Slow Cooked Italian Sausage & Peppers

If you haven’t noticed, I love my slow cooker. I use it at least once a week. Not just because we are a busy family, but because you really get so much flavor out of meals that you make in them. These Slow Cooked Italian Sausage & Peppers are no exception. I turned them into sandwiches, but you could also serve them over pasta – or just have them on their own and keep it #keto.

This recipe was featured on Instructables!

It may seem weird to just layer in the ingredients, and not actually mix them. That’s where the jiggle comes into play. If you just give the slow cooker a little jiggle every time you walk past it, things will start to meld together as they heat up and develop a robust flavor profile. Be sure that you use crushed tomatoes and not tomato sauce or puree. You need it to have a little bit of substance to survive the slow cooking process.

I used a mild Italian sausage for this, but you could certainly use a hot variety. You could also do different flavored sausages, just be sure that they are not previously cooked. The pre-cooked sausages will come out very tough if left in the slow cooker for 6 hours. I served this up with a Caesar salad on the time and it was a delightful filling meal.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

Print

Slow Cooked Italian Sausage & Peppers

A delicious sausage and pepper sandwich with an Italian twist, slow-cooked for several hours to maximize the flavor.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword bell peppers, Italian Sausage, red sauce, sandwich, Sausage, slow cooker

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Slow Cooker Time 6 hours hours

Servings 6

Equipment

• Slow Cooker (at least 6qts)

Ingredients

• 1 White Onion sliced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 28oz can Crushed Tomatoes
• 10 Italian Sausages
• 10 Crusty Rolls split
• 20 slices Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

• Start with the sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then layer on red and green bell peppers.
• Sprinkle veggies with garlic powder, Italian seasonings, and red pepper flakes. Then evenly pour crushed tomatoes over the top.
• Next, layer in the sausages in a single layer. Secure lid on a slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low. Every hour or so, give the slow cooker a little jiggle to help the sausages sink down into the sauce some.
• Split your crusty rolls and place two slices of mozzarella in the fold. Then add a piece of sausage and a portion of peppers and onions. You might want to slice it in half when you serve it.