Healthy Recipes 101

The Heart of The Home Beats in The Kitchen

  • Recipe Index
  • Courses
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beverages
  • Method
    • Air Frying
    • Boiling
    • Broiling
    • Frying
    • Grilling
    • Oven Baked
    • One-Pan
  • About

Hot Tags

  • Juices
  • Chicken
  • Salmon Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Instant Pot
  • Salads
Fact-checked
Main Dishes

Sausage and Peppers Recipe

  • Main Dishes
  • Pasta
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Servings 4 servings
Calories 493 kcal
Sausage and Peppers Recipe
Jump to Recipe
facebook pinterest twitter Print Recipe

This Sausage and peppers recipe is a classic Italian favorite. There are many ways to make this beautiful dish but the easiest one is to start by searing all the ingredients in a pan. 

Your dinner will be finished within an hour with minimal preparation and clean up. It’s also a one pan meal, making clean-up all the easier. 

You can enjoy this dish with pasta, as in our recipe, or make it an easy add-on for rice, or your sandwich filler… you name it! Now, here are a few things to know before we can kick off fall with today’s recipe.

Is Sausage and Peppers Healthy

Sausage and Peppers Recipe

Yes, our sausage and peppers recipe is relatively healthy.

1. Calories

One serving of our sausage and peppers contains 493 calories when served with pasta. This number is not enough for lunch or dinner, so we suggest having the dish with salad or soup to reach our recommended daily intake of calories — 750 calories for lunch/dinner.

2. Carbs

There are 34 grams of carbohydrates in a serving of sausage and peppers, which account for about 12 percent of the recommended daily intake for carbs.

Types of Peppers and Sausage to Use

We recommend Italian sausage for this sausage and peppers recipe for maximum flavor. The regular savory or sweet sausages can both work well in the dish, so choose whichever you prefer. If you want to be creative with meat, beef or turkey sausage are also excellent choices.

Sausage and Peppers Ingredients

As for peppers, there are a variety of options available:

1. Bell Peppers

These big round peppers come in rainbow colors — green, red, yellow, orange, and purple. Red and yellow peppers are the ripened green peppers, resulting in their sweeter flavor.

Having a less spicy flavor than most peppers, bell peppers (or sweet peppers) are great to toss in salads or stir-fry in the sauce. They add more texture and nutrients to the dish.

2. Cherry Peppers

Cherry peppers are red, round, or heart-shaped peppers, sweet, and can be a bit spicy. They taste and smell like their appearance — small red peppers.

3. Serrano Peppers

These long, thin, green peppers offer a slight punch of heat which many people love to have in their pasta. You can chop them up and add to salad, salsa, or sauce for more depth of flavor.

How to Make Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions in the Oven

Here’s a summary for Italian Sausage and Peppers recipe:

Step 1: Cook pasta

Cook pasta

Step 2: Brown sausages

Brown sausages

Step 3: Cut sausage

Cut sausage

Step 4: Make the pasta sauce

Make the pasta sauce

Step 5: Add sausage and pasta to the pan

Add sausage and pasta to the pan

Step 6: Garnish and serve

Garnish and serve

Jump to Recipe

How to Cut Bell Peppers

For this sausage and peppers recipe, we cut the peppers into strips. To slice the peppers the right way, here are 3 simple steps to follow:

  • Cut off the top and bottom of the pepper.
  • Remove the ribs and seeds.
  • Cut them into strips.

How Do You Know If Sausages Are Done

With thicker sausages, it can sometimes be challenging to know when they are fully cooked. Generally, a medium link sausage will take about 15 – 20 minutes to cook in a frying pan.

To cook sausages evenly on both sides, you have to keep a close eye on them and turn them over frequently. Cooked sausages should have a nice, even, golden-brown crust on the outside, and a paler color on the inside (but not pink).

When you cut into the sausages, you should expect clear juice coming out of them. There should not be any pink juices or blood.

As for today’s sausage and peppers recipe, we will be cooking them twice: first, by frying and then by simmering with the sauce, so undercooked sausages shouldn’t be an issue.

That being said, having a probe thermometer around to check for internal temperature would be the best way to ensure food safety. The perfect temperature for a cooked sausage link should fall around 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

What Goes with Sausage and Peppers

Our sausage and peppers recipe is a traditional favorite that can pair with many ingredients:

Sausage and Peppers Recipe

1. Pasta

Pasta, of course, is essential in this sausage and peppers recipe. We use fettuccine since its flat shape can hold the sauce well. 

