Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner and in my family that means Hot Italian Sausage & Peppers Sandwiches and football!
This recipe has been a Super Bowl tradition in my family for over 30 years. It was passed down to me by Uncle Hank who brought it from the family in Italy. The dish is so loved in my home that my sons would call for the recipe when they were in college and prepare it for their Super Bowl Parties! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Ingredients:
12 Hot Italian pork sausages (add more sausages depending on the amount of people)
2 lg Red Bell Peppers, cleaned and sliced
2 lg Green Bell Peppers, cleaned and sliced
2 lg Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers, cleaned and sliced
2 lg Sweet White Onions, sliced into thin rings
1/2 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
3 Tbs Chopped Garlic, fresh or from jar
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper (depending on level of heat desired)
1/3 cup Olive Oil (plus a little extra reserved for later)
4 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
3-4 Fresh Baguettes (each baguette can make 4 sandwiches)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions:
Clean and slice Peppers and Onions then set aside.
Prepare your sausages by laying them in a large baking dish, lightly sprinkle with a little extra Olive Oil and Garlic. Place into a 400 degree preheated oven for 5-7 minutes to slightly brown and seal juices, remove from oven and set aside.
In a large bowl toss together Peppers, Onions, Basil, Tomatoes, Crushed Red Pepper and 1/3 cup Olive Oil. Season with Salt and Pepper and spread evenly over the top of the sausages.
Drizzle the top with a bit more olive oil and cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour. Midway through baking, stir your peppers and sausages gently to let the juices fully coat all ingredients, careful not to break the sausages.
Turn oven down to 325 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes or so until peppers are tender and sauce is bubbling. At this point they can stay in a warm oven of 200 degrees until ready to serve.
Cut the baguettes into four even pieces and slice length wise making sure not to cut all the way through (you want the bread to hold the sausages and peppers) and place in oven for a few minutes to warm and crisp up a bit before serving.
Building the sandwich:
Drizzle a bit of sauce inside of baguette, place a sausage in each baguette and top with the Peppers and Onions, drizzle with a bit more sauce and garnish with Fresh Parmesan Cheese.
Variations:
The original recipe for this dish does not use tomatoes but I think it helps to create a nice sauce, both options are delicious and I often change it up a bit.
This dish is wonderful with sweet Italian sausages as well, you can also use a combination of both sweet and spicy sausages to keep everyone happy.
The traditional recipe in my home is to be baked in the oven but I’ve also made this dish while camping or barbecuing. Peppers can be made on stove top and sausages can be barbecued, either way is delicious.
If you don’t have baguettes you can substitute Italian sandwich/hoagie rolls.
Tips:
I like Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausages or Costco fresh Italian Sausages if store bought but prefer Italian sausages straight from the Italian butcher.
This recipe can be altered to fit the size of your crowd by adjusting sausage to pepper/onion ratio.
You can prepare everything in one pan without pre-mixing peppers in bowl if desired. Just layer everything over your sausages and drizzle with the olive oil and tomatoes then bake.
If you get it in the oven right before the game starts, they will be ready by halftime!
From my home to yours, enjoy!
https://coronadopersonalchef.com/
