Use your crockpot to make the best Sausage and Peppers! A hands-off dinner that the whole family will absolutely love. Gluten-Free and Low Carb.
Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
One of my favorite dishes growing up was Sausage and Peppers. It’s really Sausage with Peppers and Onions but nobody (at least the people I know) ever calls it that. I have so many good memories of eating Sausage and Peppers sandwiches, Sausage and Peppers over rice, over pasta, straight out of the pot and (when I got older) alongside a big salad.
Traditionally, this is a dish I make on the stovetop, slowly cooking down the onions and peppers and then the sausage. I would make a homemade red sauce in another pot and serve everything together with the sauce spooned over-top, but today we are adapting this for the crockpot.
It’s a flavorful comfort food dish, that couldn’t be easier to throw together. The kick from the spiced red sauce pairs perfectly the Italian sausage and soft vegetables for a dinner you’ll want on your table tonight.
Crockpot Sausage and Peppers Ingredients
All of these ingredients are simple to find, and a lot of them are pantry staples you probably already have on hand. Gathering what you need for this recipe will be a breeze!
- Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Yellow onions halved and thinly sliced
- Green bell peppers halved from top to bottom, cleaned and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- Italian Seasoning
- Dried oregano
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Canned unsalted crushed tomatoes
- Cold water
- Bay leaf
- Italian Sausage Links, Mild or Spicy
- Italian parsley for serving optional
Do I Have To Use Pork Sausage?
Nope! You can use whatever sausage you prefer. You can also use chicken, turkey, or veggie sausage. Just make sure it’s sausage that comes in links, not ground sausage.
How To Make Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
I love crockpot recipes because they are always so simple, and I love you can just cover the pot and let it go while you get other things done. So, if you don’t have a lot of time to spend solely making dinner, you have to make this recipe.
1. Finely chop garlic. I used my food processor with the chopping blade to save time.
2. If you are using a food processor, swap the chopping blade for the slicing disc. Peel onions and halve. Place the onion halves cut side down in the food processor and slice. Alternately, thinly slice by hand. Remove the chopped garlic and sliced onion and place into the slow cooker insert.
3. Slice bell peppers in half from top to bottom. Remove the ribs and any seeds.
4. Proceed to thinly slice or use the food processor to slice exactly like the onions.
5. Add the sliced bell peppers to the slow cooker along with the salt, Italian Seasoning, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup cold water and can of crushed tomatoes. Toss until well coated and liquid is evenly distributed.
6. Remove about half of the peppers and onion mixture to a bowl. Bury the uncooked sausages in the middle and return the peppers and onions back to the slow cooker to cover the sausage. Add the bay leaf.
7. Cover, set to low and cook for 6 hours. The onions and peppers will give off a lot of water as they cook which will make the sauce liquid and spoon-able so don’t stress that there isn’t enough liquid.
8. Top with some chopped parsley, serve hot and Enjoy!
How To Serve Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
Tips For Making The Best Sausage And Peppers
- If you use Spicy Sausage, you may want to cut back the crushed red pepper flakes just a bit and add more in at the end if you need to.
- I used all Green Bell Peppers but any combination of colors would work here!
- Note that if you leave the sausage in the slow cooker for too long, it can really lose its texture and become very soft. This doesn’t bother me for a dish like this, but if the texture is a thing for you, keep this in mind.
More Easy Crockpot Recipes
3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Salsa Dip
Slow Cooker Chicken Meatballs with Spinach
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Use your crockpot to make the best Sausage and Peppers! A hands-off dinner that the whole family will absolutely love. Gluten-Free and Low Carb.
- 6 medium cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 large yellow onions halved and thinly sliced
- 4 medium green bell peppers halved from top to bottom, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces canned unsalted crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 pounds uncooked Italian Sausage Links (approx 6 to 8 sausages)) Mild or Spicy
- chopped Italian parsley for serving optional
- Finely chop garlic. I used my food processor with the chopping blade to save time.
If you are using a food processor, swap the chopping blade for the slicing disc. Peel onions and halve. Place the onion halves cut side down in the food processor and slice. Alternately, thinly slice by hand. Remove the chopped garlic and sliced onion and place into the slow cooker insert.
Slice bell peppers in half from top to bottom. Remove the ribs and any seeds.
Proceed to thinly slice or use the food processor to slice exactly like the onions.
Add the sliced bell peppers to the slow cooker along with the salt, Italian Seasoning, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup cold water and can of crushed tomatoes. Toss until well coated and liquid is evenly distributed.
Remove about half of the peppers and onion mixture to a bowl. Bury the uncooked sausages in the middle and return the peppers and onions back to the slow cooker to cover the sausage. Add the bay leaf.
