Sausage and Peppers

This is one of my dad’s autopilot recipes; in other words, there is no recipe. I couldn’t tell you the first time I ate it, or how many times I’ve eaten it, or where it comes from, or if he made it up himself. The dish itself is no novelty; you could probably find it in any restaurant or out of food truck serving southern Italian food. But it is one of my favorite cold-weather dishes, especially after a long day spent watching football on the couch. Best of all, when we eat it with my mom, there is always exactly enough left over for me to eat later in the week over a bowl of pasta.

It should be noted that we never follow most of the rules I set forth below. The vegetables should be rough, not thinly sliced, but keep them all the same size so they cook evenly. The peppers can be cooked much longer, but we like them still a bit firm, and the onions can be fully caramelized before you add the peppers. Because of my aversion to all things pork, I use turkey or chicken sausage—if you do the same, please make sure it is still “mild Italian” or “sweet Italian” style. (You don’t want any other styles in this dish.)

Sausage and Peppers
Serves 3-4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: Not very long

1 lb. mild Italian sausage (turkey or chicken sausage both work well)
¾ Tbsp. (or less) extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large onion, sliced into 1-inch strips
2 red, orange or yellow (or a mix) bell peppers, sliced into 1-inch strips
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
Crusty bread
Grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large saucepan, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned on both sides and cooked through.

2. While sausage cooks, heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onions and sauté until they begin to caramelize slightly. Add peppers and cook about 1-3 minutes, depending on taste and how firm you want them to ultimately be.

3. When sausage is browned, remove from pan and return pan to heat. Add tomato sauce and garlic to sausage pan, and cook over medium-low heat 1-2 minutes, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate cooked-on bits into sauce.

4. Add peppers, onions and sausage to sauce, and stir everything so all ingredients are sauced. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened and flavors have combined.

5. While sauce simmers, warm up some crusty bread in the oven or toaster oven.

6. Serve hot, with crusty bread (my mom likes to make a sandwich out of hers, while my dad and I like to dunk our bread into the sauce) and topped with grated parmesan cheese.