However, you can use what you have in the kitchen — rigatoni, spaghetti, or farfalle — any pasta will work in this recipe.

2. Rice

For a sausage and pepper rice, you add the rice to the skillet then simmer everything for about 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Brown rice is a more heart-healthy choice, however, we prefer the texture of white rice in the dish.

3.Sandwiches

Instead of pasta or rice, try to put this delicious sausage and pepper mix in sandwiches. When it comes to sandwich add-ins, the possibilities are endless.

Add some cheese or fresh veggies and turn your sausage sandwich into an even more satisfying meal.

4. Onions

Onions and tomatoes are an excellent combo — the sweetness from fresh onions balances out the tang of tomatoes. Cooked together, they make the sauce turn out beautifully and become extra delicious!

5. Potatoes

With the same main ingredients: sausages and peppers, but with a different cooking method. We stir fry sausages and veggies in a pan and then roast in the oven.

This is where the taste gets intense and smoky. Italian home cooking can be easy and tasty all in one!

Can You Freeze Sausage and Peppers

Can you freeze this recipe

This sausage and peppers recipe makes 4 servings but you can easily double it if you prefer and save the leftovers for another meal by simply freezing them. The easiest way to do this is to let your cooked dish cool down completely to room temperature, then freeze it in a freezer-safe food container or zip-top freezer bag.

You can also freeze this sausage and peppers dish before cooking. First, divide the sausage, vegetables, and seasonings into different bags. Then you can throw everything in a hot pan whenever you are craving a hot and hearty dinner.

Whether this dish is frozen before or after cooking, it will last in your freezer for up to 2 months.

How Long Does Cooked Sausage Last in the Fridge?

Cooked sausages can last up to 3-4 days in the fridge. To store correctly, keep them in an airtight container after letting them cool down completely at room temperature.

If you smell any unpleasant odors or the surface gets moldy, this means your cooked sausages have spoiled. Our advice is to discard them and start with fresh ones.

What to Serve with Sausage and Peppers

Normally, hot dog buns would be the perfect companion for sausages. However, they are not the healthiest choice and not the friendliest option for many dieters. So here are some healthy alternatives to pair with sausage and peppers:

  • Potatoes: we recommend simple mashed potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes. Both offer another level of flavor and texture that would work beautifully with the sausage and peppers.
  • Salads: for a hearty recipe like sausage and peppers, we suggest adding a simple salad for some freshness. A healthy broccoli salad to add more vegetables, or a lovely fresh fruit salad for dessert, would be perfect to complete your meal.
  • Pasta: the tomato sauce from sausage and peppers goes well with almost any pasta. However, we do recommend whole grain pasta because it contains more fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, and other minerals, making it healthier than your regular pasta.

Of course, sausage and peppers is a filling dish and you could have it all on its own, but we love to have it with pasta which easily soaks up that tasty sauce to become an earthy, filling dish. It also adds more carbohydrates to the dish that are needed for a well-rounded meal.

What to Serve with Sausage and Peppers

If you are in the mood for another healthy pasta recipe, our shrimp scampi is also a great option.

Recipes Course Calories Saturated fat Sodium
Sausage And Peppers Main Dish 493 10.5 g 559 mg
Roasted Beets Side Dish 184 1.1 g 289 mg
Lime Watermelon Juice Beverage 81 0.0 g 7 mg
Total 758 11.6 g 855 mg
Nutritional values in this table vary somewhat to those below due to different app calculations. Read more...
Sausage and Peppers Recipe

Sausage and Peppers Recipe

PRINT RATE Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest
This sausage and peppers recipe might take 50 minutes to make, but only the first half of that requires focused effort. After that, you can spend the last 20 minutes preparing dessert or munching on a cheese appetizer, whichever your heart desires!
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 493kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 4 oz fettuccine pasta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 9 oz Italian sausage
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp garlic chopped
  • 2 oz onion chopped
  • 8 oz bell pepper (red, green, yellow) sliced
  • 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1.5 oz shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil
  • 1 tbsp parsley

