Italian sausage is a natural fit for the grill. The high heat browns the sausage on the outside while keeping it juicy inside, and that smoky flavor goes especially well with peppers and onions.
For this recipe, I pair grilled Italian sausage with bell peppers and onions in a simple sweet-and-sour sauce. The sauce gives the vegetables a tangy sweetness that balances the rich, savory sausage. You can use sweet, mild, or hot Italian sausage depending on how much heat you want.
You can prepare the entire meal on the grill using a grill-safe skillet or pan, but I find it just as easy to use both the stovetop and grill. Cook the peppers, onions, and sauce on the stove while the sausages cook on the grill. Just make sure the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 160°F for pork or beef sausage or 165°F for chicken or turkey sausage.
I like to pile the sausage, peppers, and onions into bratwurst or hoagie buns for an easy handheld meal. You can also skip the buns and serve everything over rice, alongside roasted potatoes, or simply as-is.
Grilled italian sausage recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion (sliced into strips)
- 2 red bell peppers (seeded and sliced)
- 2 green bell peppers (seeded and sliced)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 2lbs Italian sausage links
Instructions
- Cook the peppers and onions. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Stir in the vinegar and sugar, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer the sausages. Add the Italian sausages to the skillet with the peppers and onions. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the sausages, leaving the pepper and onion mixture in the skillet.
- Grill the sausages. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Add the sausages and grill, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and the centers reach 160°F.
- Finish and serve. Return the grilled sausages to the skillet with the peppers, onions, and sauce. Toss everything together and serve as-is or pile the sausage and vegetables into buns.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 436
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 1204.5 mg
- Fat: 21.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.8 g
- Protein: 35.7 g
- Cholesterol: 63 mg