Sausage & Pepper

To make life easier, click on any underlined items and there is a direct link to purchase - these are the items I swear by…

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Sweet Italian sausage (Option to replace pork with chicken sausage) or if you prefer a ‘hot’ version use the 50/50 sweet/hot sausage

2 Yellow pepper

2 Red pepper

2 Orange pepper

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 Cloves of Garlic (minced/chopped) - I rediscovered my old Pampered Chef chopping tool by making this - Here is a much less expensive chopper

28 oz Crushed tomatoes (with Basil)

15 oz Tomato puree

1 Tbsp Oregano

1 Tbsp Onion powder

1 Tsp Celery salt

1 Tsp Basil leaves

1 Tsp Ground mustard

1 Tsp Kosher salt - fine

1 Tsp Soy Sauce - low sodium (optional)

KITCHEN ESSENTIALS FOR THIS RECIPE:

Mandolin slicer - unless you like to manually slice the peppers

Mixing Bowl (medium/large size)

7 - 9 Quart Cast iron pot (I have also used a larger sized wok to cook the sausage and in parallel cook the peppers, then transferring them to the larger pot to finish...but why have the extra mess?)

Colander/Strainer - preferably one with a stable base

PRE-COOKING PREP DIRECTIONS: 

1. Slice the peppers

2. Portion out the seasonings

3. Cut the sausage into 3 or 4 pieces per link

NOW FOR THE FUN PART - COOKING!

1. Turn burner on high, heat the olive oil and add the garlic, stirring for 2 minutes

2. Carefully add the sausage and stir until browned - about 12 minutes 

3. Remove the sausage and place on side into bowl/plate (I use a strainer placed in a bowl to discard some of the fat that drips off) 

4. Add peppers into the pot stirring frequently until they cook down to about ½  the initial quantity - cook on high for 6-8 minutes
   *You should have enough oil/fat remaining that no additional oil is necessary - but if you used chicken sausage it’s leaner so you may need to add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and let it heat up before adding peppers - keep in mind the peppers will sweat out water so they will not be dry

5. Increase burner to High once the peppers are soft and done to your liking & carefully add the sausage back in & stirring - cooking on high for 5 minutes

6. Lower the burner to Med/Low and carefully add the crushed tomatoes and puree

7. Stir on Med-low for 5 min and reduce to Low once the sauce starts to simmer

8. Add the seasonings (except salt & soy sauce) into the pot while stirring - After about 5 min, taste the sauce and see if adding salt/soy sauce is needed - I always include it

9. Let the pot simmer on low for about 30-45min, stirring frequently and enjoy!

   I usually serve this with some fresh Italian bread or sourdough    
   

   This recipe is also great to reheat in a crockpot and keep warm for people who like to eat at different times….and this is a requested staple at any little get together I have had with my friends!