This easy baked Italian sausage 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!
1packagespicy or sweet Italian sausage links, cut into thirds
28ounce cancrushed tomatoes
¼cupdry white wine
½ teaspoonItalian seasoning
½teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspooncrushed red pepper (or more if you prefer it spicy)
1cupbell pepper sliced thin (around 1 medium pepper)
½cupdiced onion
3clovesgarlic,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.
Notes
I prefer to cut my sausage links into thirds to make them more appropriate for an appetizer (and generally easier to eat). You can always keep them whole if serving as an entree. Just double-check the internal temp before serving to make sure they're 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. It's so much easier than trying to mix in the baking dish.
Be sure to spray your baking dish 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.
Ingredients to prep ahead- Cut the sausage, dice the onion, slice the bell pepper, and peel the garlic in advance to save some time.
Leftovers and storage- Store any leftover baked Italian sausage and peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for the best results. It will keep for about 3-4 days. You can use your microwave or stovetop to reheat.