Italian sausage sandwiches are a flavorful and satisfying meal that can be made in under 30 minutes. With just a few simple ingredients like Italian sausage, peppers, onions, tomato sauce, and crusty bread rolls, you can create a sandwich that tastes like it came fresh from a deli.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make an Italian sausage sandwich at home
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Italian sausage links or patties – Sweet or hot Italian sausage works well. Buy them already fully cooked.
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Buns or rolls – Crusty ciabatta, French rolls, hoagie rolls, or brat buns work best.
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Bell peppers – Use a mix of red, yellow and orange for the most flavor.
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Onions – Red, white or yellow onions all work
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Tomato sauce or pizza sauce – Store-bought marinara or spaghetti sauce is quick and easy.
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Shredded mozzarella – Use shredded mozzarella or an Italian cheese blend.
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Olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil – To flavor the peppers and onions.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps for putting together an amazing Italian sausage sandwich:
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Cook the sausage. Preheat your oven or skillet and cook the raw Italian sausage links or patties until they are browned on the outside and no longer pink inside. Fully cooked sausages just need to be warmed through.
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Saute the veggies. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced peppers and onions. Saute for 5-7 minutes until soft. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and basil.
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Toast the rolls. Split your rolls in half and toast them either in the oven or in a skillet with butter or olive oil to get them nice and crispy.
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Add sauce and cheese. Spread a couple tablespoons of tomato or pizza sauce onto each roll. Top with about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
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Build the sandwich. Add the cooked sausages and top with the sauteed peppers and onions.
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Finish and serve. Add another spoonful of sauce on top and sprinkle with a bit more cheese. Put the top half of the roll on and serve warm.
Tips for the Best Flavor
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Use a combination of red, yellow and orange peppers for a sweet flavor.
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Cook the onions slowly so they caramelize and turn sweet.
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Add Italian seasoning to the veggies while cooking for more flavor.
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Use good quality tomato sauce for maximum fresh taste.
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Let the cheeses melt from the heat of the sausage and veggies.
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Brush the toasted rolls with garlic butter or olive oil for extra flavor.
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Sprinkle sandwiches with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Easy Shortcut Versions
If you want to shortcut the process, try these quicker versions:
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Use roasted red peppers from a jar instead of sauteing fresh ones.
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Opt for caramelized onions from the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
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Spread rolls with prepared pesto sauce instead of tomato sauce for a flavor twist.
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Use pre-shredded Italian cheese blend to save time grating cheese.
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Look for pre-cooked sausages to skip the sausage cooking step.
Cooking the Sausages
Cooking the sausages fully is an important step for food safety. Here are some easy cooking methods:
Oven: Place sausage links or patties on a baking sheet and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Skillet: Cook sausages in an oiled skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned about 5-7 minutes per side.
Grill: Grill sausages over direct heat for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally until grill marks appear and the internal temperature reaches 160F.
Microwave: Microwave sausages on a microwave-safe plate for 1-2 minutes per side until cooked through.
Serving Size
One Italian sausage sandwich typically makes a hearty serving for one person. But you can adjust the servings by:
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Using smaller rolls or sub rolls to make slider-sized portions.
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Cutting the sausages in half to spread the filling out over more sandwiches.
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Piling more vegetables onto each sandwich for bigger appetites.
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Serving sandwiches alongside salads or sides like pasta salad or fries for a complete meal.
Customize Your Sandwiches
The basic Italian sausage sandwich is tasty, but you can also customize it to suit your tastes:
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Add roasted red peppers, sliced olives, cherry peppers or hot peppers.
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Top with spinach, arugula, lettuce or other greens for a fresh crunch.
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Spoon on pesto, tapenade or olive salad for a tangy twist.
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Swap in sliced meatballs or chicken or eggplant cutlets instead of sausage.
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Use ciabatta, focaccia, pizza bread or other artisan breads for the rolls.
