Who doesn’t love an Italian Sausage Sandwich with Onions and Peppers? Like the ones you get at the state fair. Well, you don’t have to wait for the fair to come to town any longer. This is my version of Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Onions and Peppers.

A beautifully grilled baguette is the perfect vessel.

Going that extra step of grilling the sausage links gives a nice smoky flavor, and the grill marks look great.

Prep Time: 10 minutes (includes poaching sausage)
Cook Time: 24 minutes
Total Time: 34 minutes
Yields 4 servings (4 sandwiches)
Equipment: 1 (10-inch) sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid, 1 (12-inch) sauté pan, indoor grill pan, grill press, large mixing bowl, mini food processor, chef’s knife, cutting board

Ingredients:
1 pound (5 links) sweet Italian sausage (substitute hot Italian sausage)
1/4 cup chicken broth, unsalted
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1 green bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1 large sweet onion, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 large-size hoagie rolls, buttered and grilled, cut in half
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, unsalted, and at room temperature
1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly ground

Instructions:
Using a fork, prick holes on both sides of each sausage link. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add the sausage links. Pour in the chicken broth and cover. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer. Poach the links for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer the sausage links to a plate. Set aside.

While the sausage links are poaching, prep all the vegetables for this dish. Place them all into a large mixing bowl. Keep the minced garlic separate.

In a large sautépan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and red pepper flakes. Add all the vegetables to the pan, stirring occasionally, and allow them to start to sweat. Add kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and stir to combine. After about 7-10 minutes, once the peppers and onions have softened, add the tomato paste and the minced garlic. Stir to combine, allowing the tomato paste to melt and heat through and the garlic to become soft and fragrant for another 1-2 minutes.

I prefer the onions and peppers to have a slight crunch. This is a personal preference. Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Turn the overhead fan on.

Get your grill pan screaming hot before placing the sausage links in the pan.  Use a grill press for even grilling. Grill for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through (10-12 minutes).

Adjust the heat on the grill pan to medium-low. Cut both hoagie rolls in half. Slice each of the four lengthwise, not cutting them completely through, splitting them open, and spread the butter on each side of the hoagies. Place two of them on the grill pan again, using a grill press to ensure they toast evenly. This takes only a couple of minutes. Watch closely; the bread will toast quickly.

To serve: Place a sausage link on the grilled baguette and spoon the onions and peppers on top. Top with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

There you have it, my Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Onions and Peppers.

Notes:
1) Going that extra step of grilling the sausage links gives a nice smoky flavor, and the grill marks look great.

2) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.