Simple Sausage and Peppers

Well isn't this a nice treat? 

Perfect for Football Sunday (or any Sunday).

What You'll Need:

-  One Package of Sausage 

• I used Sweet Italian Pork Sausage. I prefer the long, thin sausage that comes in a swirl instead of the links, but that's my personal preference, and either one can be used.

- 2 Whole Bell Peppers, cleaned & sliced

• I used one whole green bell, half of a red bell, and half of an orange bell. This is completely up to you.

- 2 Small Onions, peeled & sliced

• The small onions came from a 5 lb. bag I had in my kitchen. If you don't have two small onions, use one large onion.

- Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano, 14.5 oz. can

- One Loaf of Italian Bread

- Olive Oil

How Long It'll Take:

- Prep time for this one will run you about 5 minutes. But that's because I like to prep while I cook. If you cut everything beforehand, it'll probably take about 15 minutes to clean and slice everything.

- Cook time is about 30 minutes. 

- If you prep before you cook, then you're looking at like 45 minutes, max.

Let's Get Started: 

1. Using a large pan (the one pictured above is about 12" in diameter), set your stove to a medium/high temperature. I used 7, but all stoves are different. The idea is not to use the maximum setting.

2. Pour a SMALL amount of olive oil in the pan as it is heating up. I'm talking just enough to barely coat it. Let the pan get nice and hot.

3. Once the pan is hot, take the sausage out of the packaging and place it whole inside the pan. 

• You can place it in its original shape in the pan, just make sure you separate the edges a bit so you don't have any areas that don't cook.

4. As the sausage is cooking, start chopping your vegetables. Keep an eye on the sausage.

• Bell Peppers: I cut completely around the top of the pepper so I can lift the top, stem, and center out in one motion. Then, I turn the rest of it into little strips about half an inch wide. I cut those in half by length.
• Onions: I first cut off both ends of the onion, then take the outer peel off. (If you're having difficulty, you can make a small incision length-wise down the top layer and then easily lift and peel the rest off.) I cut each peeled onion in half, and then slice accordingly as each half lays flat-end-down on the surface of my cutting board. I prefer a medium chop. You don't have to make them too tiny.
• Put the vegetables in two separate small bowls until you're ready to use them later.

5. As the sausage cooks, it will begin to get brown. Once you've let it cook a while (about 5-8 minutes), you can flip it over to the other side. If the part that was on the bottom has started to have a nice sear to it, you're doing just fine.

• If you got the kind that wraps around in one long piece, it can be difficult to flip. Just use a pair of tongs and a fork to keep it all together as you place it over on the other side. Be sure to readjust so that the pieces aren't touching each other.

6. Cook the other side for another 5-8 minutes.

7. Remove the sausage from the pan, place on a plate to the side.

8. Using the SAME PAN, which should now have enough "grease" in it that you shouldn't need to add more, toss the onions in and begin to sauté using a spatula. (Basically just keep them moving.)

9. When the onions begin to turn brown, add in the peppers. Continue to mix them up frequently with the spatula. 

10. Once the peppers and onions get to your preferred consistency (the longer you cook them, the more soft they get), stir in the can of diced tomatoes. Do not drain the can.

• I cooked the peppers for only a few minutes. I prefer them to be less soft. However, I've had them both ways and they're both just as good. It's more of a texture/crunch thing.

11. Let the tomatoes come to a boil. Continue to stir.

12. Cut the sausage on the plate into "sandwich sized" pieces. I usually make pieces between 4"-6" each. 

13. Put all of your sausage back into the pan. Mix everything around so the sausage gets a nice coating.

14. Lower the heat to "low" and cover. The tomatoes should continue to simmer. Let this cook for about 10 more minutes. (Set a timer, you have one on your phone.)

15. When the timer goes off, make a sandwich using some Italian bread and enjoy!!

• For an extra treat, spread a thin layer of butter on the Italian bread before you put the sausage and peppers on it.... but don't tell your doctor! :)