Sausage and Peppers with Pasta

Serves 4 in about 5 hours. The slow cooker brings tomatoes and mashed potatoes together.

Ingredients

• 19 ounce package italian sausage links (sweet or hot, 5-count)
• 2 large bell peppers, sliced (any color)
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Hoagie buns
• Cooked rice
• Mashed potatoes
• Cooked pasta

Method

1. Brown the sausage links on all sides in a large skillet over a medium flame. This helps to enhance their flavor and texture. Move the browned sausages to the slow cooker.
2. Stir in the bell peppers, onion, and garlic to the bottom of a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.
3. Arrange the browned sausages over the top of the vegetables.
4. Tip in the can of crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth over the sausages and vegetables.
5. Stir in the Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes (if using), kosher salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Mix to combine all of the ingredients.
6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 5-7 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours until the sausages are cooked all the way and the peppers are tender.
7. Optional Step: Once cooking is complete, remove the sausages from the slow cooker and slice them into bite-sized pieces. Return the sliced sausages to the slow cooker and stir to combine with the peppers and sauce.
8. Plate on a hoagie roll or with rice or mashed potatoes.

More slow cooker ideas are in the slow cooker collection.