Sausage, Peppers, and Onions...OH MY!!

I make this all the time especially if we are having people over for dinner, feeds an army! Italian Sausage, Pepper, Onions sometimes I serve it as sandwiches other times I add mozzarella cheese, sauce, and serve it over pasta. It really depends on what the family feels like that night. Now when I first started making this it would take me FOREVER! And I'm not exaggerating. I would cut up the sausage links into bite size pieces then pan fry each piece....I would have like 3 skillets going on the stove (because none of the ones I had were big enough). Well over the summer I made a HUGE pan of this for my brother's engagement party. I stood in the kitchen thinking "OK I have to make this for like 70 people....This is going to take me days I need to figure out a "short cut" So after some thinking I lined several cookie sheets with foil and I cooked the Sausage links in the Oven. They came out so tender and juicy that I never looked back at the old way of doing things. WHY didn't I think of that sooner...was definetly a "DUH!" moment...

Ingredients:

18-20 Italian Sausage Links (I use a mix of sweet and spicy)
2 green peppers, sliced in long slices
2 red peppers, sliced in long slices
2 yellow peppers, sliced in long slices
(Instead of using bell peppers like I did you could use Italian frying peppers or Cubinelle peppers)
2 Soft Ball sized Onions, cut in strips (directions below)
1 medium size jar of sauce (omit if you are making this as sandwiches)
2 cups mozzarella cheese (omit if you are making this as sandwiches)
1 box of pasta (your choice-I have used spaghetti and also egg noodles)
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

1. preheat over 450 degrees line a cookie sheet with foil (this makes for easy clean up). Line the sausage links up on the cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake in oven for 20minutes take out flip sausages over and cook for an aditional 20minutes.

2. While the sausages are cooking do some Mise en place. Cut your peppers in strips. I love using the tri-color peppers because it adds color and some sweetness.

 3. Do the same with the onions. Easiest way I have found is to cut the onion in half and cut half moon slices then pull the layers apart.

4. Heat a large skillet with olive oil, once the pan is hot add onions and peppers little at a time. With each bunch you add remember to add salt pepper and garlic powder. Continue to stir until veggies are soft and start to get color.

5. After the sausage has rested for a few minutes cut into bite sized pieces and mix into the veggies.

**NOTE- At this stage is where I would stop if I was making them for sammiches. Just cut open a roll and serve!**

 But if you want to make something a little more special, continue reading...

6. Add Jar of Sauce and let simmer.

7. While simmering boil your pasta. Once pasta is done drain and put back into pot. For this next step use which ever pot is bigger either the skillet you have been using for the onions and peppers or the pasta pot. In my case I used the pasta pot.
8. Combine everything in pasta pot, and top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Add more salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Combine well.

9. Serve in a bowl topped with some Parmesan cheese.

OK so the final product doesn't look all that pretty, hey I'm trying to work on my photography skills...but it is soooo yummy.

Speaking of my photography I bought a new camera! I was *so* excited. its a Kodak 14.0MP camera. My old camera was only a 3mp lol so my pictures should be getting better soon.


Enjoy!
<3Laura ^.^