Crock Pot Italian Sausage and Peppers

Written by
Linda Larsen
Linda Larsen is a journalist, quick-cooking and slow-cooking expert, and accomplished cookbook author with over 30 years of experience in testing and developing recipes.
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Linda Larsen
Updated 07/03/19
Crock pot Italian sausage
The Spruce
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 7 hrs
Total: 7 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
330 Calories
22g Fat
21g Carbs
15g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 330
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 7g 37%
Cholesterol 57mg 19%
Sodium 696mg 30%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Protein 15g
Calcium 72mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Crock pot Italian Sausage and Peppers is an easy and flavorful recipe that cooks all day while you're busy doing other things. It's a wonderful dish to come home to. You can serve this with hot cooked pasta or rice, or dish it up in a big bowl and dig in.

Italian sausage is made in two varieties: hot and sweet (or mild). The flavoring for both is almost the same, using basil, garlic, parsley, paprika, fennel, and oregano, but the hot variety also uses crushed red pepper flakes. You can use other types of sausage in this recipe too if you'd like. Polish sausage would be wonderful, and you don't need to saute it before adding it to the slow cooker.

Serve this dish with hot cooked brown rice to soak up the wonderful sauce. A green salad tossed with sliced mushrooms and cubes of avocado would be a perfect side dish. Some toasted garlic bread or breadsticks add some nice crunch and contrast. For dessert, offer a chocolate cake or pie from the bakery.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds sweet or hot Italian sausage (or another sausage type)
  • 2 yellow onions (chopped)
  • 1 orange bell pepper (cut into 2-inch pieces)
  • 1 red bell pepper (cut into 2-inch pieces)
  • 1 yellow bell pepper (cut into 2-inch pieces)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (undrained)
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine (or water)
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    The ingredients for crock pot Italian sausage
     The Spruce

  2. Cook the sausage in a heavy skillet over medium heat until browned, turning occasionally.

    Browning sausages
     The Spruce

  3. Layer half of the onions on the bottom of a 4-quart crock pot, then add half of the peppers. Add all of the browned sausages, then the rest of the onions and peppers. Add the bay leaves and garlic.

    Sausages and veggies in the crock pot
     The Spruce

  4. Combine the diced undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper in the skillet and mix well to blend.

    Tomato sauce on the stovetop
     The Spruce

  5. Pour this tomato mixture over the food in the crock pot.

    Tomato mixture over sausages
     The Spruce

  6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours or until the sausage is 165 F on a meat thermometer. Remove and discard bay leaves.

    Crock pot cooking ingredients
     The Spruce

  7. Taste the sauce; at this point, you can add more of any of the herbs if you'd like. The slow cooker tends to mute the flavors of herbs, so season to taste before you serve.

    Seasoning Italian sausages and peppers
     The Spruce

  8. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice or pasta.

    Crockpot Italian sausage and peppers
     The Spruce

  9. Enjoy!