Simple and straightforward, this dish of Baked Sausage, Peppers and Onions packs a punch of flavour and makes a stupendously quick and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Baked Sausage, Peppers And Onions
The much-loved Italian classic combination of sausages, peppers and onions has stood the test of time for a reason: It offers big flavour with minimal fuss, and it’s utterly delicious. Until recently, however, I had not thought of throwing these ingredients together on a sheet pan and letting the oven do the work. This suggestion came via my sister while I was lamenting how our grill was covered in snow so I couldn’t use it to cook my sausages. Well, let’s just say I may not ever grill sausages again.
Hardly a recipe, all you need to do is toss a heap of peppers and onions with olive oil, salt and pepper, spread them on a sheet pan with the sausages, then bake in a really hot oven. While the sausages brown and crisp, their savoury juices seep into the peppers which both infuses them with flavour and tones down their sweetness. After 30 minutes or so, the sausages are beautifully seared and the vegetables soft, caramelized, and fragrant. Tuck it into rolls, or spoon it all over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes for the easiest weeknight dinner that everyone will love.
Table of contents
The links below will take you to different sections of the post.
Ingredients And Notes
How wonderful that aside from olive oil, salt and pepper, the ingredient list for this dish of baked sausage, peppers and onions is in the title. The most delicious and quick recipe to have in your arsenal.
- Sausage – I pretty much only buy chicken sausages at the moment. With a lot less fat, chicken sausages are a bit healthier but I also really enjoy the flavour. I like Italian spicy or mild, or flavoured with fennel, or ginger and sage. But any fresh sausage will work. If you can get them from a deli or butcher they will be even better. I would try and avoid sausages from the grocery store which say “made with natural ingredients”. If you live in the KW area, you can buy really good chicken sausage here and here. If all you have is pre-cooked sausage, you will have to reduce the cooking time by almost half.
- Bell peppers – Any colour of bell pepper will work. Use your favourite. The peppers will reduce a lot when cooked in the oven so I like to use at least half a pepper per person. In the photos you will notice my peppers were a bit crowded in the pan. This helps prevent them from charring too quickly since the sausages need more time to cook. But if you are using more than 3 peppers, you may need to use 2 sheet pans.
- Red onion – You can use any onion you like but I really enjoy the more flavourful red onion in this dish.
- Olive oil – We toss the peppers in olive oil for flavour and to encourage browning.
- Seasoning – You can add any spices or seasonings you’d like such as dried oregano, thyme, or an Italian seasoning mix. I keep it simple with just salt and pepper.
How To Make The Recipe
This dish is indescribably comforting and satisfying. Here’s the easy steps:
- Cut a few shallow slits on the top of each sausage. This prevents them from bursting open.
- Toss the sliced peppers and onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper right on the sheet pan. Nestle in the sausages and slide the pan into a preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, flip the sausages and give the peppers and onions a quick toss. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sausages are fully cooked and the peppers and onions are tender and slightly charred.
- See below for ideas on serving.
What If My Peppers And Onions Burn Before the Sausage Is Cooked?
The only tricky part of this recipe is making sure your sausage is fully cooked without burning the peppers and onions. I rarely have this problem but depending on how hot your oven runs, or if you are using less peppers and onions than this recipe calls for, the vegetables might cook and char pretty quickly. If this is the case, pre-cook the sausages 15 minutes before adding the peppers and onions to the pan.
If you are using a good amount of peppers but they somehow started charring too much before the sausages were done, remove the pan from the oven and transfer the vegetables to a platter. Return the sausages to the oven and continue baking until fully cooked. If you wish to re-heat the vegetables before serving, add them back to the sheet pan a few minutes before the sausages are done baking.
Ways To Serve
Incredibly versatile, you really have a lot of options to round out this meal of baked sausage, peppers and onions. Here’s a few of our favourites:
- With mashed potatoes. Combined with the juicy sausages, peppers and onions there is hands down nothing better.
- Creamy polenta. Okay I lied, this is as good or better than mashed potatoes.
- In a sandwich. For obvious reasons, a huge kid favourite. Use a large, lightly toasted soft bun and pretend you are at a street fair in Italy. So good.
- Cauliflower mash. Gotta keep it light but delicious? Try it over this very awesome cauliflower puree.
- With pasta. Again, for obvious reasons, this is a kid, and adult favourite.
- With brown or white rice. Easy peasy and so good!
Storage Tips
- To Store: You can store leftovers of the baked sausage with peppers and onions in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- To Reheat: Place in a small skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through. I sometimes chop up the sausage so it reheats faster.
- To freeze: Sausage, peppers, and onions will freeze well. Place in a an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop.
Other Sausage Recipes You Might Enjoy
Baked Sausage, Peppers and Onions
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 4 links) fresh sausage such as mild or hot chicken (or pork) Italian sausage
- 3 medium red or yellow bell peppers (or a mix) seeded and sliced into 3/4-inch strips
- 1 large red onion peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- On a large baking sheet, toss together the bell peppers and onions with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and arrange the vegetable mixture in a single layer. Nestle in the sausages.
- Using a small sharp knife, score the sausages in a few places on just one side, making sure the cut is very shallow. Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, flip the sausages and give the peppers and onions a quick toss. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sausages are fully cooked and the peppers and onions are tender and slightly charred on the edges.
Notes
- To Store: You can store leftovers of the baked sausage with peppers and onions in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- To Reheat: Place in a small skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through. I sometimes chop up the sausage so it reheats faster.
- To freeze: Sausage, peppers, and onions will freeze well. Place in a an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop.
Nana G
Very good and easy. Would suggest baking in with deeper sides, lined with foil. Sausages, which I cooked ahead of peppers had a tendency to splatter into the oven. Can put on bun for Italian sausage sandwich if desired, or eat by itself covered in peppers. For a side made a nice Italian pasta salad.
Sandra Valvassori
So glad you enjoyed this! Great tip about cooking the sausages in a deeper pan though I don’t find mine splatter too much because I use chicken sausages which are less fatty. And I definitely must try it as an Italian pasta salad – Yum! Thank you for writing and sharing 🙂
James
So simple and so GOOD. My favorite dish.
Sandra Valvassori
Fantastic to hear this, James! One of our favourite dishes, too. Thank you for writing and letting me know 🙂