Sausage and Peppers

Recipe by Robin and Bruce

‘Way back when the millennium was new, my husband-to-be and I moved in together and started cooking. Sausage and peppers was one of our first comfort food recipes. I credit Bruce for the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (smoky preserved jalapenos), which spices up the traditional Italian recipe. We quickly discovered that making large batches of the recipe allowed us to either freeze half or share some with friends who were tending sick or injured family members. Originally we served sausage and peppers over wide noodles. On French bread is also traditional. These days we prefer no-carb, all-veg spaghetti squash.

With the rich variety of peppers available at Farmers’ Markets this month, feel free to get creative with the types and proportions of peppers that you use. Try to include both bell peppers and sweet Italian frying peppers, which appear long and thin. Corni di toro and Jimmy Nardello are widely available. Do inquire about the “heat” of the peppers—even sweet varieties can get a bit spicy at the end of the season. Go ahead and add one or more fresh spicy peppers (jalapeno, Serrano. etc.) if you like, or increase the number of minced chipotles in adobo.

I’ve written the recipe to make an enormous pan-full, to take full advantage of the bounty of peppers that are available now at Farmers’ Markets and farm stands. I’ll freeze any leftovers that don’t go to neighbors in need—for quick dinners during the holiday rush. Cut the recipe in half if you prefer. Also, I’ve used locally crafted Aidell’s cooked chicken Italian sausage. You can use any kind of precooked Italian sausage. Buon apetito!

Sausage and Peppers

serves ~10

3 medium onions

2 green bell peppers

1 yellow or orange bell pepper

6 assorted Italian frying peppers

2 tbsp. olive oil

8 plum tomatoes

2 or more large cloves garlic

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 - 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 - 28 oz. can fire-roasted chopped tomatoes

4 tsp. snipped, packed, fresh oregano

1 tsp. salt

8 precooked Aidell’s Italian sausages (2 pkg.)

Cut onions and bell peppers in half lengthwise and slice into thin half moons. Slice Italian frying peppers into thin rings by cutting crosswise.

Preheat large nonstick skillet over medium high heat (I use an electric skillet for even heating). Add olive oil, then onions, bell peppers, and frying peppers. Sauté until they soften, stirring up frequently from the bottom, about 6 – 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince the garlic and the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and set aside. Include as many chipotle pepper seeds as you dare—the more seeds, the spicier the final dish. To estimate heat factor, recall that these are roasted jalapenos.

When onions and peppers are softened, add garlic, chipotle peppers, both cans of tomatoes, oregano, and salt. Stir to distribute liquids, and bring to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sausage and simmer 5 more minutes. Serve on French bread, over wide noodles or bowties, or over spaghetti squash.

Begin with a Variety of Fresh Peppers

Fry Peppers Up with Onion

Add Tomatoes, Garlic, Chiptotle, and Oregano

Add Sausage

Voila! Sausage and Peppers Complete