What to Make With Sausage and Peppers: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners
Sausage and peppers smell like dinner from the hallway, which does half the work of getting people to the table. Give the peppers room in the pan or they steam. One card is the classic skillet, one is a sheet pan with onion, and one tucks the same filling into a roll or a tortilla if you have one. All of it is under 30 minutes. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Quick picks: 3 dinners with sausage and peppers in 30 minutes or less
Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner
20 min
Sausage and pepper sandwiches
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
The skillet filling goes into a roll or a tortilla. The sandwich is the serving dish.
Ingredients
- 12 oz sausage
- 2 peppers
- 1 onion
- 4 rolls
- 1/2 tsp salt
Steps
- Brown the sausage in a skillet, then add sliced peppers and onion with a pinch of salt.
- Cook until the peppers are soft enough to bite without a fight.
- Split the rolls and toast the cut sides in the empty part of the pan or under a broiler.
- Pile the sausage and peppers in. The juices are the sauce. You don't need a jar.
Keeps: Filling keeps 3 days. Toast the bread when you eat.
One-pan or sheet-pan option
28 min
Sheet-pan sausage and peppers
Total time, start to plate · One sheet pan · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Sausage and pepper strips roast in one layer until the edges char.
Ingredients
- 12 oz sausage
- 3 peppers
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the peppers and onion into strips and the sausage into chunks.
- Toss everything with oil and salt on a sheet pan. Leave bare pan between the pieces.
- Roast about 18 minutes, until the sausage is browned and the peppers have dark edges.
- Taste a pepper. If it is still crunchy and sharp, give it a few more minutes.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
The other dinner
25 min
Skillet sausage and peppers
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Sausage browns, then peppers slump in the same skillet until they are sweet.
Ingredients
- 12 oz sausage
- 3 peppers
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
Steps
- Brown sausage pieces in a wide skillet. Give them space so they sear.
- Add the peppers and onion, sliced. Salt them. Don't pile them so deep they steam.
- Cook until the peppers slump and pick up the browned bits, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic for the last minute. Taste. The peppers should be sweet, not grassy.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
Make it with leftovers
Cooked sausage and soft peppers reheat in a skillet for the sandwich. They don't need another long roast. If the peppers are still raw and crisp, use the sheet pan. Leftover peppers that are already limp belong in the skillet, not under a broiler.
Pantry staples you'll need
- Oil
- Salt
- Garlic
- Onion
- Rolls or tortillas
No peppers: onions alone still make a sausage skillet, or move to sausage and potatoes. No sausage: the peppers are a side. See chicken and peppers only if you have chicken. This list doesn't pretend.
Picky-eater and healthy tweaks
A mild sausage and a pepper cooked until it is sweet, not crunchy-raw, is the usual compromise. Cut everything small. The sandwich hides the peppers if that helps, or serve peppers on the side of a plain sausage.
Pour off some of the rendered fat. You still taste the sausage. Load the pan with peppers so the plate isn't only meat. Chicken sausage is fine.
Have something else in the fridge?
Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
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Questions
What can I make with sausage and peppers in 20 minutes?
Sausage and pepper sandwiches takes 20 minutes, start to plate. The skillet filling goes into a roll or a tortilla. The sandwich is the serving dish.
What's the easiest dinner with sausage and peppers?
Skillet sausage and peppers is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 25 minutes. Sausage browns, then peppers slump in the same skillet until they are sweet.
Can I make this with leftover or cooked sausage?
Cooked sausage and soft peppers reheat in a skillet for the sandwich. They don't need another long roast. If the peppers are still raw and crisp, use the sheet pan. Leftover peppers that are already limp belong in the skillet, not under a broiler.
What else can I add to sausage and peppers for a full meal?
The cards already use sausage, peppers, onion. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.
Is sausage and peppers a healthy dinner?
Pour off some of the rendered fat. You still taste the sausage. Load the pan with peppers so the plate isn't only meat. Chicken sausage is fine.
How do I make sausage and peppers kid-friendly?
A mild sausage and a pepper cooked until it is sweet, not crunchy-raw, is the usual compromise. Cut everything small. The sandwich hides the peppers if that helps, or serve peppers on the side of a plain sausage.
Can I make sausage and peppers in one pan or a sheet pan?
Sheet-pan sausage and peppers uses one sheet pan and takes 28 minutes. Sausage and pepper strips roast in one layer until the edges char.
What if I don't have peppers?
No peppers: onions alone still make a sausage skillet, or move to sausage and potatoes. No sausage: the peppers are a side. See chicken and peppers only if you have chicken. This list doesn't pretend.