The Soft Simmer

The name of this dish might reveal which region of the United States I’m from. Having been born and raised on Long Island (yes, it’s on, not in), I grew up enjoying Italian sandwiches and delis. Although I moved away in my late 20’s, the food has always stayed with me. Whenever I feel a bit homesick, I prepare this dish, and it never fails to evoke nostalgia.

This dish is incredibly quick, easy, and budget-friendly, making it ideal for a weeknight dinner. At my grocery store, the ingredients cost $21, which breaks down to approximately $2.63 per sandwich. Given that a sausage and pepper hero at the local sandwich shop costs $18.50, I’d say this meal is a steal! This also makes it the perfect game day food. Prep work takes no time so you can pop these in the oven when guests arrive. Reduce the oven temperature to 300° F and they’ll be ready by half time!

Prepping this meal is a breeze. While the sausage is cooking, thin slice your peppers and onions. Sauté on medium heat. While those are cooking, prepare the bread. My local grocery store only sells foot long sub bread so I usually buy 4. I cut those in half and then long ways.

You can either slice your sausage into rounds or strips. I prefer rounds because it makes the hero easier to bite into.

Combine the sausage and peppers, fill each hero, then top with a generous amount of cheese. Pop those in the oven and once the bread is toasted and the cheese melted, voila, you’re done!

I prefer no sauce on my sausage and pepper heroes, but you can always add a basic red sauce to it for a little bit extra! Just add sauce to the sausage and pepper mixture before filling the heroes.

This classic sandwich, rooted in Italian-American kitchens, brings together bold flavors and comforting textures in every bite. Whether you’re feeding a crowd on game day or looking for an easy weeknight dinner, these heroes deliver serious flavor with minimal fuss.

Sausage & Pepper Heroes

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb hot Italian sausage links
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 green bell peppers, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• dash of crushed red pepper flakes
• Italian bread (2 1 ft rolls or 6 inch rolls)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Place sausage links evenly spaced out on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cook for 30 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 160° F.
2. While sausage is cooking, heat a medium sized sauce pan on medium high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Once pan is heated, add in peppers and cook for about 10 minutes or until peppers soften, stirring intermittently. Reduce heat to medium, then add in onions, garlic powder, parsley flakes, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine, then cook for an additional 7 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent, stirring as needed.
3. Once sausage is cooked, slice into rounds. Add to the pepper mixture and stir to combine.
4. Prepare the bread. Cut into 6 inch sections, then slice long ways. Fill each hero with the sausage and pepper mixture. Top with the mozzarella cheese and then place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
5. Bake heroes on 375° F for 10 minutes or until bread is toasted and cheese melted to your liking. Enjoy!

Tips for Making the Best Sausage & Pepper Heroes

• Reheating leftovers: to reheat any leftovers, wrap hero in aluminum foil and bake for ~10 minutes on 375° F, or until sausage mixture is warm. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted to your desire.
• Add in sauce: for additional flavor, add in red sauce. After you’ve combined the sausage with the pepper mixture, add in amount of red sauce to your liking. Then assemble your heroes!
• Mix it up: If I’m not feeling bread, I will make this with rice instead. If choosing to add red sauce, you can also have this over the pasta of your choice!