Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions Recipe

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This Italian sausage, peppers and onion recipe is easy, simple, and absolutely delicious. This Italian recipe is from my mother and is always a hit for parties, family get togethers, and holiday meals.

how to make italian peppers sausage and onion recipe

I’m sharing this sausage peppers and onions recipe with you so you too can use it as a must-have in your go-to stash of recipe favorites.

The flexibility of this recipe makes it a great accompaniment to larger meals such as a pasta bake, lasagna, or even with eggplant cutlets (one of my favorite recipes)! 

It can also be a main meal with its own side dishes.

We still use this recipe in our family today, and it will certainly satisfy any meat lover. It’s one of those dishes that smells so delicious as it cooks the sausage, onions and peppers all together.

What’s in an Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions Recipe?

Everything for this recipe can be bought at a store. It only takes 45 minutes from start to finish with most of the time being in the oven cooking.

Here are the three main ingredients below, but there are many variations – just check out my reader’s comments!

Italian Sausage

sausage peppers and onions recipe

Italian sausage can be bought in a variety of flavors. You typically have the option of sweet Italian sausage or regular Italian sausage. Either one is fine to choose so don’t fret if you’re wondering which one is best, they both are winners.

Green Peppers

The recipe I grew up with uses mostly regular green peppers, onion and sausage together. You can add in yellow, orange or red, but keep in mind these peppers are sweeter than green peppers.

green peppers onions and sausage

The green peppers compliment the sausage best in my opinion, but adding some extra other peppers can help with variety and certainly add a nice splash of color in the presentation!

My recommendation is simply to have more green peppers than others.

In the end, it’s totally up to you. Some people don’t like green peppers at all, in which case don’t use them. This recipe is so flexible as you’ll see in the many comments below as people share their own variations.

Onion

italian sausage and onions recipe

Nothing earth-shattering here with the onions, just basic yellow onions. If you try vidalia onions, they will be sweet which some people love. I prefer the yellow onions personally as I think it blends perfectly for a sausage peppers and onions recipe.

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How to Cook Italian Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

My family recipe has a step that some people like to skip, and that’s frying the sausage, peppers and onions on a stove prior to cooking them in the oven.

You can jump straight to my recipe steps here if you’re all ready to get started. If you prefer to skip the frying, make sure to read the next section since the cooking requirements will change.

In a nutshell, following my initial recipe which includes frying, you chop the ingredients fairly equal in size.

First add in the peppers and fry in a hot frying pan in olive oil over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove the peppers and add the onion and sausage which you cook until the sausage is thoroughly cooked through. You can cook the sausage whole or cut them up into smaller chunks.

Then you transfer everything to an oven proof baking dish and bake at 375F for 10 minutes until evenly heated and cooked through.

How to Cook Sausage, Peppers and Onions in the Oven with No Frying

I’m not going to fault anyone who prefers not to fry the ingredients. In this case you simply drizzle with olive oil (don’t need a lot) enough to lightly coat the ingredients, and bake everything at 375F for about 45 minutes or until the internal temp of the sausage reaches 165F.

I do think you lose a little bit of flavor without frying, but honestly, it will still taste and smell amazing.

Sausage and Green Pepper Substitutions/Alternatives

Green peppers, sausage, onion, and olive oil are all you need for this recipe. But you can make some substitutions if you’d like. For example, you can use both green and red peppers.  Many people like the sweetness red peppers have.   

You can also opt out of pork sausage. 

If you are concerned with using pork sausage, I can relate.  Although I love the taste of regular sausage, that doesn’t change the fact that it is really hard on the digestive system and loaded with saturated fat.

Italian sausage peppers and onions recipe

So what I’ve done in the past is make a simple variation/substitution which is slightly healthier by using chicken sausage or turkey sausage.  However, make sure to still go with organic brands to avoid the unnecessary use of chemicals, nitrates and the like.

Regardless, this recipe holds its own with its easy preparation, simple ingredients, and quick cooking. 

The steps are below for you to follow.  I grew up with my mother making this sausage peppers and onions recipe and there were never any leftovers!  

I’ll bet it will be the same with you!

Similar Recipes You May Enjoy

Here are some additional Italian recipes you may also really like to try.

how to make fried zucchini

Fried Zucchini is perfect for warm summer months and can even be reheated!

If you love meats, check out this article to learn what is Tripe and how to eat it.

how to make an antipasto platter

If anyone loves this pepper, sausage and onion recipe, they’ll also love a meat-filled antipasto tray. Learn how to make an antipasto platter everyone will love!

Italian stuffed cubanelles

If you love peppers, try this recipe for Italian stuffed cubanelles.

I hope you’ve enjoy this recipe for Italian sausage, pepper, and onions. It’s a delicious recipe! Let me know if you try it and if you make your own modifications. I’d love to hear from you!

Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions and Recipe

Here's one of our Italian family recipes for sausage, peppers and onions. It's so easy to make and is great for parties, side dishes, and holidays. Goes great with pasta and has lots of flavor!
4.25 from 20 votes
Print Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: sausage, peppers, onions
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 2-3 green peppers chopped
  • 1 package sausage depends on how much you want to make
  • olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped in large chunks

Instructions

  • Wash peppers thoroughly.
  • Cut peppers in strips.
  • Fry in olive oil 5 – 10 minutes over medium high heat.
  • Add onion.
  • Remove peppers.
  • Add sausage and fry until brown and cooked through.
  • Mix everything together in oven proof baking pan.
  • Bake at 375F for 10 minutes or until meat reaches an internal temp of 165F.

Notes

Tips:
  • This is a great recipe for cookouts and picnics. It is magnifico!
  • Side dishes for this are Italian breads, macaroni salad, pasta salad, tomatoes and olive oil, bruschetta, salad, spinach, grilled vegetables with balsamic vinegar (yum!), roasted potatoes, potato salad. 

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Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions Recipe

47 Comments

  1. I’m going to make these as an appetizer with 1/2 strips of peppers and onions and serve for my church’s Super Bowl party sunday

  2. 5 stars
    I added mushrooms and 1/4 of Rao’s spaghetti sauce before putting it in the oven. Served with avocado salad and cauliflower rice. Delicious. Thank you.

  3. 5 stars
    I made it today i substituted tomato paste for tomato sauce and reduce the broth amount excellent .

  4. I know this may sound strange, but my Italian Mom always added a little ketchup instead of sauce. It made it a little sweeter. It tasted amazingly good.

  5. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I made it for a Sunday dinner, no sauce or pasta but with rice, collards and cabbage. Cornbread probably would have been a nice addition too.

  6. 5 stars
    I add some garlic and Italian herbs – 1 or 2 tsp of a dried blend if I don’t have fresh on hand – and serve it over polenta, topped with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan. One of my family’s favorite meals!

    Will definitely try it with chicken or turkey sausage, and some of the other suggestions, which all sound wonderful.

  7. Looks good and should be great with any sausage. Thanks. I am going to try with a good brand turkey sausage.

  8. 5 stars
    I made it today and it was so amazingly delicious! I added chopped garlic with the onions, and I added a little bit of wine with the bell peppers. I used Italian sweet sausage. Thank you so much both my husband and I loved it!!!

  9. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I cooked the sausage whole first with no oil. Then I cooked green red and yellow pepper strips and onion in a small amount of olive oil and added garlic. The peppers were still a bit firm when I took them out of the pan. I put the sausage and peppers and onions in a 9 x 13 pan with no additional olive oil but sprinkled fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top. Baked for 15 minutes at 375. Peppers were perfect. Soft but not mushy! Served with summer sides. Whole family loved it!

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