Amazing Sausage and Peppers Sandwich
This amazing Sausage and Peppers Sandwich is filled with juicy Italian sausage, sweet peppers and onions, and a delicious herb butter that’ll knock your socks off. It’s our spin on a classic and it’s crazy delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Sandwich
- Simple ingredients and steps. We keep these sandwiches fairly simple with meat, veggies, bread, and an easy, buttery spread. There’s no need to use fancy equipment or techniques. It’s a perfect weeknight meal option and can be easily scaled up to feed more people too.
- Classic combination. There’s a reason the combination of sausage, peppers, and onions is so popular. The fennel and spices in Italian sausage are a natural pairing with the sweetness of the veggies. Some people add wine and tomato paste to sausage, peppers, and onions recipes, but we leave those out and let the flavors of the meat and veggies shine.
- Perfectly balanced. It sounds weird to say that a buttery spread brings balance and freshness to these sandwiches, but it’s true. We mix in a generous amount of fresh herbs into the butter, making it taste bright and herby and bringing fresh flavor notes to the umami peppers, onions, and sausages.
Keeping it Simple (with a Little Flair)
We grew up loving the combination of plump and juicy Italian sausage mixed with sweet and lightly pan-roasted bell peppers and onions. This combo is great on its own or in pasta too, but we really love how it tastes wrapped up in a lightly-toasted-but-still-soft sub or hoagie roll.
You can keep it totally simple like that OR you can add a little flair, which we recommend. We like to mix up a little softened butter with some fresh herbs and common pantry spices and spread that on the rolls before stuffing them with the sausage and veggies. It’s an extra step but an easy one and it’s DEFINITELY worth it (we’ve been told that the herb butter “makes” these sandwiches).
Ingredients in the Sausage and Peppers Sandwich
There are three main parts to this recipe: (1) the herb butter; (2) the meat and veg; and (3) additional sandwich stuff.
Herb Butter
- Butter – any kind of butter will do (unsalted or salted). It’s up to you.
- Fresh herbs – parsley, basil, and thyme bring loads of fresh herby flavor. These herbs taste fantastic with the sausage, peppers, and onions too.
- Spices – the butter is seasoned with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a touch of salt and pepper. If you’re using salted butter, the additional salt here is optional.
Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
Cook the sausage, then remove from pan.- Next, cook the peppers and onions.
- Slice the sausage and add it to the veg.
- Italian sausage – we usually use pork Italian sausage with this recipe, but any other kind of meat would work. You can use mild or hot sausage.
- Bell peppers – use red, yellow, orange, or a combination. We don’t recommend using green bell peppers because they are grassier in flavor and less sweet.
- Onions – we prefer using yellow or sweet onions because they get super sweet and soft when sauteed.
- Garlic powder – a little garlic powder provides some delicious depth to the veggies.
- Oil and butter – we like to use a little butter for flavor and olive oil for a higher smoke point, but if you want to use only olive oil, you can.
- Water – a little water helps the sausage cook faster and more evenly in the pan.
- Salt and pepper – salt and pepper are so subjective, so be sure to taste and season according to your preferences. Salt does help the onions sweat and cook faster, though, so don’t skip it entirely.
Additional Sandwich Stuff
- Hoagie rolls – we like to toast and warm these in the oven for a few minutes.
- Parsley – we like to garnish the sandwiches with extra parsley for color and freshness.
How to Make the Sausage and Peppers Sandwich
STEP 1: Make the herb butter. Mix the butter ingredients until fully combined. If you’re making the butter ahead of time, form it into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap, parchment paper, or wax paper and place in the fridge. Remove it from the fridge to soften before using.
STEP 2: Cook the sausage, peppers, and onions. Sear the sausage in olive oil for a few minutes, turning occasionally. Add water to the pan, cover, reduce heat, and cook the sausages for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the water evaporates and the sausages reach 160°F with an instant read thermometer. Remove the sausages from the pan, let them rest, then slice into coins.
STEP 3: Cook the peppers and onions. Add butter (or olive oil) and the veggies to the pan. Season them with salt, garlic powder, and pepper, and sauté them until soft, about 20 minutes.
STEP 4: Mix the sausage with the peppers and onions. Add the sliced sausages back to the pan, toss with the peppers and onions, and cook for a couple more minutes to reheat.
STEP 5: Assemble the Sandwiches. Spread some herb butter onto both sides of a hoagie roll. Top with the sautéed sausage, peppers, and onions and garnish with parsley, if using.
Sausage and Peppers Sandwiches
Ingredients
Herb Butter
- 1/2 cup butter softened (1 stick; 4 oz)
- 1 tsp fresh parsley minced
- 1 tsp fresh basil minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/4 tsp sea salt optional if using salted butter
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
- 5 Italian sausage links 1 pound (can use pork, chicken or turkey)
- 2 bell peppers julienned (red, yellow, orange, or combination)
- 2 yellow or sweet onions halved and sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup water
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Additional Sandwich Stuff
- 6 hoagie rolls lightly warmed or toasted
- Parsley chopped, for optional garnish
Instructions
Herb Butter
- Mix the herb butter ingredients until fully combined. Set aside.1/2 cup butter, 1 tsp fresh parsley, 1 tsp fresh basil, 1 tsp fresh thyme, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp onion powder
Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
- In a pan over medium heat, sear the sausages in 1 tsp olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally.5 Italian sausage links, 1 tsp olive oil
- Add about ¼ cup of water to the pan, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook sausages, covered, for 7 to 8 minutes.¼ cup water
- Remove the cover and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the water evaporates and the sausages reach 160°F with an instant read thermometer. Remove the sausages from the pan and set them aside to rest.
- Once rested, slice the sausages into coins.
- To the same pan that you cooked the sausages in (keep the drippings for added flavor), add 1 tbsp of butter, along with the peppers and onions.2 bell peppers, 1 tbsp butter, 2 yellow or sweet onions
- Season the veggies with salt, garlic powder, and pepper, and sauté until soft, about 20 minutes.¼ tsp garlic powder, Salt and cracked black pepper
- Add the sliced sausages back to the pan, toss with the peppers and onions, and cook for a couple more minutes to heat them back up.
Assembly
- Spread some herb butter onto both sides of a hoagie roll. Top with the sautéed sausage, peppers, and onions and garnish with parsley, if using.6 hoagie rolls, Parsley
