With peppers and onions, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and of course, sausage, this Italian sausage bake is the perfect weeknight dinner! This skillet meal starts on the stovetop and finished up in the oven, to create a one-pan dish that is finished in under 30-minutes. It’s a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Italian Sausage Casserole
Italian sausage bake is the perfect way to get all of the flavors of a sausage pizza without the crust or carbs! Whether you serve it like an Italian sausage casserole or serve it over pasta, it’ll most definitely become a family favorite.
And since our crockpot sausage and peppers recipes is one of our most favorites we make at home regularly, we thought it was about time to make a baked Italian sausage version for those times when you’re putting together a last minute meal.
My husband has been following a keto diet so if you’re also cutting back on processed carbs these days, you’ll be happy to hear that this is a keto sausage casserole too.
Why You’ll Love This Italian Sausage Recipe
- Our Italian sausage casserole is a one-pan dish making dinner quick and easy!
- Sear the sausage, peppers, and onions, top sauce and cheese, and bake to create this simple dinner in under 30-minutes.
- Italian sausage bake is perfect for those following gluten-free, keto, and low-carb lifestyles.
Looking for even more Italian sausage recipes? We have a ton of them on our site! Be sure to try our Italian sausage in the oven, crockpot sausage and peppers, Instant pot sausage and peppers, and air fryer Italian sausage recipes.
On Keto? Grab our FREE keto foods list here OR Snag our Keto Binder HERE
Ingredient Notes
The recipe quantities are included in the recipe card at the very bottom, but here’s an overview of what type of ingredients you’ll need.
- Italian sausage links – Use fresh, whole sausage links. We prefer Italian sausage for this recipe, but you can opt for sweet or hot sausage. Italian chicken sausage works great too.
- Bell peppers – Any mix of colored bell peppers will work as will any variety of onion such as red, white, or sweet.
- Onion -We used a red onion, sweet onions or yellow taste great also.
- Olive oil
- Garlic salt
- Ground black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Chunky marinara sauce
- Mozzarella cheese – shredded
Cutting back on some of the veggies and substituting other quick-cook vegetables like mushrooms, cabbage, or zucchini is a great option.
Diet Adaptions
- Gluten-Free – Be sure your marinara sauce is gluten-free and instead of serving the dish over something like pasta, you can serve it like an Italian sausage casserole.
- Keto – To keep this a keto Italian sausage recipe, be sure to use a marinara sauce that is low-carb and sugar free like Rao’s. Use fresh mozzarella and shred it yourself since pre-shredded cheese adds potato starch and that means hidden carbs too.
Recipe Step by Step
Your Italian sausage bake is a super simple, one-pan dinner! Together we are going to sear the sausage, peppers, and onions, add some sauce and cheese, then put it all in the oven to bake before serving!
Prep Ingredients
Slice each Italian sausage link into 3 pieces.
Slice the peppers and onions into thin slices.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Assemble
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil to the pan. Sear the Italian sausage on each side until browned, which will be about 2-3 minutes on each side. The sausage will NOT be cooked through at this point.
Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside.
Add more oil to the pan if needed and then add the bell peppers, onion, garlic salt, and pepper to the pan. Saute until mostly soft, which took about 5-6 minutes.
Add the sausage back to the pan and nestle it around the onion and peppers mix. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the top. Spread the marinara sauce over the Italian sausage casserole and then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
Bake
Bake for 15+ minutes until the sausage is cooked through and the cheese is melted.
To get the crispy cheese appearance, broil the dish for 1-2 more minutes.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Serve the baked Italian sausage over pasta, such as ziti or over polenta if you are not worried about carbs or gluten.
- Serve over zoodles or cauliflower rice if you need to keep the meal low-carb and gluten-friendly.
- Using a cast-iron skillet makes this an easy one-pan dish since it’s stovetop to oven, but you can just as easily use any skillet and then transfer the ingredients to a baking dish to finish baking.
- If you’re on a specialty diet like low carb/keto be sure to use a sugar-free marinara sauce like Rao’s and also check the sausage labels to make sure hidden fillers aren’t in the sausage which will increase the carbs.
- Easily make a dairy-free Italian sausage bake by skipping the mozzarella.
- Italian sausage is technically cooked at 160F but sometimes when you’re cooking it alongside other ingredients, the internal temperature could be higher than that. Pork sausage keeps well and stays moist up until around 190F.
Common Questions
Italian sausage bake can be served as a simple one-pan dinner or feel free to add a side salad or serve over cauliflower rice. Here’s even more ideas on what to serve with sausage and peppers.
You can easily freeze your Italian sausage bake. Simple leave off the cheese and store it in your freezer for up to 3-months. When you are ready to enjoy your sausage casserole, simply defrost, add the cheese, and bake at 350F until cooked through.
To make 10 sausages, cook in batches on the stovetop. Place all ingredients in a 9×13 pan to bake. Cook until the cheese is melted and 165F+.
More Italian Sausage Recipes
Looking for more sausage recipes? All of these are keto Italian sausage recipes too.
- Italian sausage in oven
- Air fryer Italian sausage
- Sausage and peppers in crockpot
- Sausage and peppers in Instant Pot
- How to cook Italian sausages on the stove
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Italian Sausage Bake
A one pan Italian sausage bake that has you sear the sausage and peppers on the stovetop and then finish baking in the oven to make a hearty yet easy Italian sausage casserole.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage links, cutting each sausage into 3 pieces
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 2 cups onion, sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups chunky marinara sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil to the pan.
- Sear the Italian sausage on each side until browned, which will be about 2-3 minutes on each side. The sausage will NOT be cooked through at this point.
- Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside.
- Add more oil to the pan if needed and then add the bell peppers, onion, garlic salt, and pepper to the pan. Saute until mostly soft, which took about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the sausage back to the pan and nestle it around the onion and peppers mix.
- Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the top.
- Spread the marinara sauce over the Italian sausage casserole and then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 15+ minutes until the sausage is cooked through and the cheese is melted. To get the crispy cheese appearance, broil the dish for 1-2 more minutes.
Notes
Italian sausage links are often called either mild or sweet Italian, either work for the recipe, as does chicken sausage. Hot Italian sausage works well too if you want a spicy kick.
Any mix of colored bell peppers will work as will any variety of onion such as red, white, or sweet.
Cutting back on some of the veggies and substituting other quick-cook vegetables like mushrooms, cabbage, or zucchini are a great variation.
Serve the baked Italian sausage over a pasta like ziti or over polenta.
Using a cast iron skillet makes this an easy one pan dish since it's stovetop to oven, but you can just as easily use any skillet and then transfer the ingredients to a baking dish to finish baking.
If you're on a specialty diet like low carb/keto be sure to use a sugar free marinara sauce like Rao's and also check the sausage labels to make sure hidden fillers aren't in the sausage which will increase the carbs.
This is just as delicious without the cheese! Feel free to skip it to make it an even healthier Italian sausage bake.
Italian sausage is technically cooked at 160F but sometimes when you're cooking it alongside other ingredients, the internal temperature could be higher than that. Pork sausage keeps well and stays moist up until around 190F.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 5 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 483Total Fat 34gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 23gCholesterol 70mgSodium 1207mgCarbohydrates 10gNet Carbohydrates 7gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 25g
Brends says
What size pan does this go in?