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente and drain. Set aside.
    Step 1: Cook pasta
  • Add olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sausages and cook until they are browned on all sides. Transfer sausages to a cutting board and let them cool at room temperature.
    Step 2: Brown sausages
  • Slice sausages into 1-inch rings, and set aside.
    Step 3: Cut sausage
  • Add butter to the same skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in onion and bell pepper. After the vegetables have softened, pour in tomato sauce, chicken broth, ground pepper, oregano, and paprika.
    Step 4: Make the pasta sauce
  • Add in sausage. Stir and simmer for a few minutes. Then reduce the heat to low-medium heat. Add in cooked pasta and parmesan cheese, toss to bring everything together. Remove from heat.
    Step 5: Add sausage and pasta to the pan
  • Top with parsley and fresh basil. Serve.
    Step 6: Garnish and serve

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Sausage and Peppers Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 493 Calories from Fat 279
% Daily Value*
Fat 31g48%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 11g
Cholesterol 59mg20%
Sodium 561mg24%
Potassium 663mg19%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 3090IU62%
Vitamin C 89mg108%
Calcium 173mg17%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Homemade Sausage and Peppers Recipe
Roasted Pork Tenderloin Incredibly versatile
Previous Recipe
Pan Seared Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin Recipe
best chicken salad sandwich recipe
Next Recipe
Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

More Delicious Like This

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Healthy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Chicken
Total 1 hour
Pepper Steak Recipe Healthy Kitchen 101 2

Healthy Pepper Steak Recipe

Main Dishes
Total 25 minutes
Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe

Healthy Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe

Soups & Stews
Total 50 minutes
Nicoise Salad Recipe

Nicoise Salad Recipe

Salads
Total 15 minutes
how do i make Sloppy Joes recipe

Sloppy Joe Recipe

Main Dishes
Total 45 minutes
Salisbury Steak Recipe

Salisbury Steak Recipe

Beef
Total 40 minutes
Luna Regina

Luna Regina

facebook instagram pinterest youtube twitter linkedin
Luna is the founder and chief recipe developer of Healthy Recipes 101. Apart from cooking, she also loves reading, programming, exploring the outdoors, and collecting useless facts about everything.

Comments/ Reviews

Cancel reply
Sausage and Peppers Recipe
Sausage and Peppers Recipe
Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. S. Ponder

    May 18, 2020 at 2:54 pm

    Recipe does not include noodles, but the picture does. Why?

    Reply
    • Luna Regina

      November 6, 2020 at 7:39 am

      Thanks for the question. Our recipe contains the fettuccine pasta in the ingredietnt list.

      Reply
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Recipe developed by Luna Regina on March 22, 2021 Nutritionally reviewed by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD

Latest Recipes

Shrimp Recipes
Garlic Shrimp Recipe

Mac And Cheese Shrimp Recipe

Shrimp Recipes
Shrimp Mac and Cheese Recipe

Shrimp Remoulade Recipe

Shrimp Recipes
Shrimp Remoulade Recipe

Shrimp Bisque Recipe

Shrimp Recipes
Shrimp Bisque Recipe

Shrimp And Broccoli Recipe

Shrimp Recipes
Shrimp And Broccoli Recipe

Salt And Pepper Shrimp Recipe

Shrimp Recipes
Salt and Pepper Shrimp Recipe

Top Pinterest

Banana Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Banana Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Recipe

Strawberry Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Strawberry Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe

Pineapple Carrot Juice Recipe

Carrot Juice
Pineapple Carrot Juice Recipe

Strawberry Carrot Juice Recipe

Carrot Juice
Strawberry Carrot Juice Recipe

AS SEEN ON
eatthis
parade
bustle
insider
buzzfeed
forbes
cnn
msn
Healthy Recipes 101
We do not offer medical, dietetic, or nutritional advice. Please seek consultation from a qualified health care professional prior to any decision to alter your current diet. Learn more See additional information.
  • Recipe Index
  • Course
  • Method
  • About
  • Cooking Challenge
  • Nutrition Guidelines
  • Recipe Development
  • Cooking Tips
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Follow Us

facebook instagram pinterest youtube twitter linkedin

Get our latest healthy recipes

Stay up-to-date with our latest RDN-approved recipes, kitchen tips, and healthy eating challenges.

Opt-out at any time by clicking the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of our email.

Visit our other Healthy101 sites:

Healthykitchen101
© 2021 Healthy Kitchen 101, LLC - All Rights Reserved
Return to Top