Cover, set to low and cook for 6 hours. The onions and peppers will give off a lot of water as they cook which will make the sauce liquid and spoon-able so don't stress that there isn't enough liquid.
Top with some chopped parsley, serve hot and Enjoy!
Recipe Video
- You can easily substitute Chicken or Turkey (Italian) Sausage if you don't eat Pork.
- If you use Spicy Sausage, you may want to cut back the crushed red pepper flakes just a bit and add more in at the end if you need to.
- I used all Green Bell Peppers but any combination of colors would work here!
- Note that if you leave the sausage in the slow cooker for too long, it can really lose it's texture and become very soft. This doesn't bother me for a dish like this, but if texture is a thing for you, keep this in mind.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
UPDATE NOTES: This Crockpot Sausage and Peppers recipe was originally posted in February 2014 and was updated in August 2019 with step-by-step photos, better instructions, and answers to commonly asked questions.
Thanks for this recipe! I’m an over-the-Road truck driver. This recipe is great for the road! I cook in my slow cooker when I’m parked for the night. I make five or six servings, and eat them through the week. Saves me lots of money! I don’t eat it with pasta, or anything, but it’s delicious with ricotta cheese. The only changes I made, is that I use petite diced tomatoes, instead of crushed, because they come in smaller cans; I don’t add extra water, the tomatoes add plenty; and I put a little chicken bouillon in it. I’ve made it twice with Italian sausages, next time, I’m going to try meatballs! Thanks again!
Hey Jenn! LOVE the idea of eating with ricotta. I bet that is amazing 🙂
love it,my family like green peppers and onions,with the Italian sausage was great,and easy,love crock pot recipes, thanks for sharing.
So happy to hear it Marcy – thanks for taking the time to let me know!
This has game day written allllll over it! I love crockpot recipes- easy and delicious!
Oh yes!! Perfect for game day!!
This was delicious but definitely not a low carb meal. 22 net carbs per serving. Not appropriate for Keto, which is the search I did that led me here.
Hey Danae – you can modify how much of the onion, pepper and tomato combo you take and reduce the carbs for your plan!
While it’s still a little high, you forgot to subtract the fiber to get the net carbs. It’s actually 17 net carbs.
This looks awesome and I want to serve it at a gathering I’m hosting soon, but I think I need to double the recipe since it only serves 8. Should I plan on increasing the cooking time if I do this?
Nope! The cooking time should stay the same. Also, this makes a LOT of onions and peppers so I wouldn’t necessarily double the veggies – maybe just add an extra pepper and an extra onion but double the sausage!
Question: hosting a buffet where people would be eating from their laps. Prefer they do not have to cut things as that becomes precarious. What if I cut the sausage into smaller bite-sized medallions? Would that work? Would I need to adjust the time?
Hi Kathleen!
I would follow the recipe as written and then remove and slice the sausages into rounds before serving. Enjoy!
This was absolutely delicious! Thanks!
Great recipe, I stumbled upon this on Pinterest. I used a local spicy sausage as suggested and did not cut back on the pepper flakes, It had a perfect amount of heat. I served it on top of quinoa and it is now one of my favorite easy meals.
So happy to hear it Kevin! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Question……I prefer no crushed tomatoes. Can I just leave them out or do I need to replace with something for moisture? Thanks.
Hi Greg, The tomatoes are pretty important not only for moisture but balance. I am really not sure what this would taste like without them.
I think there is too much tomato in this recipe for me, too. Maybe instead of such a big can of crushed tomatoes, some petite cuts would work better. I also cut the sausages into medallions to make the dish s little more eater friendly.
Hi Greg, I make a similar dish in my slow cooker without tomatoes. We have always made this with the water as in this recipe and a stick of butter and it comes out amazing. The veggies put out enough liquid on their own that you don’t have to worry. We also do this same thing in the microwave sometimes, very quick but it doesn’t have the same depth as it does when done low & slow like this. Hope this helps!
I want to try this recipe with a small can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (first time to try and if we like it with Tomatoes a larger amount later) and some Butter. In my book, you can’t go wrong with a dish that includes Italian Sausages with Bell Peppers & Onions!
Croc-pot started and I cant wait to sit down with the family later to enjoy it. Will let you know how it turns out!.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I have tried dozens of recipes I’ve found as a result of a web search, many good, but this is the first I give five stars. This is absolutely fabulous. I used 8 sausages. 2 large brown onions, 2 green, one yellow, one red, doubled the garlic. This is soooooo good. I don’t give a whit about “Paleo, whole30…” And all,of that other faddish nonsense only Americans obsess about, just good food with no processed stuff, and this is a winner
Thank you so much Steve! Your comment made my night and I am so glad you love the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know. Have a great weekend!