Mom’s Cooking Club is here….with Sausage, Peppers and Onions

Ingredients

• 5 Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or a couple of each) – you can use pork or turkey Italian sausage
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
• 1/2 bell pepper of another color (yellow or orange or purple), sliced into strips 2-3 inches long – I used yellow
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers
• 1/2 large sweet or yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
• 1 small (15 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp of dried basil
• 1/2 cup Marsala or red wine (optional) – I used Marsala wine
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) – You can use up to 1/2 teaspoon based on taste and the type of sausage used.  I used 1/4 tsp.
• Salt to taste
• Toasted French Bread, sliced to fit sausage

Preparation

1 Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet with a lid.  When the oil is hot, add the sausages and brown them slowly.  You want to brown them gently.  Cook for several minutes, turning them occasionally so they brown on all sides. When the sausages are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

2 Increase the heat to medium-high and add the onions and peppers. Toss them in the pan and coat them with the oil that was left from the sausages.  Sear the peppers and onions, stirring occasionally.  You want some blackening of the vegetables.  Once the onions and peppers soften, sprinkle some salt on them.  When the onions and peppers have been seared and slightly blackened, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.

3 Add the Marsala or red wine (if using) and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the browned and blackened bits. Let the wine cook down by half.

4 Add the can of crushed tomatoes, basil and red pepper flakes (if using).  Stir well to combine.  Add the sausages back into the skillet.  Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low.  Cover and simmer until the peppers are soft and the sausages are cooked through, about 15 – 20 minutes.

5 Fill a toasted french bread piece or hoagie roll with a sausage along with some peppers, onions and sauce.  Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese if desired.

Great as leftovers (if there are any!)    Enjoy!

Mom’s Cooking Club Lesson:  Adding the Marsala or red wine to the dish is optional but I highly recommend it.  The wine gave so much flavor to the sauce mixture and took it to another level which made these sausage, peppers and onions something extra special