Italian crockpot sausage and peppers are a super simple yet amazing dish that is packed with flavor. Not only is it easy, but it tastes like an Italian sausage pizza without the crust.
Serve the Italian sausages straight from the pot, broil a little cheese on top, or serve on a bun. The recipe is also low carb, no sugar, gluten-free, and keto-friendly.
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If you love sausage recipes then you’ll want to check out our crockpot sausage and peppers, baked brats in the oven, and Instant Pot beer brats.
Sausage and Peppers in a Crock Pot
This easy crockpot sausage and peppers recipe is my favorite go-to recipe on our food blog. Not only is it just a handful of simple ingredients, but there’s also just something amazing and special about this combination of flavors. I’m sure it has something to do with that flavorful Italian sausage grease mixed with sauce 😉
Seriously though, I could honestly eat this every week!
This is a crockpot sausage and peppers recipe with sauce, you’ll find some recipes out there I’m sure that don’t add sauce at all, or use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce instead of pasta sauce. We are huge sausage fans at our house and eat them regularly, and I’ll tell ya what, not using a delicious marinara sauce for this recipe I’m sure would still be good, but it will NOT turn out as great.
Why This Recipe Works
- The crockpot version comes together in just 10 minutes
- Skip browning the Italian sausage to make it even faster
- Using chicken sausage instead of pork lightens up the recipe
- Depending on your marinara sauce, this is also low carb, gluten-free, keto friendly, and paleo
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
- 1 pkg Italian sausages (5)
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 2 cups onion
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup chunky marinara sauce
Optional
- shredded cheese (mozzarella, Italian, Monterey Jack, or Colby Jack)
- stadium-style buns
When I’m not making homemade marinara sauce, my favorite sauce to purchase is Rao’s, it’s the closest store-bought sauce that literally tastes like homemade, plus it has no added sugar or any artificial ingredients. Even better!
Crockpot sausage and peppers is a super simple recipe to double if you want leftovers (highly recommend!), want to freeze a batch, or if you’re cooking for a crowd.
My husband and I are recent empty-nesters so we just made one batch, which I instantly regretted, even just for 2 people. We seriously could’ve eaten this for days on end as leftovers.
How to Make Crock Pot Sausage Peppers and Onions
I love to make crockpot sausage and peppers since it comes together in 10 minutes and then slow cooks during the day while you’re gone. We’ve also made instant pot sausage and peppers if you want them quickly and have an Instant Pot.
Heat a skillet on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan.
Sear the Italian sausages 2-3 mins on each side until starting to brown. You aren’t trying to cook them all the way through, you’re just browning the outside a bit which always increases the flavor while slow cooking.
Lay the seared Italian sausages in the bottom of a crock-pot.
Add the uncooked sliced onions and peppers on top of the sausages.
Sprinkle the garlic salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning over the top.
Spread the marinara sauce over the onion and pepper mixture.
Carefully mix sauce and peppers with the seasoning but leave the sausage undisturbed on the bottom. Honestly, you could probably skip mixing the peppers together with the sauce as long as you try to evenly distribute the sauce over the top of the vegetable mix.
Cook the crock pot sausage and peppers recipe on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours until the peppers are soft and the Italian sausage is cook through.
The crockpot Italian sausage and peppers are seriously SO delicious as is, but to take it up a notch, take the sausage and peppers out of the slow cooker and spread into a broiler-safe pan with the sausages on the top.
Optional – Add Cheese
Sprinkle with your favorite shredded white cheese, I think mozzarella, Monterey Jack, an Italian blend, or Colby Jack would all be great choices. We used mozzarella since that’s what we had in the fridge at the time we made up the slow cooker sausage and peppers recipe.
We used about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese for 5 peppers.
Broil the Italian sausage and peppers mix for 1-2 minutes 4″ from the heat source until the cheese is melted.
Optional – Serve on a bun with cheese
Many people also love to eat sausage and peppers in a crockpot served on a bun like a big messy hot dog, which is so tasty too! I’d recommend toasted the buns slightly before serving, if you want the crockpot sausage, peppers and onions with BOTH cheese and a bun, you’ll want to:
- toast the bun and add a little butter to each
- add the crock pot sausage and peppers mix
- sprinkle with shredded cheese
- broil the sausage and peppers in the bun until the cheese is melted, keeping an eye on things so the buns don’t burn.
- Serve and enjoy!
