I love me some Sausage and Peppers

So with Hubby still in California, I needed a little pick me up and I also wanted to make something that I could eat left overs for a little while. I knew it! Sausage and Bell Peppers, it is my favorite Italian Comfort meal from my childhood. I kid you not, every weekend I came home from college (which was about once a month) I begged my mom to make it for me at least once.

The great thing about this dish is it is quick and easy to make and has loads of vegetables in it, so it's pretty healthy depending on your meat to veggie ratio. Also the great thing about this dish is you can make it what you want.

Let's get started. Here is what you need to get

-2-3 Bell Peppers, colored ones are great, but the green ones do just fine
-1 medium yellow onion
-garlic, lots of garlic
- Italian Sausage, I like the raw or cased stuff(just take the meat and crumple out of the casing, but you can also used smoked. It cooks a little faster but both are great.
- A base for your mixture to go over, Rice is a great choice, we also use orzo. Some kind of small grain is great and Rice is cheap so it works great.
- Mushrooms are optional, Hubby loves mushrooms in his.
- Olive Oil

My supplies

So first step is to get your base started cooking. So start to prep your rice, I decided to use tortellini for this meal. Helpful tip, when you are boiling Tortellini or Ravioli when it floats to the top, it is almost or already ready.

My spinach Tortellini

Now put a little olive oil in your pan and let it heat up. Then dice or slice your onion. You can make it as chunky or diced as you want. My mother prefers larger chunks, Hubby likes to dice it, Me I like it right down the middle of the two extremes. Then also dice your garlic cloves and saute them together. Saute is not an art form, it is just a fancy word for grill in a sauce pan and let it brown and just keep stirring. Don't be afraid of big or fancy terms. It's going to be delicious and you won't die.

 Now here is the trick. Once your onion starts to soften then add your chopped bell pepper and mushrooms. I recommend chopping the pepper the same size of the onion. But this is your dish, make it how you want!

 Now saute this all together. You are going to start looking for the onion to caramelize(lightly browned and will sweeten up). Also a small note, it is ok to add a little bit more olive oil here and there if you noticed it is sticking to the pan. Once you notice the bell pepper softening and the onion caramelize, then you add the sausage. Now I am going to tell you a secret of mine. I love me some sausage, I might even have a secret love affair with it. It's delicious and amazing, I just feel bad for all my friends who keep kosher. I love me some pig! hehe

This is the kind of sausage you want to buy, especially on a budget. Now you can get the raw stuff in casing but then you have to take it out of the casing and its more expensive. I still use it, but only when I am looking for a certain kind. Smoked kind is also great. My mom prefers that. Take your sausage and either slice for the smoked or crumble it into chunks if you get the Italian stuff. Italian's, what can I say know their sausage ;)

Now when you sausage is done and cooked through then everything else should be done also. Don't forget to season you dish with a little rosemary, garlic powder, basil, more garlic powder, or what ever you prefer! Drain your pasta or butter up your rice and just serve the sausage and peppers over your base.

I love mine with a little Parm on top!

And there you go, it's quick, simple, and delicious and if you count your bowl, you really only dirtied three dishes. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to comment and let me know if you have questions! Live, Laugh, Love!

<3 Stephanie