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Sprinkle with Parmesan, provolone, fontina or other Italian cheeses.
Now that you know how to build the perfect Italian sausage sandwich, get ready to enjoy this satisfying and flavorsome meal any night of the week. Adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes and add your own creative twist.
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Yes, and if they posted a recipe for “sausage and peppers,” people would be all over the comments saying “who needs a recipe for this?!” (or, more likely, “this is not exactly how my great great grandfather made it, how dare you nyt, and shame on all of you who made it this way!”). Suggestions are great, but if you want to make a different recipe, just make a different recipe and spare us.
Not cole slaw or cabbage salad, but sautéed green (or red) peppers and onions would be my choice for the vegetable side dish.
The city makes it easy to find good Italian sausage, but it’s not so easy to find in the country. And for those of us in Europe, it is nearly impossible. Even imported Italian sausage, from Italy, is not like a good NYC Italian sausage. A specialty in our area is American Italian sausage. Is there a way to make Italian sausage at home from scratch that tastes as good as Faiccos?
NY Times should label this as “easy”. This made a quick, improvised dinner to eat while watching the basketball game. The Italian sausages I had were not cooked yet, so I cut them in half and grilled them in the oven for a few minutes on each side. I used swiss cheese instead of provolone and good hamburger buns. I didn’t have any pickled peppers, so I used a couple teaspoons of olive juice and chopped up some small black olives.
If you prefer peppers and onions, then by all means, go make a sandwich with peppers and onions. I made this particular recipe last night and the slaw was a faster and delightfully perkier touch. It sounds like I should use less mayo next time and more pickled pepper juice because I like my slaws more vinegary.
This is a great way to serve Italian sausages. The slaw is simple, and the pickled peppers give it extra flavor. Some people really like sausages with peppers and onions, and I agree that’s a great way to eat them. If we only eat the things we know we love, though, we won’t get to try new combinations of foods that we might like just as much as or even more than our old favorites.
Expat here, based in a Muslim country where pork is hard to find, and Italian sausage nigh impossible. But regular sausage IS available. I crack them open and add spices to make them taste like Italian sausage: for 1 lb of meat, add 1 tsp of crushed fennel seed 3 5 tsp dried herb mix + 1. 5 tsp garlic powder + 0. 5 tsp paprika + pinch of crushed black pepper + pinch of chili flakes. This way the meat is crumbled instead of in proper sausage form, but I dont mind. (:
Lorraine, I am married to an Italian. But we both say “variety is the spice of life” for this really good recipe. I think thats why one “messes” with the traditional success of sausage and peppers for Italian cooking. ;-).
Try it just the way it is before you start messing with it. For a change, it was nice to try something other than sausage. It was easy to get this ready for the table because I cooked the sausage while I made dinner the night before. Everybody needs quick and easy meals for days when they know they’ll be too busy to make a real dinner.
Bag the Coleslaw. Make Italian slaw. Get Savoy cabbage, slice it. Saute minced garlic & red paper flakes in olive oil. Add in the cabbage. Season with salt & pepper. Stir until cabbage is wilted. Throw on top of sandwich after melting provolone on sausage.
This is so good it could be Death Row meal..just follow the recipe and nirvana is yours.
With green pepper and onion that have been sautéed, an Italian sausage sandwich will always be my favorite New York street food.
Bob: Thanks for pointing this out. I think this is a mistake that many ethnic recipes in the New York Times make: they assume that everyone can get the ingredients. There always needs to be something that says, “if you cant get this then use. ” “if you cant get this then use. ” I live on Connecticut and good Italian sausage is available. I, however, have no place to get the Asian peppers and sauces so often mentioned here.
After trying many different brands of vegetarian “Italian sausage”. Trader Joes brand is the clear winner for texture and flavor. Its in the vegetarian cold cuts and tofu section. I too wood take 5 minutes to sautee onions and peppers over the Cole slaw for topping.
