Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet
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This Italian sausage and peppers skillet is the perfect quick and comforting dinner! It’s made in one pan on the stovetop with simple, flavorful ingredients, and is ready in just 30 minutes. It’s a colorful, easy, and delicious classic you’ll come back to again and again!
Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Be sure to try my Italian sausage lentil soup or this creamy sausage tortellini soup!
Quick Look at Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Servings: 4-6 people
- Dietary Info: Gluten-Free, Low Carb
- Method: Stovetop
- Technique: Brown the sausages and sauté the veggies. Combine all ingredients and cook through until sausages are done.
- 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 one-pan dinner is ready to eat in 40 minutes! It will be one of your favorite recipes for busy weeknights.
In Italy, this dish varies throughout different regions, with regions using their own local sausage. 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.
If you love sausage, don’t miss this recipe for Malloreddus alla Campidanese, an authentic Sardinian sausage pasta dish that will be a hit with the meat lovers in your family, as it is with mine!
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
- Quick Look at Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet
- Why You’ll Love This Family Favorite!
- Simple Ingredients
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet
- Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Expert Tips
- More Italian Sausage Recipes You’ll Love
- Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet Recipe
Simple 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 Version: Add red pepper flakes or a hot pepper variety to kick it up a notch!
- Extra Veggies: Add mushrooms or other hearty vegetables to the dish. (You will also love this Italian pan sausage and potatoes!)
- 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 Skillet
This easy dinner recipe requires little prep work, so it’s quick to start cooking. For the full instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Brown the sausages on all sides in a large skillet over medium heat. Let them cool, then slice into pieces.
- Cook the onions and garlic with olive oil in the 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-crisp, 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.
Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet FAQs
Yes! If you’d rather skip the stovetop, you can easily turn this into a sheet pan meal, similar to this Italian sausage and potatoes 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!
I recommend browning the sausage first to give it a great flavor, then cut it into smaller pieces to help it cook through more quickly. Sauté the onions and garlic together, then add the peppers and cook briefly. Finally, add the sausage slices back to the pan to finish cooking it through. Cooking the meat and veggies in this order prevents a burnt, mushy, or overcooked result!
The key to perfectly sautéed peppers and onions 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. Finally, add the sausage and continue cooking until the sausage is done.
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.
Serving Suggestions
Italian sausage and peppers tastes great with some popular Italian sausage side dishes, like a green salad with Parmesan vinaigrette or twice baked potatoes. If you’re looking for a reinvention of this classic, serve it as an Italian sausage sandwich in crusty ciabatta bread, American-style hoagie rolls, sub rolls, or soft Italian bread.
But don’t forget dessert to round out your meal! Authentic Italian tiramisu, creamy frozen lemon bars, or Italian apple cake pair nicely with this meal.
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- Cut the onions and peppers into equal pieces for even cooking.
- The sausage is done when it’s no longer pink in the center and has an internal temperature of 160°F.
- You can also cut the sausage before frying it to brown the individual slices.
- 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.
- Leftovers can easily be transformed into a brand new dish. Toss it with some homemade pappardelle pasta for a satisfying main course, or use it as a topping for no knead ciabatta or Italian focaccia bread along with some homemade tomato sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese!
More Italian Sausage Recipes You’ll Love
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Italian Sausage and Peppers Skillet
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
- 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1½ teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1½ teaspoons fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. (The sausages will be cooked through later.) Remove from skillet, let them cool briefly, about 5 minutes, then slice to your desired thickness.
- Add olive oil to the skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook until they are slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
- Season with thyme and oregano and cook for 1 minute, then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. 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. (If the pan is too dry, add a splash of white wine, water, or chicken stock to add moisture.)
- Serve warm and enjoy with your favorite side dishes.
Notes
- Cut the onions and peppers into equal pieces for even cooking.
- The sausage is done when it’s no longer pink in the center and has an internal temperature of 160°F.
- You can also cut the sausage before frying it to brown the individual slices.
- 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.
- Leftovers can easily be transformed into a brand new dish. Toss it with some homemade pappardelle pasta for a satisfying main course, or use it as a topping for no knead ciabatta or Italian focaccia bread along with some homemade tomato sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese!
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!