Sausage E Peppers Recipe

Brown the sausages

Pat sausages dry with paper towel. Heat a large skillet (12") over medium-high heat and add 1 tbs olive oil. When oil shimmers, add sausages, spacing them so they do not touch. Brown sausages on all sides, about 8–10 minutes total, turning occasionally until golden but not cooked through. Remove sausages to a plate and tent with foil.

Sweat the vegetables

Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, add sliced onions and bell peppers. If pan looks dry, add up to 1 tbs more olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and peppers are softened and slightly charred at the edges, about 7–9 minutes.

Add garlic

Push vegetables to the side and add minced garlic to the cleared space; cook until fragrant, about 30–45 seconds, then stir garlic into the peppers and onions so it disperses evenly.

Deglaze and build sauce

Pour in the optional red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let the wine reduce by half, about 1–2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and 1 cup broth, stir to combine. Bring sauce to a gentle simmer.

Season the sauce

Stir in dried oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, remembering sausages will add salt as they finish cooking.

Simmer with sausages

Nestle browned sausages back into the sauce so they are partly submerged. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 12–15 minutes until sausages are cooked through to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) and flavors meld. If using thicker sausages, simmer up to 18 minutes.

Reduce sauce (optional)

If sauce is too thin, remove sausages once cooked and increase heat to medium-high uncovered to reduce sauce for 3–5 minutes, then return sausages.

Finish and garnish

Once sausages are cooked, remove from heat. Stir chopped fresh basil into the sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if using.

Serve

Serve hot over cooked pasta or polenta, or split hoagie rolls and layer sausages and peppers into rolls for sandwiches. Spoon extra sauce and peppers over top. Serves with additional grated cheese and extra red pepper flakes on the side.