My sausage and peppers recipe is simple and delicious, just like the way it’s almost always made here in New York. Italian sausage, red and green bell peppers, sliced onions, oregano, and copious amounts of olive oil. Served by itself, or on a hero/sub roll, this is the real deal New York-style recipe for sausage and peppers.
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A Classic that should always be simple!
Sausage and peppers, though eaten all year long, is the quintessential Italian-American festival food. Found at street fairs across the New York metro area, this beloved dish is comprised of just a few ingredients.
Zeppole or sfinci, pizza, meatball parm heros, and cannoli are all great, but there is one street festival food that reigns supreme: sausage and peppers and the sausage and peppers hero.
And this my friends, is the best version.
I’ve made sausage and peppers hundreds of times in my life, and have eaten even more, and my recipe below is reflective of all that research.
This is the tried and true sausage and peppers recipe that rivals that of any street fair!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Italian sausage. This is the ingredient that will make or break your sausage and peppers. Most mass-produced brands of Italian sausage will taste nothing like the sausage at street festivals. They have less fat, are usually overmixed and more homogeneous, and just taste bland compared to sausage from an Italian pork store. That being said, buy the best quality sausage you can find. A good sweet fennel and hot (spicy) sausage will start you on the right path. I like to make a batch of each.
- Peppers and onions. Red and green bell peppers should be used along with plenty of yellow onion.
- Bread. Even if you don’t plan on making a sausage and peppers hero, you’ll still want some crusty Italian bread to mop up the oily sauce.
- Dried oregano. Use high quality Italian or Sicilian oregano. And please, skip that horrible Italian seasoning ingredient. Just use oregano.
How to make authentic sausage and peppers
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Place sausage links in a baking dish. Poke a couple of holes in each link and roast in the oven at 400°F until mostly cooked through (about 20 minutes).
- Heat a large stainless steel pan to medium-low heat for 3 minutes. While the pan is heating up, pat dry the sausages of any excess moisture. Add a 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan and place the sausages into the pan. Cook the sausage links on all sides until well browned (about 10-15 minutes total).
- Remove the sausage links and set aside. You can lightly tent the sausage links with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil to the pan and all the peppers and onions. Mix the peppers and onions around so that they are coated with the sausage fat and olive oil.
- After a couple of minutes of cooking add 3 ounces of water to the pan. Cover the pan so that the peppers and onions can cook quicker. I don’t have a lid for my 14″ fry pan so foil works great in a pinch.
- After 10 minutes remove the cover and the peppers and onions will be much softer. Add the salt, pepper, and oregano. Continue cooking for a few more minutes to allow any excess water to evaporate.
- Once most of the water has evaporated and the peppers and onions are very soft, return the sausage links back to the pan and mix together. You should have plenty of oil, but if you need a bit more, add it now. Sausage and peppers should have plenty of oil! Serve as is with Italian bread to mop up the oil and peppers and onions. Or, make a sausage and peppers hero which is never a bad idea!
Top tips
- Oil and more oil. Sausage and peppers should be oily and a bit messy. The fat from the sausage and the olive oil combine to make one of the best sauces for bread dipping. Don’t skimp on the olive oil!
- Buy high quality sausage. This is the defining ingredient for whether your sausage and peppers will be amazing or mediocre.
- Make it your own. You can add cherry peppers or calabrian chili paste to a hot sausage and peppers. Or roast some thin sliced potatoes and add the sausage and peppers on top for a full meal. But perhaps my favorite addition is adding melted mozzarella to a sausage and peppers hero. So darn good!
- Make ahead and reheating. This is the perfect dish for making ahead. Simply reheat in a 350°F oven covered with foil until hot or on a stovetop with the lid cracked.
More great recipes with Italian sausage
If you like Italian sausage as much as I do, you’ll want to try these other recipes.
- Sausage and peppers rigatoni
- Italian sausage and potatoes
- Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe
- Chicken Scarpariello
- Sausage cherry tomato pasta
- Sausage bread
- Italian sausage pasta
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Sausage and Peppers (Simple and Authentic)
Ingredients
- 8 large mild Italian sausage links about 2 pounds
- 3/4 cup (180ml) olive oil
- 3 large bell peppers sliced, red and green
- 3 large onions sliced
- 3 ounces (90ml) water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the sausage links in a baking dish and poke a few holes into each link. Roast until mostly cooked through (about 20 minutes) then remove from the oven.
- Dry off the sausage links to remove any moisture. Heat a stainless steel pan to medium to medium-low and once hot add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until the links are well browned on all sides (about 10-15 minutes total).
- Remove the sausage from pan and set aside tented with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining olive oil and peppers and onions to the pan. Cook for a few minutes coating well with the olive oil and sausage drippings. Add the water to the pan and cover.
- Remove the lid after about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Continue cooking to evaporate any excess water. When the water evaporates and the peppers and onions are soft, add in the sausage links.
- Cook for a few more minutes and taste test. Make any final adjustments to salt, pepper, oregano, and olive oil if required. Serve the sausage and peppers with Italian bread or on top of a hero/sub roll. Enjoy!
Notes
- Sodium. Salt levels really need to be adjusted based on the sausage brand used. Make sure to taste test and adjust before serving.
- Sausage. The sausage quality makes all the difference. Use the absolute best sausage you can find!
- Oil levels. Sausage and peppers should be very oily from both the sausage fat and the added olive oil. Don’t be shy with olive oil!
- Leftovers. Sausage and pepeprs can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great food ❤️❤️
Hi Diane, thank you for the comment and so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
This is amazing!
