Italian Sausage and Peppers
Updated Sep 11, 2025, Published May 17, 2022
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This one-pan Italian Sausage and Peppers recipe is your answer to a quick and comforting dinner. Made on the stovetop with simple, flavorful ingredients and ready in just 30 minutes. It’s a cozy classic you’ll come back to again and again.
For more easy dinners, try this Italian sausage lentil soup!
Quick Look at This Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4-6 people
- Dietary Info: Gluten-Free, Low Carb
- Method: Stovetop skillet meal
- Technique: Saute
- Flavor & Texture: Savory, juicy sausage meets sweet, tender-crisp peppers and onions. Bold, rustic, and perfectly balanced with a hint of caramelized garlic and herbs.
Why you’ll love this family favorite!
Sausage and peppers is an easy comfort food I love to make for my family, especially when I am short on time.
This classic dish in Italian cuisine varies throughout the different regions in Italy, using types of sausage links particular to that region.
In the US, sausage and peppers is a featured dish at the Feast of San Gennaro, an Italian street festival, in the New York City area, where it was first served back in 1927.
This one-pan dinner can be on your table, ready to eat in 30 min or less. Quick and effortless, this will be one of your favorite recipes for busy weeknights. You will also love this Malloreddus pasta recipe.
Made With Amore,
“This recipe is delicious! It’s so flavorful and easy to make. We loved it and it will be going into our regular dinner rotation.”
– Codie
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet Italian sausage: This pork sausage made with fennel seed or anise is available in mild and hot varieties. Italian turkey sausage or chicken sausage will also work. You can also make homemade Italian sausage by cooking ground meat with homemade Italian sausage seasoning.
- Peppers: Yellow, red, and orange sweet bell peppers add sweetness, crunch, and lots of color to this easy skillet meal. You can even use green bell peppers if you want.
- Aromatics: Yellow onions and fresh garlic layer in the flavor. You can also use white or sweet onion.
- White wine: Adds a bit of acidity and brightness to the dish. If you prefer to cook without alcohol, you can use broth instead.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes or a hot pepper variety to kick it up a notch!
- Veggies: Add mushrooms or other hearty vegetables to the dish. You will also love this Italian pan sausage and potatoes.
- Wine: Replace the white wine with red wine to vary the flavor.
- Add tomatoes: Add a can of crushed tomatoes to make a thicker sauce or a little tomato paste to thicken and add flavor.
- Vary the meat: Swap the Italian sausage for chicken sausages, bratwurst, beef sausage, turkey sausage, or any variety of pork sausages you like.
How To Make Italian Sausage and Peppers
- Cook the sausages in a large skillet over medium heat to brown on all sides. Remove from the skillet and slice the sausages into pieces.
- Cook the onions and garlic with olive oil in the same skillet for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers and stir to combine. Season with thyme and oregano and add the white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender with a slight bite (about 5-6 minutes).
- Return the sausage slices to the skillet with the onions and peppers. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sausage is heated through. Serve it on top of creamy polenta or with this fried spaghetti recipe on the side.
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Peppers and Onions: Be sure to cut your onions and peppers into the same-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Cooking the Sausage: The sausage is done when it’s no longer pink in the center. If you’re using an instant-read meat thermometer, you’ll know it’s ready when the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Cook Cut Sausage: You can also cut the sausage before frying it to brown the individual slices.
- Store: Leftover sausage and peppers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the cooked dish for up to 3 months; however, the vegetables will be softer and mushier when thawed.
- Repurpose Leftovers: This dish easily transforms into a brand new dish. Toss it with some homemade pappardelle pasta, or top a slice of ciabatta or focaccia bread with the lefotvers, some homemade tomato sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese!
Recipe FAQs
Add the leftovers to a skillet and reheat over low heat, just until warmed through, about 7-10 minutes. If it seems a bit dry you can add some broth to keep it moist during reheating.
