These Italian subs with sausage, peppers, and caramelized onions are easy to make and full of sweet and savory flavor that’s perfect for tailgates and weeknight dinners.
Sausage and peppers is a classic Italian-American comfort food dish singing with flavor. It’s right up there with my mom’s spaghetti with meat sauce, chicken cacciatore, and French bread pizza. And while I love serving my sausage and peppers with rice, I enjoy them most on a buttery, toasted hoagie roll, sub-style. My Italian subs start with juicy, aromatic Italian sausages browned on the stove, paired with sweet caramelized onions and bell peppers. Then I butter and toast a hoagie roll, slather it with pesto mayo or horseradish mayo, and dive in! These subs are easy and quick to make and perfect for fall tailgating and weeknight dinners. I make this sausage and peppers recipe with Italian sausage made of chicken, but classic pork Italian sausage is an obvious choice, too.
What’s in These Sausage Italian Subs
You only need a few ingredients to make these easy Italian subs with sausage and peppers. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Italian sausage links (pork sausage is the obvious choice, but chicken sausage works too)
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Kosher salt
- Bell peppers (I like using a mix of green, red, yellow or orange)
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Balsamic vinegar
- Hoagie rolls
- White cheese (such as provolone, havarti, or Swiss)
How to Make These Italian Subs
These Italian subs are so simple to make. You just need to allow enough time for your onions to get nice and jammy—so I start them before adding the peppers. Here’s how to make this Italian subs recipe:
- Brown the sausages. Turn the sausages so each side gets evenly cooked (about 5 minutes).
- Give the onions a headstart. I like my onions sweet and caramelized, so I cook them by themselves for a bit before adding my peppers.
- Cook the peppers. Add the bell peppers, garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper flakes, and cook for 10-15 more minutes or until they soften.
- Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan, scraping any bits from the bottom. This adds a sweet, acidic umami that takes the peppers to another level.
- Add the sausages back to the pan to warm the sausages with the peppers and onion.
- Lightly toast the hoagie rolls in a toaster oven or under a broiler.
- Spread with grainy mustard (if desired) then load them up with the sausage, peppers, and onions.
- Top with cheese and place back in the toaster oven or under the broiler to melt the cheese.
What Can I Sub for Italian Sausage
Instead of Italian sausage, try kielbasa, turkey sausage, or your favorite chicken sausage. If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, tempeh or tofu would be delicious.
What to Serve with Italian Subs with Sausage and Peppers
I love eating these on their own, with melted cheese a slather of grainy mustard, or pesto mayo (SO good, you’ve gotta try it).
Italian Sub with Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 Italian sausages in their casings
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 large onion cut in half vertically, then cut into ¼ =-inch slices
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 bell peppers green, red, yellow , seeded and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 hoagie rolls
- grainy mustard mayo, or pesto mayo , (optional), for serving
- slices of white cheese (such as provolone, havarti, or Swiss)
Instructions
- Add the sausages to a large skillet, along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Bring to medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned on each side, turning so all sides are evenly cooked. Remove from the heat, cover, and rest while you cook the peppers and onions.
- In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Sauté the onion for 10 minutes. If the onions start browning too much, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the bell peppers, garlic, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper flakes, and stir to combine. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the peppers soften but still have a bit of crunch. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir to scrape up any cooked bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the sausages back to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cover with a lid so the sausages warm up for a few minutes before serving.
- Lightly toast the hoagie rolls in a toaster oven or under a low broiler. Spread with grainy mustard, mayo, pesto mayo, if desired, and load them up with the sausage, peppers, and onions. Top with cheese and place back in the toaster oven or under the broiler to melt the cheese.
