Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers make for an easy weeknight dinner. Fresh bell peppers, onions, and garlic cook with Italian Sausage with tomato sauce for 4-8 hours until fork tender. Eat it as is or make Italian Sausage subs from the meal.
If you are looking for an easy weeknight dinner or maybe a recipe to entertain with my Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers is an ideal meal to make. There’s nothing truly easier than tossing your ingredients into the slow cooker and leaving it there for the next couple hours stress free. The results lead you to fork-tender Italian sausage with mouthwatering and flavorful onions and bell peppers.
You can eat this as is and pair it with homemade pasta. My kids prefer pasta with sausage and peppers. However, if I’m entertaining for a big game I will make Sausage and Peppers subs from this recipe. Don’t worry–if you are unsure how to do this I will show you below. So keep reading on to learn how to make fork-tender Italian sausage.
When I’m not making my sausage and peppers in the slow cooker I like to make Air Fryer Italian Sausage or Italian Sausage Bake made in the oven. This crock pot method tied with my Instant Pot Italian Sausage with Peppers and Sauce are both equally hands-off recipes.
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Why this Recipe Works
This recipe is one of my favorite family staples to make throughout the week!
Prep Time – The prep time is essentially minimal and the best part is you can basically leave it to cook all by itself!
Fresh Ingredients – I love that this recipe comes together with minimal ingredients and most are fresh from the store!
Versatile – This sausage and peppers recipe is versatile. Whether you are on a low-carb diet and want to eat it as is, or pair it with pasta or even make it into a sub! The options are endless!
Entertaining – I love to entertain with sausage and peppers since it’s easy to put together, it instantly stays warm since it’s already in the Crock Pot, and guest can decide how they want to eat it.
Ingredients
- Sausage – I love to use mild Italian sausage; however, if you like the heat feel free to use hot.
- Vegetables – I use a combination of an onion, and two bell peppers. I prefer to use orange and red but any color pepper works. You will also want to add a few cloves of garlic to the mix.
- Tomato Sauce – A can of tomato sauce is all you need. You can use a jar of tomato sauce but the flavors from the vegetables and sausage will flavor the sauce and give it so much flavor that I wouldn’t waste money on pre-flavored sauce.
- Seasonings – You will want to season the tomato sauce mixture with Italian seasoning.
- Sugar – This is my secret ingredient whenever I’m cooking any red sauce based recipe. A little sugar brings out the flavors in the tomato sauce and removes some of the acidity.
Directions
First, brown the Italian sausages in a frying pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes until all the links are browned.
In a large 5-6 quart slow cooker, place the sliced onions, bell peppers, chopped garlic and sliced onion in the slow cooker.
Then sprinkle the Italian seasoning and sugar on top.
Place the browned sausage in the slow cooker. Then pour the tomato sauce on top and mix well until fully covered.
Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low until the sausage is cooked through and bell peppers and onions are soft. Mix well then serve as is or on crusty bread for subs.
Italian Sausage Subs
If you are looking to turn these sausage peppers and onions into Italian Sausage Subs it is very easy to do. You’ll want to get hoagie rolls found in the bakery section at your local grocery store.
Preheat the broiler to low.
While the oven heats. Slice the sub rolls in half then add to a baking sheet and cook for one minute to toast the inside of the hoagie roll. Remove the rolls from the oven and add an Italian sausage link followed by peppers and onions and a little tomato sauce. Top with slices of provolone cheese or shredded mozzarella. Broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted and a bit brown but not burnt.
Enjoy immediately!
FAQs
To ensure the sausage is done in the slow cooker you will want to use an instant read meat thermometer. The meat thermometer should register at 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure the sausage is cooked through.
I do not suggest cooking sausage from frozen especially if it is raw Italian sausage like what is called for in this recipe. The slow cooker does not do a good job cooking quickly to get it to the correct temperature without getting you sick. However, if you need to cook sausage from frozen I suggest you try my Instant Pot Italian Sausage recipe. You can cook the sausage safely from frozen using the Instant Pot.
Sausage and peppers are good for 3-4 days if refrigerated in an air tight container properly.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making crock pot sausage and peppers.
- Sauce – If you don’t have a can of tomato sauce on hand you can use whatever type of tomato sauce you like.
- Vegetables – You can add additional colored bell peppers to the slow cooker and if you like mushrooms you can add a package of sliced mushrooms.
- Double Recipe – This recipe can easily be doubled for entertaining a crowd or serving a meal to a large family.
- Greasing the Slow Cooker – There is no need to grease the slow cooker for this recipe as I have found nothing sticks to the bottom or sides. The sausage naturally has enough fat in it that it won’t stick.
What to Serve with Sausage and Peppers
Wondering what to serve with Italian Sausage and Peppers? Here are a few of my favorite recipes.
If you make this Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
Equipment
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 onion Sliced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper sliced
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Granulated Sugar
- 5 Italian Sausages
- 16 ounces Tomato sauce
Instructions
- In a large 5-6 quart slow cooker, place the sliced onions, bell peppers, chopped garlic in the slow cooker.
- Then sprinkle the Italian seasoning and sugar on top.
- Next, brown the Italian sausages in a frying pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes until all the links are browned.
- Place the browned sausage in the slow cooker. Then pour the tomato sauce on top. Mix well making sure sausage is mostly covered.
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low until the sausage is cooked through and bell peppers and onions are soft. Mix well then serve as is or on crusty bread for subs.
Notes
- Sauce – If you don’t have a can of tomato sauce on hand you can use whatever type of tomato sauce you like.
- Vegetables – You can add additional colored bell peppers to the slow cooker and if you like mushrooms you can add a package of sliced mushrooms.
- Double Recipe – This recipe can easily be doubled for entertaining a crowd or serving a meal to a large family.
- Sausage and Pepper Subs – You can use this recipe to create sausage and pepper subs. Once the food is cooked, cut a slit in a hoagie roll. Place the sausage and peppers inside it. Top with mozzarella cheese and broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted but not burnt.
- Greasing the Slow Cooker – There is no need to grease the slow cooker for this recipe as I have found nothing sticks to the bottom or sides. The sausage naturally has enough fat in it that it won’t stick.
Laura
Yum! Thanks for the post:)
Meli (Blush + Jelly)
These look so yummy! Gotta try making them one night!
Jen @ Savory Simple
Great video! I still haven’t figured out what I’m making on Sunday. I should start taking notes.
Katie
Thanks Jen! Yes, you better get planning!
amy @ fearless homemaker
I looove my slow-cooker and this recipe sounds fantastic! Like Kelly above mentioned, I might brown the sausage before for a bit of added flavor. It does take more time + dirty another pan (ugh!) but it’s usually worth it, flavor-wise. =)
Kelly
Would it be better to brown the sausage first before placing it in slow cooker. I do that with ALL meat before slow cooking it to enhance flavour.
Katie
Hi Kelly, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I like the slow cooker to do all the work for me, so I typically don’t cook anything outside of the slow cooker. You could easily adapt this recipe and brown the sausage first!