Fill up your house with the deliciously savory flavors and aromas of this slow cooker sausage peppers and onions recipe! It’s one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table with minimal effort, and the whole family will love eating the tender sausage, peppers, and onions on hoagie rolls, rice, or pasta with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. It’s incredibly satisfying and only requires a few minutes of prep time!
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Healthy Slow Cooker Sausage Peppers and Onions
There’s something instantly soothing about walking into the house knowing that dinner is already done cooking. This crockpot sausage, peppers and onions recipe is the best recipe when you need to whip together something easy!
All you need to do is saute some sausages until golden brown, then let them slowly simmer with peppers, onions, and marinara sauce all day.
The filling is great over rice or pasta, but for a really quick dinner, grab some whole grain rolls or hot dog buns for the best Italian sausage subs. They’re so tender and flavorful!
Why We Love Cooking Sausage Peppers and Onions in Crockpot
- So easy: This slow cooker sausage and peppers recipe couldn’t get much easier. After sauteing the sausages, add everything to the crockpot and let it cook down into a rich, tomato-y sauce. The vegetables will be nice and tender, and they’ll absorb all those flavors from the sausages. It’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner!
- Lots of veggies: Many crockpot recipes are really heavy on proteins and starches, but lack in the vegetable department. This recipe for Italian sausage peppers and onions is loaded with lots of vegetables, and is cooked in a low-sugar tomato sauce. You can feel good about serving this delicious meal to your family!
- Incredibly versatile: Although we love to eat this slow cooker sausage recipe with rolls or bread, it’s just as good spooned over rice, pasta, or even baked potatoes! You can even make it low carb with some cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. There are so many options!
Ingredient Notes
- Italian sausage: Use your favorite Italian sausage links. This could be any kind of sausage: pork sausage, sweet Italian sausage, chicken sausage, turkey sausage, etc.
- Olive oil: You’ll need just a little olive oil to saute the sausage.
- Bell peppers: Use a mix of colors for a really colorful dinner. I like to use yellow, orange, red, or green bell peppers.
- Sweet onions: These will add a slightly sweet flavor that pairs really well with the peppers.
- Garlic cloves: Garlic is a natural ingredient in this recipe as it plays up the rich, savory flavors.
- Marinara sauce: Choose your favorite marinara sauce. We like to use Rao’s since it has no added sugar.
- Seasonings: Season the ingredients with salt and Italian seasoning. If you like a bit of spice, add red pepper flakes too.
- Chopped parsley: A sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley adds a nice pop of color.
How to Make Sausage Peppers and Onions in Crockpot – Step-by-Step
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil, and sausage. Brown sausage on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Place the peppers, sliced onions and garlic slices in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the marinara, and seasoning and mix.
- Nestle the sausages into the marinara and vegetable mixture so that they are nearly covered by the sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the sausages and slice into ½” pieces if desired, toss back into the slow cooker and mix briefly. Top with fresh chopped parsley for garnish. Serve immediately.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- Rao’s brand marinara sauces are a great choice as a low sugar marinara. You could use any low sugar marinara sauce, or make your own sauce with canned tomato sauce, garlic and seasoning.
- All slow cookers will cook differently. Make sure raw sausage is cooked thoroughly. Poultry sausage should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- This slow cooker sausage peppers and onions recipe is the perfect dish for meal prep or cooking once, eating twice. Serve it up one day on buns and another day on rice or pasta!
Recipe FAQs
It depends on the recipe. For this easy crock pot sausage recipe, you need to saute the raw sausages in a large skillet before adding them to the slow cooker with the red and green peppers and other ingredients. If you try to brown frozen sausage slices, you’ll have a hard time getting a nice crust and it will take a lot longer for them to fully cook.
You might find some sausages that are made to be cooked from frozen, like breakfast sausage links, but those are labeled as such. In general, thaw the sausages first for the best results.
Yes, this slow cooker Italian sausage recipe freezes really well! Just let the leftovers cool completely in the fridge before storing them in a freezer safe container. Freeze for 2-3 months. To use, thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating on the stove top.
There are several ways to reheat this easy recipe and the cooking time and method depends on how much you need to reheat. For example, you can microwave the leftovers for your lunch in 1-2 minutes. You can also warm up the leftovers in a small pot or skillet on the stove. If you are reheating a large amount for leftovers, you can actually bake them in the oven at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes or until fully reheated.
Storage Guidelines
To refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Let the leftovers cool completely in the fridge, then freeze them in a freezer-safe container for several months.
To reheat: Reheat in the microwave or over low heat in a covered pot on the stove until heated through.
What to Serve with Sausage Peppers and Onions
This Italian crockpot sausage recipe just might be the perfect recipe because it is nutrient-packed, has so much flavor, and can be served in so many delicious ways! I like to serve it with chopped sweet onion and shredded mozzarella cheese over any of these sides:
- As a sandwich on a toasted whole wheat bun
- Over spaghetti or other preferred pasta
- Over brown rice or white rice
- In a hoagie roll
- With a slice of garlic bread
- With roasted garlic potatoes or a baked potato
- Serve over cauliflower rice for low-carb diets
- Make a batch of zucchini pasta or spaghetti squash for extra fiber
- Along with this healthy caesar salad
Recipe Variations
- Spicy pepper sandwiches: For a spicy version of this easy slow cooker sausage and peppers recipe, use hot sausage or spicy Italian sausage.
- Use the Instant Pot: Instead of slow cooking this recipe all day, use the saute function in your Instant Pot to cook the sausage coins, then add the remaining ingredients. Place on high pressure for 15-20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes.
- Leave the sausages whole: You don’t have to cut the sweet sausages into coins; you can actually cook them whole! It does help to brown the uncooked sausages on the stove first to get a nice texture, but then add the whole sausages to the crockpot with the red bell peppers, sweet onions, tomato sauce, etc.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- High Protein Chili
- Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
- Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Slow Cooker Turkey Roast
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Crockpot Sausage Peppers and Onions with Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Italian sausages turkey, chicken, or pork
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 bell peppers mix of colors, sliced
- 2 medium sweet onions sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups marinara sauce I like Rao’s
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil, and sausage. Brown sausage on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Place the peppers, onion and garlic slices in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the marinara and seasoning and mix.
- Nestle the sausages into the marinara and vegetable mixture so that they are nearly covered by the sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the sausages and slice into ½" pieces if desired, toss back into the slow cooker and mix briefly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with fresh chopped parsley for garnish. Serve immediately.
Notes
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- Rao’s brand marinara sauces are a great choice as a low sugar marinara. You could use any low sugar marinara sauce, or make your own sauce with canned tomato sauce, garlic and seasoning.
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- All slow cookers will cook differently. Make sure raw sausage is cooked thoroughly. Poultry sausage should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
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- This recipe is the perfect dish for meal prep or cooking one and eating twice. Serve it up one day on buns and another day on rice or pasta!
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