This slow cooker Italian sausage and peppers is the kind of weeknight dinner that feels almost too easy for how good it tastes. You literally dump frozen sausage links into the crock with just four other ingredients, flip it on, and walk away. By dinnertime, the sausages are juicy and tender, the peppers and onions are soft and sweet, and the whole house smells like an Italian restaurant. It’s a cozy, family-style dish that grew out of classic Italian-American sausage-and-peppers sandwiches, but simplified for busy home cooks who don’t have time to fuss at the stove.
Serve the sausages and peppers piled into toasted hoagie rolls or brat buns with a little shredded mozzarella or provolone on top. They’re also great spooned over buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice to soak up the sauce. Add a simple green salad or steamed green beans on the side, and maybe some garlic bread if you want to stretch the meal. Leftovers make wonderful next-day lunches tucked into wraps or reheated in a bowl with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Peppers (Frozen Links)Servings: 6
Ingredients
2 pounds frozen Italian sausage links (mild, sweet, or hot)
3 large bell peppers, sliced into strips (any colors)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 (24-ounce) jar marinara or spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or dried basil and oregano blend)
Directions
Place the frozen Italian sausage links in a single layer on the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. No need to thaw them first.
Scatter the sliced bell peppers and sliced onion evenly over the frozen sausages.
In a bowl or measuring cup, stir the marinara sauce together with the Italian seasoning, then pour the sauce mixture over the sausages and vegetables, making sure everything is mostly coated.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the sausages are cooked through (internal temperature reaches at least 160°F for pork or 165°F for poultry sausages) and the peppers and onions are very tender.
Once cooked, taste the sauce and adjust with a pinch of salt or a little extra Italian seasoning if needed. If you’d like the sauce thicker, remove the lid and let it cook on HIGH for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve the sausages whole or sliced, spooned with plenty of peppers, onions, and sauce over buns, pasta, or rice. Ladle extra sauce from the crock over the top so everyone can fight over seconds.
Variations & Tips
You can easily customize this four-ingredient dump-and-go dinner for your family. For milder flavor, choose sweet Italian sausage; for a little kick, go with hot Italian or mix half and half. If you have picky eaters who aren’t big on peppers, cut the pepper strips a bit smaller so they blend into the sauce more, or use mostly red and yellow peppers, which are sweeter and less bitter than green. You can also swap the marinara for tomato basil sauce or a chunky vegetable pasta sauce if that’s what you have on hand. For a slightly lighter version, use turkey Italian sausage links and check that they reach 165°F in the center. If your family loves cheese, add sliced provolone or shredded mozzarella to the buns right before serving and let the hot sausages melt it. For a lower-carb option, serve the sausages and peppers in shallow bowls with a side of roasted veggies or over cauliflower rice instead of bread or pasta. Food safety tips: Always start with fully frozen, commercially packaged sausage links and keep them frozen until you’re ready to cook. Place the frozen sausages in the bottom of the slow cooker so they’re surrounded by sauce and vegetables as they heat up; this helps them move through the temperature danger zone more quickly. Cook on HIGH if your slow cooker tends to run cool, and avoid using the WARM setting to cook from frozen, as it may not bring the food to a safe temperature fast enough. Check at least one sausage in the center with an instant-read thermometer to be sure it reaches a safe internal temperature (160°F for pork, 165°F for poultry). Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking and use within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot before serving.