Yes! If you’d rather skip the stovetop, you can easily turn this into a sheet pan sausage and peppers meal, similar to this sausage sheet pan dinner. Simply slice the sausage into chunks, toss it with sliced peppers, onions, a drizzle of olive oil, garlic, and Italian herbs. Spread everything on a large baking sheet and roast at 400°F (200°C) for about 25–30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. The sausage gets beautifully browned, and the veggies caramelize in the oven.
Start by cooking the sausages whole in a skillet over medium heat. Turning to brown them evenly on all sides, about 5 minutes. Once they’re golden and mostly cooked through, remove them from the pan, slice them into thick rounds, and return them to the skillet to finish cooking with the peppers and onions. This method keeps the sausage juicy while letting all the flavors mingle beautifully in one pan. Cook until the sausage is fully done (internal temp of 160°F/71°C) and the edges are slightly crisp.
The key is to cook them separately or in stages. Start by sautéing the onions and garlic over medium heat with a bit of olive oil—don’t crank up the heat too high or they’ll char before softening. Then add the peppers and cook until they’re tender-crisp. For the best texture, avoid overcrowding the pan. Then add the sausage and continue cooking until the sausage is done.
Serving Suggestions
Serve up as an Italian sausage sandwich in crusty ciabatta bread, American-style hoagie rolls, sub rolls, or soft Italian bread.
Enjoy this easy skillet meal with your favorite Italian sausage side dishes, like a green salad with Parmesan vinaigrette or twice baked potatoes.
Don’t forget dessert! Authentic Italian tiramisu, creamy frozen lemon bars, or Italian apple cake pair nicely with this meal.
More Italian Sausage Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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Italian Sausage And Peppers Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 4-ounce links sweet Italian sausages, (or sausage of choice)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped (1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped (1 teaspoon dried oregano)
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides (the sausages are not cooked all the way in this step they are just browned). Remove from skillet, let cool a bit (5 minutes) and slice into pieces of desired thickness.
- Add olive oil to the skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and stir to combine. Season with thyme and oregano. Add white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender with a slight bite (about 5-6 minutes).
- Return sausage slices to the skillet with the onions and peppers. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.
Notes
- Slice the peppers and onions into similar-sized strips for even cooking and the best texture.
- Brown the sausages whole until golden on all sides, then slice and return to the skillet to finish cooking. They’re done when no longer pink inside or when they reach an internal temp of 160°F.
- You can also slice the sausage before cooking if you prefer browned edges on each piece—just reduce the cook time slightly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The recipe for sausage and peppers was delicious. I’m sure this will be made again. Used white wine and I only had the dried herbs! Thank you
Yum! Yes, so happy you loved it!
Really good and satisfying! I did not have fresh thyme and oregano, so I used dried seasonings, worked well. Gave it a good splash of red wine. Thanks for a great recipe 👍😄
Sounds delicious like that! Yummm.
This recipe is delicious! It’s so flavorful and easy to make. We loved it and it will be going into our regular dinner rotation.
Happy you loved this easy and yummy recipe! Here’s to many more!
I made the skillet sausage and peppers recipe last night and it was easy and quick. The recipe listed the onion twice which was confusing, but I only used one. I had some hot and spicy sausages on hand and used them and it wasn’t too spicy. I followed the recipe exactly except I added a small can of good tomatoes when I let it simmer. Made a great dinner and my husband had thirds! Next I will try the sheet pan version with regular sausage and potatoes. Thank you for this recipe!
Happy you loved it! I will edit the onion. Thanks!
Made with hot Italian sausage and served with crusty bread – so good! Did leave out the wine as my bell peppers gave enough liquid to deglaze the pan. Can’t wait to make a sandwich with the leftovers tomorrow!
Happy you loved it! Yes, the sandwich with leftovers is soooooo good. Enjoy!
We love this recipe with pasta or in sandwiches. I even used the leftovers to top my salad the next day!