Hi Bill, so happy you enjoyed this one and thanks for the comment!
Could I keep a large batch of this warm in a crackpot for a party? How would you recommend keeping this dish warm for a party?
Hi Tim, The best thing to keep a dish like this warm for a party is with a sterno rack.
Took me back to Yankee Stadium. So freaking authentic and delicious! Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Maria, I’m so happy you enjoyed it and really appreciate the comment and rating!
I made this dish and it was amazing!
Thank you Jim for sharing it I learned so much from watching your video and following the recipe.
Hi Dotty, I’m so happy you enjoyed the sausage and peppers! Thanks for the comment!
This came out so perfect and so delicious. I paired it with your garlic bread recipe, both are a huge hit! Thank you!
Hi Michelle, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed it!
Love this Jim! Thank you!
Hi Christine, we’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for the comment!
Thanks Jim again I am having this for dinner tonight. I am a sauce fan but I love it either way. Can’t wait for your cookbook we gotta get these recipes in print so we can hand them down to our grand kids… . Keep it up. John from Florida.
Hi John, thanks for the comment and really appreciate you following along and making the recipes. The cookbook is definitely one of our goals!
There are 8 million ways to make sausage and peppers. This has been two of them.
As usual, spot on!!! You’re the best Jim! Joyce from Michigan
Hi Joyce, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed this one!
If doubling the amount of sausage do you also double the amount of peppers, onions & oil
Hi Marlene, you can double the amount of peppers and onions but probably won’t need to double the amount of oil – really just enough to coat the pan.
These were delicious and better than our usual recipe.
My Italian mother always used garlic.and so did I. I made your version and loved it. I also upgraded my mother taught white clam sauce with yours and the changes were slight but made an exceptional meal. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment, Dina! So happy you enjoyed this one!
Where can i find sausage and peppers with sauce. Thank you.
Hi Eleanor, I don’t have a recipe for just sausage and peppers with sauce, however, I do have a recipe for sausage and peppers with rigatoni and sauce. You can use that same recipe, minus the pasta. It’s linked above.
I’m a big fan of your cooking. I often compare your recipes to my family’s. Very very similar. Sometimes you cook things I’ve forgotten about. I love rediscovering foods I haven’t had for many years. You’re my favorite Sicilian-American cook.
Thank you, Elaine! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
Good morning and thanks for your recipes and cooking style! Question, I’m making this ahead for a BBQ and will need to reheat it. How long and at what temp (oven ) would you recommend? Also any reheating tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again 😊
Hi Tina, thank you for your comment. I’d recommend reheating at 350 until warm and keep covered so it doesn’t dry out. The time will vary depending on how cold it was when it went in so I’d recommend checking after around 15-25 minutes.
Love it. I’m sorry (not) that no one was home for the sausage and pepper hoagie.
Hi, Carrie. I feel the same way sometimes lol. Thanks for the comment.
I have been making Sausage, peppers & onions for years. Grew up in an Italian family as a youngster. We had this as a sandwich(on real Italian bread)There was always a little something I thought was missing in my preparation. Found it as I read your recipe. Oregano! Having that for dinner. Sometimes on a roll, often just plated. As I read your recipe, I found the oregano mentioned in the text, not the ingredients. I bet this makes a difference. I love your site and have told many friends about it. OK, they are not all Italian but they sure love Italian food. Thanks for what you do. There are a few things I saw that I had forgotten. My grandmother, from the old country used to serve green beans in a pasta sauce. I’ve got that on my list!
Hi Pat. Thanks for liking the recipes and recommending our site to others. I know the oregano will make definitely make a difference. Hope you enjoy the greens beans in tomato sauce as well. Thanks for the comment!
I love this recipe and have made it multiple times. I’m from NYC and get cravings for these sausage and peppers–your recipe absolutely hits the spot. I usually add a little of whatever else I have on hand. Your videos are really encouraging and you have a great approach to cooking/teaching. I’ll be trying out more of your recipes for sure! (I’m eyeing that Pasta alla Norma.)
Hi Glory. I’m happy to hear than you enjoyed the sausage and peppers and that you’re liking the videos. I hope the pasta alla Norma is a hit too!
Hi James,
Love your recipes and great videos.
What stainless steel pan do you recommend?
Hi Maria. The 14″ stainless steel pan is made by either Vigor or Winco. It is available in my shop on the main menu right above. Thanks for liking the videos!
Hi Jim, I just recently stumbled upon your website and now I’m hooked on it. I love your style of cooking!!! It’s very simple to understand and true homestyle Italian cooking. This is what I grew up on. My mother and grandmother were fantastic cooks, but unfortunately they are no longer with us. Love It!!! I’m introducing my daughter and daughter-in-law to your site, in hopes that they will become better cooks. I’m sure they will really appreciate your style. I am a New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn, married and moved to Long Island, then moved to Japan and then moved to my current home here in San Jose, California. I make mostly Italian and Japanese food. I’m hoping that your videos will fill in all the blanks with your cooking for them. Thank you again!!!
Hi Patricia, Thanks for liking the recipes and the videos. I love Japanese food. Before I went to just an Italian food website I released a Japanese eggplant with miso recipe. We used to go to a Mom and Pop small sushi place here in Long Island years ago and have the best meals. That’s where I was introduced to that simple dish. I spend so much time making videos and writing about Italian-American food that when I can we all go to the local Japanese restaurant nearby for something different and delicious. I hope your daughter and daughter-in-law like the recipes on this site!
Love all your dishes so simple and so tasty have done a few I’m hooked
Thank you, Lily!