Sausage and Peppers: Five Ways to Make It Right

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs Italian sausage — half hot, half sweet
• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow and green), sliced into thick strips
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. 01

   Brown the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausages on all sides, about 6 minutes. They don't need to be cooked through. Remove and set aside.

2. 02

   Cook the peppers and onions. Add the peppers and onions to the same skillet and cook 8–10 minutes, until softened and starting to caramelize in the sausage drippings.

3. 03

   Add the aromatics. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant.

4. 04

   Deglaze with wine. Pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

5. 05

   Simmer together. Return the sausages to the skillet, cover, and simmer about 15 minutes, until cooked through (165°F internal).

6. 06

   Finish and serve. Uncover and cook 3–5 minutes more so the peppers char slightly and the sauce reduces. Season, shower with parsley and serve hot.

Larry’s rule: Never overcook the peppers. Larry likes them tender with a little char — not soft enough to eat with a straw.

Ingredients

• 6 hot or sweet Italian sausages
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• 6 crusty Italian rolls
• 8–10 slices provolone
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• Calabrian chili paste, optional

Instructions

1. 01

   Cook the sausage. Grill or pan-sear the sausages until browned outside and cooked through, about 12 minutes.

2. 02

   Caramelize the vegetables. Sauté the peppers and onions in olive oil about 10 minutes, adding the garlic in the last minute.

3. 03

   Toast the rolls. Split the rolls almost all the way through and toast them lightly so they can hold the load.

4. 04

   Build. Split each sausage lengthwise, lay it in the roll, then pile on peppers and onions, a spoonful of marinara and plenty of provolone.

5. 05

   Broil. Broil 60–90 seconds, until the cheese bubbles and browns at the edges.

6. 06

   Finish. Top with Parmesan and a little Calabrian chili if you want heat. Serve immediately with napkins.

Larry’s rule: If you can eat it without leaning over the plate, you didn't put enough on it.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs sweet Italian sausage
• 4 bell peppers, sliced
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28-ounce can San Marzano-style tomatoes
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Fresh basil, torn
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Crusty Italian bread, to serve

Instructions

1. 01

   Brown the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven and brown the sausages hard on every side. Remove and set aside.

2. 02

   Cook the vegetables. Add the onions and peppers to the drippings and cook until soft and caramelized, then add the garlic for a minute more.

3. 03

   Deglaze. Pour in the red wine, scrape the bottom of the pot and reduce by half.

4. 04

   Build the gravy. Crush the tomatoes by hand into the pot, add oregano, salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer.

5. 05

   Simmer. Return the sausages and simmer uncovered 45–60 minutes, until thick and glossy.

6. 06

   Finish. Stir in torn basil and Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread, polenta or rigatoni.

Larry’s rule: Make it the day before. It is genuinely better reheated.

Ingredients

• 8 Italian sausages
• 4 bell peppers, quartered
• 2 large onions, cut into thick rounds
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 01

   Set up two zones. Build a hot direct-heat zone and a cooler indirect zone on the grill.

2. 02

   Char the vegetables. Toss the peppers and onions with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill over direct heat until blistered, 8–10 minutes.

3. 03

   Grill the sausage. Sear the sausages over direct heat, then move to indirect heat and cook until 165°F internal, about 12 minutes.

4. 04

   Combine in cast iron. Slice the vegetables into strips and add them to a cast iron pan on the grate with the garlic, oregano and a little olive oil.

5. 05

   Finish. Nestle the sausages into the pan, cover the grill for 5 minutes, then top with Parmesan and serve straight from the pan.

Larry’s rule: Keep the pan on the grate the whole time — every drop of sausage fat belongs in the peppers.

Ingredients

• 8 Italian sausages — hot, sweet or mixed
• 4 bell peppers, sliced into thick strips
• 2 large onions, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Crusty rolls or polenta, to serve

Instructions

1. 01

   Heat the oven and the pan. Put a rimmed sheet pan in the oven and preheat to 425°F. A screaming-hot pan is what gives you char instead of steam.

2. 02

   Season the vegetables. Toss the peppers, onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper directly on the hot pan.

3. 03

   Nestle in the sausage. Arrange the sausages on top of the vegetables with space between them — never pierce the casings.

4. 04

   Roast. Roast 30–35 minutes, turning the sausages and stirring the peppers once halfway, until the sausage reaches 160°F and the peppers are soft with charred edges.

5. 05

   Finish sharp. Splash the red wine vinegar over the hot pan, toss everything in the drippings and rest 5 minutes. Serve on rolls or over polenta.

Larry’s rule: Crowding is the only way to ruin this. If the pan looks full, split it across two — steamed peppers are a tragedy nobody needs.