Dinner in the crock pot never looked–or tasted–so good. Try making this Sausage and Peppers recipe tonight! Served over rice or on a french roll, this slow cooker dinner never disappoints.
Our readers are obsessed with slow cooker recipes! This easy Bourbon Chicken is always a favorite. Or try our delicious Slow Cooker Enchiladas recipe for Taco Tuesday!
Sausage and Peppers Recipe
This Sausage and Peppers dish is a crowd pleaser in our house! We like it best eaten on rolls topped with a slice of provolone cheese. It’s also delicious on rice topped with a little shredded cheese and an Olive Garden salad on the side.
Slow cooker meals are the ultimate in hands-off cooking. As you go about your day, the crock pot simmers all the flavors of your dinner together to create a hot homemade meal that’s ready by dinner time.
If you think all slow cooker dinner recipes taste the same, you have NOT tasted this Sausage and Peppers dish.
With spice from Italian sausage, tangy tomato sauce and the addition of cheese on top, this easy dinner is full of unique peppery flavor!
Ingredient Notes
Sausage. I use the bulk HOT Italian sausage. Make sure you brown it before adding to the crockpot (this can be brownded in advance, the night before).
If you’re nervous about the spice, feel free to use mild or regular. Or half and half. Just be sure you buy bulk, or remove the casings from your sausage before browning it up!
You could also use sausage links if you prefer, but when feeding a crowd, the bulk sausage is the way to go! And the links tend to fall apart after hours of cooking anyway, so this is a no brainer.
Tomatoes. Instead of tomato sauce, we have also used fresh tomatoes that have been pureed, but it leads to a thinner sauce. You may need to add more paste if you choose this option.
You could also customize this dinner and use Rotel tomatoes like we do in our Instant Pot Sausage and Peppers recipe. LOVE the spice and flavor!
Peppers. If using the bulk sausage, you’ll want to roughly chop your onion and peppers. If using sausage links, sliced peppers and onions will pair nicely.
Easy Instructions
The most labor intensive part of this recipe is browning your Italian sausage in a skillet. . . hardly labor intensive at all when it comes to a homemade dinner!
After browning, you put the sausage in your crock pot along with tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions and peppers. Let it cook for 6 – 8 hours and you’re ready to eat!
Serving suggestions
Like I mentioned before, I usually just slice some french rolls and spoon the sausage and peppers on top along with a slice of cheese. The heat from the sausage will make the cheese soft and just a bit melted.
When I have the time, I also like to serve these sandwiches toasted!
For toasted rolls: Slice rolls in half and top one or both sides with a slice of provolone. Heat in a 400 degree oven for 4 – 6 minutes until the roll is toasty and the cheese is melted.
PRO TIP: You could also place rolls under the broiler, but keep a careful eye on them so they don’t burn!
Not in the mood for bread? Try serving your Sausage and Peppers over rice as a tasty alternative.
Top bowls of white or brown rice with a portion of Sausage and Peppers. Sprinkle your preferred variety of shredded cheese over top. I like mozzarella and parmesan!
PRO TIP: Looking for a hearty pasta dish? Try this easy weeknight sausage and pepper pasta for a cozy dinner dish.
Substitutions
This dish gets a good portion of its spicy flavor from the hot Italian Sausage. However, you could also substitute another variety of sausage and compensate by adding your own seasonings.
If using another variety of sausage that’s not Hot Italian, add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the crock pot along with the other ingredients.
You could also try these other sausage varieties to change up the flavor of this dinner:
- Andoulli Sausage – Adds a a smoky Cajun flavor
- Chorizo – Adds a garlicky, spicy Mexican flavor
- Kielbasa – Adds smokiness and a garlic flavor
I used canned tomatoes and plain unseasoned tomato sauce in this recipe. If you prefer, you can substitute jarred tomato sauce or the same amount of your own homemade sauce.
Recipe FAQs
If I’m using whole sausages in the crockpot, I add them in raw, as they will cook up completely in the 6 hour cook time.
Transfer any leftovers from the crock pot to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s quite tasty reheated in the microwave or on the stove top.
If this recipe makes too much for your family to enjoy that quickly, it freezes very well too! You can stick the leftovers in a freezer safe container or ziploc and reheat another time. I love to double the recipe and save half in the freezer for another night!
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloins: We love this meal. In the summer when we have fresh cherry tomatoes in our garden we also make the recipe for the tomato salad! But the pork recipe itself is worth trying. Fork tender, melt in your mouth!
Slow Cooker Carnitas: This dinner feeds a crowd too, and the pork is GREAT leftover, or frozen!
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce: this is my favorite way to make spaghetti sauce. And as you probably guessed, you can freeze it too! You can also add meat if you desire!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Lasagna Soup
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos
- Pork Ragu
- Macaroni Salad
- Pasta e Fagioli Soup
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Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Hot Italian Sausage casings removed
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes 14.5 ounce each
- 1 can Tomato Sauce 14.5 ounce
- 1 can Tomato Paste 6 ounce
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 green peppers seeded and diced
- 8 french rolls
- 8 slices provolone cheese optional
Instructions
- Brown the bulk italian sausage in a skillet until completely cooked. Drain and add meat to your large crockpot. Add tomatoes, sauce, onion, green pepper and paste. Cover and turn on low for 6-8 hours.
- When ready to serve, scoop meat into a french roll with a slice of provolone cheese. If you want it toasted, heat your french roll with cheese for 5-6 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
Notes
- This dish gets a good portion of its spicy flavor from the hot Italian Sausage. However, you could also substitute another variety of sausage and compensate by adding your own seasonings.
- If using another variety of sausage that’s not Hot Italian, add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the crock pot along with the other ingredients.
WOW! This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Everyone at my house loved it! Can’t wait to make it again!
Everyone at my house loved it! Can’t wait to make it again!
I made this using kielbasa and it was fantastic! Great suggestion and even better recipe.
I have made this twice already, and we all love it! I do have one question though… Do you drain the cans of diced tomatoes? Thank you for your help and the great recipe!!
This has become one of our Christmas Eve traditions. Christmas Eve is a busy day and I throw this in the crockpot and we eat it in the evening for a stress-free dinner. Love it!
Was gonna make this for a party for my sons birthday can I prepare it night before in crockpot and then put it in the fridge and turn it on the next morning
Yes absolutely!
Can I throw everything in the crock pot the night before and just take it out to cook in the morning? I worry things may get soggy?
What’s the benefit of browning the sausage before-hand? Can I skip this step and just let it cook in the slow cooker?
Browning it first gives it that grilled taste, searing in the flavors! You’ll lose a little flavor if you skip that step (but it will still taste good). The texture of the sausage will be a little softer as you won’t have browned the casing.
My husband and I made this the other day and it was delicious! We tweaked and instead of all the tomato sauce we just added 2 bottles of our favorite spaghetti sauce (spicy red pepper) and seasonings and had green and red peppers and onion. Day 1 we had w/ French bread but when we made leftovers I made spaghetti noodles and blended it together and it was so so good! Highly recommend.
The ingredients list says 1 can of tomatoes but the “cans” and “14.5 oz each” wording makes it sound like maybe it’s supposed to be more than 1. Can you confirm it?
It’s two cans! ENjoy 🙂