I grew up in Beverly (southwest side) in a Southern Italian household. As a child, my grandmother would fry sausage and potatoes together and then dip bread in the sausage grease. So good!!.
Use havarti Buy pickled pepperoncini (and just use one) Add mustard
A very tasty different sausage! The pickled peppers really make it. Next time I will add some Dijon to the mayo.
The coleslaw was not a great addition. We like the Havarti cheese and will probably add grilled onions and peppers next time.
The coleslaw was awful. Used Havarti cheese and it was good.
Great flavour combo. Who would have thought? The slaw was a fresh tangy alternative to onions and peppers. Would make again!.
These are the best! Love the cheese rolls and cole slaw. A great variation on a classic.
Well, if you missed the “ cooked Italian sausages, at room temperature “ hit, you’d be unpleasantly surprised.
Made with beyond sausages. So quick and easy!
We chose to use one 10oz bag of shredded cabbage and two jars of sweet heat banana peppers from Mt. Olive. We also went with hot Italian sausages and grilled them first (skipping the warming under the bread step). I probably used a teaspoon of kosher salt too. Overall, the sweet heat and hot Italian paired very well.
Kudos to the food stylist who made me want to eat one of these immediately. but sadly. meh. Made exactly as written and they were just okay. I used twice as many hot cherry pickled peppers and it still didn’t have the kick I was looking for. If I were to attempt again I would use hot Italian sausage. Also, I wouldn’t use ciabatta rolls because they were too big and dense, making the rest of the food stand out. Instead, I would use rolls that are fluffier and lighter.
I like the slaw counterpoint to the hot spicy sausage. Some people will be offended by the turkey andouille sausage I used, since they say andouille can only be made with pork. But these are so good that even the vendor says they are better than pork. I use a Breville toaster oven to roast my sausages, which saves me time and effort when I’m only cooking for one person. Lightly toasting (or grilling) the bun makes it even better.
I found this recipe really bland. It was was disappointing. maybe it’s the German in me, but felt it needed mustard.
You could always add it after the first bite. But I don’t see how the sausages could be bland if they were hot sausages instead of sweet sausages. But I agree, mustard and sausages go well together.
Very simple, very good. An easy, delicious meal.
Simple, easy, pleased the tyrant (16 yr old son). Whats to complain about???
This was a big hit tonight with the family for dinner. I used roasted tofu slices instead of sausages because they were vegetarian. I roasted them in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Really delicious. Private notes are only visible to you.
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EASY Italian Sausage Sandwich! | Capital Kitchen
FAQ
What condiments go on Italian sausage?
What does Italian sausage go with?
What makes an Italian sausage and Italian sausage?
How to make Italian sausage sandwich?
Use your oven to make the best Italian Sausage Sandwiches with peppers, onions and sauce! 4 bell peppers (Use red, yellow and orange. Can fit up to six in a dark roasting pan.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a dark roasting pan (preferred) or a sheet pan with cooking spray.
What is the purpose of using fennel in Italian sausage?
The fennel in the sausage is just for flavor. But Fennel is widely used to combat gastrointestinal problems, helps digestion, fights flatulence and diarrhea, can help fight anxiety, stress and insomnia, helps release excess fluid in the body, can reduce menstrual pain, prevents bad breath and heartburn, in addition to other benefits.
Are Italian sausage sandwiches good?
Italian Sausage Sandwiches are juicy, savory, and delicious! Baked Italian spiced sausages are nestled in warm, crispy hoagie rolls, smothered in roasted peppers and onions, and topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella. Great for a backyard grill session or for dinner with friends! These sandwiches are a must for summer.
How do you eat a sausage sandwich?
Assemble the sandwiches with the sausages, bell pepper marinara sauce and fresh oregano. Slice the sandwiches in half and serve. This sandwich is best served immediately. But, if you have leftovers, just pop the sausage, vegetables, and sauce into the microwave and toast up a fresh bun.