This Easy Italian Sausage Bake is a simple and delicious recipe that makes an awesome appetizer. You can throw it together in minutes and let the oven do the rest of the work and can even double it for a crowd! Want it for a meal? Just serve over pasta!
Try some other delicious recipes featuring Italian sausage like One Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies, Stuffed Zucchini, Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers and Sausage and Rapini Pasta.
Easy Italian Sausage Bake
This post contains Affiliate Links. Please see the disclaimer here.
It's always a good idea to have appetizer recipes up your sleeve that can be thrown together a the last minute. This Baked Sausage and Peppers in sauce is one of those recipes. It's minimal work up front for you and then the oven does the rest. It can easily be prepped in advance and doubled for a crowd. And the results are seriously delicious.
Not only is making Italian sausage and peppers in the oven crazy easy, you can even add pasta to make it a meal! After I photographed it, I actually roasted a spaghetti squash and served this over it for lunches that week. Everyone who has tried it has loved this recipe, which is no surprise.
Tips for making baked sausage and peppers with sauce
- I prefer to cut my sausage links into thirds to make them more appropriate for an appetizer (and easier to eat). You can always keep them whole if serving as an entree, just be sure you temp them before serving to make sure they cooked through, as smaller ones tend to cook a bit faster (the cook time may vary).
- I like to whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl and then stir in the vegetables.
- Be sure to spray your baking pan down with olive oil cooking spray and arrange the sausage pieces along the bottom of the pan. Pour the sauce evenly over the sausages.
- You'll bake this uncovered so that the sauce thickens slightly as it cooks.
What kind of sausage can I use?
I always go with Italian sausage (turkey or chicken Italian sausage will make it a bit more heart healthy). My personal preference is spicy but if you aren't into spicy foods then use sweet Italian sausage.
Which color bell peppers are best to use?
You can use any color you'd like- I prefer green or red peppers.
Can I use other veggies?
You can totally substitute other veggies for the same amount of peppers!
What if I don't cook with alcohol?
No problem, you can always substitute with the same amount of chicken broth.
What goes good with Italian sausage?
I like to serve this as an appetizer with tooth picks and some crusty bread to sop up all the delicious sauce. You can also serve it over pasta or spaghetti squash for a satisfying dinner.
Can I make this baked Italian sausage ahead?
Yes, you can assemble it all ahead and bake it just before serving. You can also make it and transfer it to a slow cooker set to warm to keep it warm and delicious for the party.
How long do baked sausage, peppers and onions last?
Around 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
Ingredients for making this sausage and peppers recipe:
- Cooking spray
- Italian sausage
- Can crushed tomatoes
- White wine
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Crushed red
Ingredients to prep ahead:
- Cut sausage
- Dice onion
- Slice pepper
- Peel garlic
Helpful tools:
Easy Italian Sausage Bake with Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 package spicy or sweet Italian sausage links, cut into thirds
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you prefer it spicy)
- 1 cup bell pepper sliced thin (around 1 medium pepper)
- ½ cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray an 11" x 7" baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange sausage pieces in pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix crushed tomatoes, wine, Italian seasoning, salt and crushed red pepper until well combined.
- Stir in peppers, onions and garlic until well combined. Pour evenly over the sausage.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until the sausage is cooked through to 165 degrees internal temperature.
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions! And if you make this please tag me on Instagram with @thelifejolie so I can share it <3
You can find a full index of my recipes here.
Don’t forget to follow The Life Jolie on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration!
Or if Pinterest isn’t your style, bookmark this post!
Let’s keep the conversation going- join my Facebook group!
Varun Sharma says
Jessy Freimann says
Carolina says
Victoria Sahu says