Sausage, onions and peppers are a hearty meal at any time of year, and making sausage and peppers with sweet turkey sausage instead of pork helps to make it a healthy one. Cooking sausage ahead, with the onions, in its sauce is a good way to save you some time, infuse the sauce with flavor and keep the sausage from drying out. But, cooking peppers ahead can make them a little slimy and limp when they are reheated the next day. The key to making sausage, onions and peppers ahead is to add the peppers on the second day.
Pour approximately 1 tbsp. of olive oil into a large pot. Coat the bottom of the pot with the olive oil by using a paper towel to wipe it around and absorb any excess.
Heat the pot to medium high and add the sweet Italian sausages, onions, garlic and Italian seasoning. If you prefer to use your own spices, add oregano, basil and rosemary. Brown the sausage on all sides, stirring frequently to make sure the garlic doesn’t scorch. Turkey sausage is a leaner and healthier alternative to traditional pork sausage, and does not affect the flavor of this dish.
Add enough tomato sauce to cover the sausages. For six sausages, you will need at least 16 oz. of tomato sauce; and for 12 you’ll need 32 oz. Add a splash of red wine for extra flavor.
Turn the temperature down to low and let the sausages cook for 30 minutes to an hour. Cover the pot to keep the sauce from splattering while it simmers.
Pick a sausage out with a fork and set it on a clean plate. Insert an instant read thermometer to test for doneness, which occurs at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the sausages, onions and sauce cool to room temperature once the sausages are cooked through. Place them in a large plastic container with a lid and leave them in the refrigerator overnight.
Put the sausage and peppers into a clean pot the next day and turn the heat to medium to let them heat through.
Wash a red, green and yellow pepper if you are cooking six sausages. For 12, use two of each pepper. Remove the seeds and cut the peppers into long, thin strips.
Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a frying pan along with a clove of chopped garlic. Heat the oil and garlic to medium-high and toss in the sliced peppers. Top them with a generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
Add the peppers to the sausage and sauce when they have darkened in color and you can clearly smell them cooking. Let them cook together for five to 10 minutes and serve.