage and peppers is one of my all time favorite easy skillet dinners because it is so delicious and really easy. This sausage and peppers recipe is more of an Italian sausage and peppers recipe but you could easily use any type of sausage you have on hand. If you are looking for Italian sausage recipes without pasta, this is it!
About this Easy Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipe
I love cooking with Italian sausage because it is so versatile and it is a meal on its own. This recipe does not have pasta and it does not need it.
I cook a similar dish to this one, my chorizo and peppers that is equally as delicious but it is made with a different type of sausage.
Make this Italian sausage and peppers recipe for an easy weeknight meal or a meal to entertain with. Serve it over fluffy rice or with garlic and oil pasta or on its own.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Italian Sausage. I prefer using a mild Italian sausage and adding in my own heat with red peppers flakes later. You could also use sweet Italian sausage or spicy.
- Green Bell Peppers. I really love the bitterness that green bell peppers add to this dish so I use lots of them.
- Red Bell Peppers. When I use red bell peppers I like to make sure that I am using less of this and more of the green or else the dish becomes too sweet.
- Red Onion. Sliced
- Fresh Garlic.
- Tomato. You only need one and it will cook almost completely down giving you a bit of a sauce.
- Olive Oil.
- Red Pepper Flakes.
- Kosher salt.
How to Cook Skillet Sausage and Peppers the Right Way!
When it comes to cooking sausage in a skillet, I am a bit of a snob and really prefer my method of cooking them which looks like this:
- In a large skillet, I sear and brown the outside of the Italian sausage which gives it lots of flavor.
- Then reduce the heat to low and slow cook the sausage with a lid or aluminum foil over the top to cook the sausage all the way through but keep the moisture in which makes for the most amazing tender sausage.
I promise you that when you try this method of cooking Italian sausage (or any sausage) over low heat in the skillet you will see why it is so much better than rushing the cooking over higher heat.
Pro-Tip: This method of cooking sausage works really well on the BBQ grill too. To do this just place the sausage in some aluminum foil and seal it up. Cook the sausage over a low heat turning them often.
I also love this recipe for baked Italian sausage on our sister site which uses a similar method.
What to Serve with Sausage and Peppers
- By adding a side of white rice, you have an entire dish of sausage and peppers with rice.
- Serve it alongside garlic pasta for a sausage and peppers pasta.
- My favorite way is to serve this with a side of garlic and oregano crostini.
Helpful Faqs
No. By piercing sausage, you are allowing the juices to leave the sausage which can make them dry.
After browning the sausages, cooking them for an additional 20 minutes covered and allowing them to rest for 5 minutes after cooking should yield perfectly cooked sausages.
Skillet Sausage and Peppers
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Equipment
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 5 Mild Italian Sausage LInks in their casing
- 2 Green Bell Peppers Sliced thin into strips
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Sliced thin into strips
- 1 Large Red onion Sliced thin into strips
- 1 medium tomato Diced finely
- 3 cloves of garlic sliced thin
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt Plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add your olive oil and red pepper flakes.2 tablespoon Olive Oil, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Now add your sausage and brown all sides (about 5 minutes.)5 Mild Italian Sausage LInks
- After the sausages are browned, reduce heat to low and cover with a lid.
- Cook on low for another 20 minutes with the lid on making sure to rotate the sausages a couple times.
- After 20 minutes, remove sausages from the pan and set aside.
- In the same sauté pan over medium heat, add the green pepper, red pepper, onion and salt and cook for about 10 minutes until the peppers and onions begin to soften.2 Green Bell Peppers, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 1 Large Red onion, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- After 10 minutes, add the sausages back to the pot along with the garlic and diced tomatoes and mix well.3 cloves of garlic, 1 medium tomato
- Reduce heat to low and cover.
- Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Serve immediately with your favorite side.
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Emma says
I finally made juicy sausage! This recipe was so helpful
Jenna says
We made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. The best sausages I have made!
Melissa says
I am so glad to hear that Jenna!