Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers is such a versatile dish. It can be served with a variety of starches and is an easy meal to prep ahead for busy nights or to serve a crowd.
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Sausage and pepper sandwiches used to be one of my favorite choices at the fair – alongside funnel cake or donuts – until I started making it at home. Homemade tastes so much better!
Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers has all that delicious steeped in flavor of a sausage and pepper sandwich but you don’t have to wait for the fair to come to town (and it’s significantly cheaper!) Double win. If you don’t have a slow cooker already, make sure you grab one! I own and love this slow cooker.*
What sausage should you use?
To get that iconic sausage and peppers flavor you’re going to choose a sweet Italian or hot pork sausage. If you prefer to skip pork, you can also use chicken or turkey sausage. One of my favorite chicken sausage options is Shady Brook Farms hot sausage. I like this one because they don’t use BHA and BHT.
What kind of peppers should you use?
Green bell peppers are the way to go here. If you don’t care for the hearty pepper flavor and would like something a little sweeter, totally go for red bell peppers. I will say, if you love red bell peppers with your sausage, you have got to try this Sausage and Peppers Sandwich with Spicy Red Pepper Cream Sauce.
If you want to add a kick to your peppers add in some thinly sliced jalapeños or go a bit hotter with Scotch Bonnets or habanero.
What kind of onions should you use?
I recommend using a sweet, Vidalia, or yellow onion. Purple onions will give the whole dish an odd color.
What kind of seasonings should you use?
I keep it super simple with salt and black pepper. End of story. Between the seasoning in the sausage and the onions and peppers, you don’t need to add a lot of seasoning. If you want to thinly slice some garlic and add it, everything (savory) is better with garlic.
How do I serve sausage and peppers?
When you make slow cooker sausage and peppers you end up with quite a bit of excess liquid. I consider this liquid pure soup gold. Strain it off and save it if you want to make sausage and pepper sandwiches. If you are serving it with rice or mashed potatoes, keep some of the juice to serve with it.
Easy hack for slow cooker sausage and peppers
1 pound sausage + 2 bell peppers + 2 medium onions + 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Double, triple, quadruple to your heart’s content.
PrintSlow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
There’s nothing like throwing dinner in the slow cooker and walking away. Sausage and Peppers is especially tasty when it slow cooks together for a couple hours. It’s a versatile dish that can serve a family or a crowd.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large green bell peppers
- 4 medium sweet onions
- 2 lb. Italian sausage links
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Slice bell peppers and onions into thin slices then layer half of them in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
- Put 1 pound of sausage links in slow cooker on top of peppers and onions.
- Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper over sausage.
- Layer remaining peppers and onions on top of sausage.
- Arrange remaining sausage over peppers and onions.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- Slow cook on high for 4 and 1/2 hours.
More delicious sausage recipes
- Baked Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Cauliflower
- Smoked Sausage and Pepper Potato Bake
- Garlic-free Chicken Sausage
- Andouille Sausage, Potato, and Pepper Bake
- Spicy Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup
- Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches with Spicy Red Belle Pepper Cream Sauce
- Sausage, Potatoes, and Peas Skillet
