Description
This Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers recipe is a hearty and flavorful meal featuring tender Italian sausage links cooked to perfection with a colorful medley of bell peppers, onions, garlic, and marinara sauce. Perfect for a comforting family dinner, this dish combines simple ingredients with long, slow cooking to bring out deep, rich flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Sausage
- 2 (19-ounce) packages Italian sausage links
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (for searing)
Vegetables and Sauce
- 6 bell peppers (mix of colors, sliced into strips)
- 2 onions (sliced into strips)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Brown the Sausages: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Place the Italian sausage links into the skillet and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned and slightly crisped. This step helps lock in flavor and adds a nice texture to the sausages.
- Add Vegetables and Seasonings to Slow Cooker: While the sausages are browning, prepare the peppers, onions, and garlic. Add the sliced bell peppers, onions, minced garlic, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper directly into the crockpot, mixing lightly to combine.
- Layer the Sausages: Place the browned sausage links on top of the vegetable and sauce mixture in the slow cooker. This layering ensures the sausages absorb the rich flavors while cooking.
- Slow Cook the Dish: Cover the crockpot and cook on low heat for 5 hours or on high heat for 3 hours. Cook until the peppers and onions are tender and the sausages are completely cooked through, softening the vegetables and blending the flavors beautifully.
- Finish and Serve: Once cooking is complete, gently stir the sausages and vegetables in the sauce to combine all flavors evenly. Serve hot, optionally with warmed hot dog buns for a satisfying meal.
Notes
- Searing the sausage links before slow cooking adds extra flavor and texture, but you can skip this step if short on time.
- Feel free to use any combination of bell pepper colors to brighten the dish.
- For a spicier version, add red pepper flakes or use spicy Italian sausage.
- This dish freezes well—store leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- Serving with warm buns turns the dish into delicious sausage and pepper sandwiches.