What Goes with Sausage and Peppers?
If you’re wondering what goes with sausage and peppers, there’s a variety of classic recipes and Italian-inspired ideas you’ll love. Many people serve Italian sausage and peppers on a bun like a fancy hot dog, but it’s also often served as the main dish without a bun and a variety of sides. Here are a few ideas!
- A bun
- Over pasta
- Served over polenta
- Roasted vegetables like broccoli or Brussel sprouts
- Caesar salad
- Simple green salad
- Meat and cheese board
- Antipasto salad
- And Italian wine of course!
Keto Sausage and Peppers?
If you’re following a low carb or keto diet you might be wondering if sausage and peppers are keto. My husband is currently on a keto diet and this is actually one of his favorite recipes!
As long as you’re using a keto-friendly marinara sauce like Rao’s and don’t serve the keto sausage and peppers on a bun, this is a keto-friendly recipe.
Each serving of keto sausage and peppers is 6 net carbs without the bun and with a sugar-free sauce like Rao’s. We highly recommend you calculate this yourself also since calculators can vary as can brands of ingredients.
Easy Sausage Recipes You’ll Love
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Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
Italian crockpot sausage and peppers is a super simple yet amazing dish that is packed with flavor. Not only is it easy, but it tastes like an Italian sausage pizza without the crust.
Serve the Italian sausages straight from the pot, broil a little cheese on top, or serve on a bun. The recipe is also low carb, no sugar, gluten-free, and keto-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Italian sausages (5)
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 2 cups onion, sliced
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup chunky marinara sauce
Instructions
- Heat a skillet on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan.
- Sear the Italian sausages 2-3 mins on each side until starting to brown. You aren't trying to cook them all the way through, you're just browning the outside a bit which always increases the flavor while slow cooking.
- Lay the seared Italian sausages in the bottom of a crock-pot.
- Add the uncooked sliced onions and peppers on top of the sausages.
- Sprinkle the garlic salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning over the top.
- Spread the marinara sauce over the onion and pepper mixture.
- Carefully mix sauce and peppers with the seasoning but leave the sausage undisturbed on the bottom. Honestly, you could probably skip mixing the peppers together with the sauce as long as you try to evenly distribute the sauce over the top of the vegetable mix.
- Cook the crock pot sausage and peppers recipe on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours until the peppers are soft and the Italian sausage is cook through.
- The crockpot Italian sausage and peppers are seriously SO delicious as is, but to take it up a notch, take the sausage and peppers out of the slow cooker and spread into a broiler-safe pan and follow the cheese steps in the optional section.
Optional - Add Cheese
- Sprinkle with your favorite shredded white cheese, I think mozzarella, Monterey Jack, an Italian blend, or Colby Jack would all be great choices. We used mozzarella since that's what we had in the fridge at the time we made up the slow cooker sausage and peppers recipe.
- We used about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese for 5 peppers.
- Broil the Italian sausage and peppers mix for 1-2 minutes 4" from the heat source until the cheese is melted.
Optional - Serve on a bun with cheese
- Many people also love to eat sausage and peppers in a crockpot served on a bun like a big messy hot dog, which is so tasty too! I'd recommend toasted the buns slightly before serving, if you want the crockpot sausage, peppers and onions with BOTH cheese and a bun, you'll want to:
- toast the bun and add a little butter to each
- add the crock pot sausage and peppers mix
- sprinkle with shredded cheese
- broil the sausage and peppers in the bun until the cheese is melted, keeping an eye on things so the buns don't burn.
- Serve and enjoy!
Angela says
Just wanted to let you know that I have made this twice and love it! I like that it is so easy, but it has incredible flavor!!! Also, you mentioned making homemade marinara sauce but I am having no luck finding your recipe. I’ve tried Rao’s marinara sauce, but I think it’s way over priced. Would it be possible to link your recipe for low carb marinara sauce? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
WholeLottaYum says
We don’t yet have a marinara sauce post but will have one on the site in the next month!! I just found out last week Walmart sells Rao’s for $6! I ordered it online and had it delivered, by far the cheapest price for it.
Ash says
This may be a dumb question but what type of sausage do you use? Sweet, mild? Thanks!
WholeLottaYum says
There are no dumb questions! 🙂 Sweet or mild are basically similar, which brand you get might refer to it in a different way. Either mild Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage is what you’ll want to look for. Italian chicken sausage works too! We just had it this week 🙂