Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers

Name: Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 pounds Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or mixed); 3 bell peppers (mixed colors), sliced; 2 large onions, sliced; 4 cloves garlic, sliced; 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; Hoagie rolls, for serving

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

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This slow cooker sausage and peppers recipe lets everything simmer together for hours until the sausage is tender and the peppers have softened into the sauce. Set it and forget it, mostly.

It's a good weeknight meal for a busy day, served over rice or on a hoagie roll. Brown your sausage first if you have time — it adds real depth.

Prep20 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total45 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

2 pounds Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or mixed)
3 bell peppers (mixed colors), sliced
2 large onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Hoagie rolls, for serving

Instructions

1Optional but recommended: sear sausages in olive oil in a hot skillet until browned on all sides.
2Place peppers, onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker.
3Nestle sausages into the vegetables.
4Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours until sausages are cooked through and peppers are meltingly soft.
5Serve sausages on hoagie rolls topped with peppers and onions.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

820Calories

39 gProtein

22 gCarbohydrates

66 gTotal Fat

21 gSaturated Fat

5 gFiber

12 gTotal Sugars

2640 mgSodium

160 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Searing the sausages first adds a layer of flavor the slow cooker alone can't achieve.
Use a mix of colored peppers for visual appeal — red, yellow, and green.
The peppers become silky and sweet after hours of cooking. That's the whole point.

Substitutions

Italian sausage → bratwurst or chicken sausage Chicken sausage is lighter; bratwurst is a German twist.

hoagie rolls → polenta, rice, or pasta Serve over polenta for a more refined presentation.

diced tomatoes → marinara sauce for a saucier version More sauce means better sandwich dripping.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat gently.

Make Ahead

Prep all vegetables the night before. Assemble in the slow cooker in the morning.

Freezing

Yes. Freeze the cooked sausage, pepper, onion, and tomato mixture in airtight portions. Thaw in the refrigerator, reheat thoroughly, and serve it on fresh hoagie rolls.

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