The combination of sausage and peppers is a welcome weeknight, one-skillet meal. The dish offers a delicious marriage of lush meaty flavors alongside the peppers’ grassy, sweet edge. Many employ hot Italian sausages, and indeed the spicy heat is inviting. I usually use sweet Italian sausages because children are often at my table. Turkey is frequently my sausage meat of choice.

Leftovers are delicious used as a sandwich filling on sturdy buns, or coarsely chopped and scrambled with eggs. When I have extra mouths to feed, I serve the concoction over cooked smallish pasta such as penne or fusilli, or atop basmati rice or farro. It is also delectable augmented with roasted Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes.

Skillet Sausage and Peppers

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

8 Italian sausages, pork or turkey, hot or sweet

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium-large sweet onions, thickly sliced

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, thickly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, thickly sliced

1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, thickly sliced

6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

1. Prick sausages all over with a fork. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet on medium-high heat. Brown the sausages all over, turning as needed with tongs; place sausages on plate. Do not clean the skillet. Add onions, peppers, and garlic to the skillet; season lightly with salt. Cover and reduce heat to medium and cook until peppers are wilted, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Make a space in the pan and add tomato paste there. Toast the tomato paste in that spot for a minute, then stir it into the vegetables. Stir in white wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer, turning the sausages occasionally, until they are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to reduce juices in the pan and glaze the sausages. Stir in basil and serve.

Source: Lidia Bastianich

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.

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