Slow Cooker Sweet Italian Sausage and Peppers for 4

Ingredients / 4

• 1½ lb fresh raw sweet italian sausage
• 3 bell peppers, sliced into thick strips
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1½ cups crushed tomatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley, to finish

Equipment

A slow cooker sized for the batch; an instant-read thermometer. LOW setting.

Let’s make supper

1. 01

   Prep the batch

   Start with refrigerated, fully thawed raw sausage. Slice the peppers and onions, mince the garlic and measure the remaining ingredients. Use a slow cooker that meets its manufacturer’s fill guidance and arrange the vegetables beneath the links.

2. 02

   Layer the cooker

   Put peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil and oregano in the cooker. Add whole raw links and crushed tomatoes. Follow the appliance’s recommended fill level and put the lid on.

3. 03

   Cook on LOW

   Cook on LOW for an estimated 6–7 hours, following your appliance instructions. Keep the lid on except when checking near the end; times vary by cooker, link thickness and batch size.

4. 04

   Check all the links

   Check the thickest part of every link with an instant-read thermometer: 160°F (71°C). Keep cooking any link below that temperature. Color and elapsed time do not establish doneness. Check especially the links toward the center of the batch. If not ready, replace the lid and continue cooking.

5. 05

   Finish the tomato braise

   Serve the soft vegetables and tomato juices with the cooked links. If the sauce is too thin, reduce it separately in a saucepan rather than leaving finished sausage cooking for hours. Finish with parsley and taste the vegetables before adding salt: the mild sausage should not disappear under extra seasoning.

The slow cooker rule: Keep the lid on and use thawed sausage. Follow your appliance’s fill guidance; do not start with frozen links.