Craving easy comfort food? These slow cooker sausage and peppers come together in minutes, then go straight from the freezer to the crock pot.
I’ll readily admit that over the past two years I have become more than a little obsessed with freezer cooking, and with developing new recipes that my kids and husband will love. But seriously, what’s not to love? Not only are they quick & easy to throw together, but they also save us a ton of money on groceries (and especially on eating out.) Better yet, they make our sometimes hectic weekdays SO much simpler! There is nothing better than knowing at the end of a crazy day that dinner is waiting for us in the crockpot!
So yes, I’m obsessed. You’re just going to have to bear with me.
To be perfectly honest, I was a little nervous about how these slow cooker sausage and peppers would turn out, but they were a HUGE hit. There is some prep cooking required for this recipe but it is so worth it!
To make it as part of a freezer cooking day, just split the sausage, sauce, peppers & onions into multiple bags, then throw it right into the freezer.
Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers
Here is what you need:
2-3 20 oz. packages mild Italian sausage 2 large onions, sliced 4-5 green bell peppers, sliced 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 29 oz can tomato sauce 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 4-6 tablespoons butter salt and pepper 1 drop Oregano Vitality Essential oil (optional) Italian bread (cooking day only)Step 1: Chop onion and set aside.
Step 2: Slice green peppers into strips; set aside.
Step 3: Brown sausages in a pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Then remove sausage from pan and cut into thirds and set aside.
Step 4: Place 2 more tablespoons in pan and add peppers saute until softened. Then add last 2 tablespoons of butter and saute onions till softened.
Step 5: In a large bowl, mix together sauce, crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, Oregano Vitality Essential oil and peppers and onions.
Step 6: Divide sausage into 2-gallon size freezer bags ( be sure to label bags first.) Divide sauce mixture over top sausage.
Step 7: Thaw if frozen; cook in crockpot on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours; until sausage is cooked all the way through. (Note-don’t worry if your sausage isn’t all the way thawed. It can also cook from frozen, it might just take a little longer.)
Step 8: Serve with sliced Italian bread and enjoy!
SLOW COOKER SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS
Ingredients
- 2-3 20 oz. packages mild Italian sausage
- 2 large onions sliced
- 4-5 green bell peppers sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 29 oz can tomato sauce
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4-6 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 drop Oregano Vitality Essential oil optional
- Italian bread cooking day only
Instructions
- Chop onion and set aside.
- Slice green peppers into strips;set aside.
- Brown sausages in a pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Then remove sausage from pan and cut into thirds and set aside.
- Place 2 more tablespoons in pan and add peppers saute until softened. Then add last 2 tablespoons of butter and saute onions till softened.
- In a large bowl, mix together sauce, crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, Oregano Vitality Essential oil and peppers and onions.
- Divide sausage into 2 gallon size freezer bags ( be sure to label bags first.) Divide sauce mixture over top sausage.
- Thaw if frozen; cook in crockpot on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours; until sausage is cooked all the way through. (Note-don’t worry if your sausage isn’t all the way thawed. It can also cook from frozen, it might just take a little longer.)
- Serve with sliced Italian bread and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes. Cooking time: 5-6 hours on low in crockpot or 2-3 hours on high. Number of servings (yield): 4-6.
Other slow cooker recipes you’ll love:
- Spinach & Sausage One Pot Pasta (Easy Freezer-to-Slow Cooker Recipe!)
- The BEST EVER Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
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Can I put sausage in the crock pot frozen?
Yes, you can.
Can I remove casings, butterfly the sausage, brown them and then freeze until I am ready to cook in crockpot?
Yes, you could. Just be sure to cool sausage before freezing. And they might fall apart once cooked in crockpot.
I make sausage onions and peppers in the crock pot. I put it all in the crock pot , drizzle a little oil (very little because sausage is greasy)salt & pepper and a little water. let it cook on low for about 5 or 6 hours. you can add tomato if you like. ( if you add tomatoes ,omit the water) also Once it is cooked it can be frozen and heated later.
Do the peppers and onions have any bite left in them?
They are pretty soft once cooked in slow cooker. 🙂 But this meal is delicious.
Browning my sausage now and it looks like a lot of butter/grease in the pan. Should I drain it or just add the peppers to it without adding more butter?
Just add peppers without adding more butter. 🙂