Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions Skillet — This easy one-skillet recipe combines Italian sausage and peppers with sweet Vidalia onions and rice to make a quick dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes! If you’re wondering what to make with Italian sausage tonight, make this!!
Table of Contents
One-Skillet Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions
I’m all about easy, one-skillet dinners that are ready in 30 minutes. My family is all about flavor and just cares about how something tastes. We were all happy with this dish and the big flavors.
Juicy sausage, sweet Vidalia onions, a hint of garlic, crisp-tender bell peppers, and tender rice.
Rather than yet another chicken and rice dish, I swapped out the chicken and instead used Johnsonville Fresh Italian Hot Sausage Links.
I used hot sausage because I wanted something to stand up and pop against the rice and it wasn’t too hot, but use mild sausage if you prefer.
Ingredients for Sausage, Peppers & Onions Skillet
So many Italian sausage recipes include pasta, but I wanted to pair this flavorful protein without something different. If you’ve been looking Italian sausage recipe without pasta, you’re going to love this skillet!
To make the Italian sausage with peppers and onions and rice, gather the following:
- Olive oil
- Johnsonville Fresh Italian Hot Sausage Links
- Vidalia onions
- Bell peppers
- Garlic
- Instant rice
- Chicken broth
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
What Type of Italian Sausage Should I Use?
Although I used sausage links for this recipe, Johnsonville also offers Italian sausage in a ground version, which is so convenient if you don’t want to de-case sausage links. Johnsonville’s links and ground Italian sausage — as well as their meatballs and breakfast sausage — come in a variety of flavors and spices, giving you more flavor and saving you time in the kitchen.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Sausage, Peppers & Onions
This Italian sausage meal comes together in about 30 minutes and requires minimal prep. Here’s a rough overview of how the recipe comes together:
- Cook the sausage (removed from its casings) and diced onion in a little olive oil until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are golden.
- Add the peppers and garlic to the skillet and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Stir in the instant rice and chicken broth.
- Cook until the rice absorbs all the liquid, then stir in the fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Recipe FAQs
I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t say for sure. You probably can, but you’ll have to play around with the amount of liquid you add to the skillet as well as the cook time.
Or, simply add pre-cooked or leftover rice to the skillet.
Of course! If you don’t have Italian sausage on hand, feel free to substitute another type. Just keep in mind that the sausage I used is fresh, not pre-cooked, which is why I browned it together with the onions.
This sausage and rice recipe reheats well and will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating this dish in a skillet with a tablespoon or two of water or broth, just to keep the rice from drying out.
Of course! I specifically wanted to make this Italian sausage recipe without pasta, but you may omit the rice and boil pasta on the side if desired.
Recipe Video Tutorial
Tips for Making Italian Sausage and Peppers
You’re welcome to use any color of bell pepper you have on hand for this sausage, peppers, and onions skillet. And if you only have one color of peppers, that works too!
Make sure you’re using low-sodium chicken broth for this recipe, as Italian sausage often contains salt as well.
And definitely taste this dish before adding extra salt and pepper at the end since it’s naturally salty already!
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Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions Skillet
This easy one-skillet recipe combines Italian sausage and peppers with sweet Vidalia onions and rice to make a quick dinner that's ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Johnsonville Fresh Italian Hot Sausage Links, de-cased (Johnsonville Fresh Italian Hot Ground Sausage or mild sausage may be substituted)
- 2 cups sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 large onion)
- 2/3 cup red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
- 2/3 cup yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced small
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 2 cups dry/uncooked minute or instant rice
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely minced (stems discarded)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, sausage, onion, and sauté for about 8 minutes over medium-high heat, or until sausage is cooked through and onions are lightly golden browned. Stir and flip intermittently.
- Add the peppers, garlic, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir intermittently.
- Turn the heat to medium-low, and add the rice, chicken broth, and cook covered for about 5 to 10 minutes or until rice is tender, done, and all liquid has been absorbed.
- Turn off the heat, add the parsley, and stir to combine.
- Taste dish and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. Dish will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 days. Reheat gently as necessary.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 648Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 1233mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 27g
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Post is brought to you by Johnsonville. The recipe, images, text, and opionions expressed are my own. #SausageSunday #JohnsonvilleSausageSwap
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville Italian Sausage. The opinions and text are all mine.
Made this dish last night. It was a great family dinner that I will be putting in my rotation. Everyone loved it. So good on a cold day. We had no leftovers. Thank you for this recipe. It will be one I will use over and over again.Kelly
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that it was good enough that it’s going into your rotation and everyone loved it!
EASY ONE-SKILLET SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS WITH RICE I made this tonight with a little different take. I thought that I had instant brown rice, but I did not. I did have yellow rice and so I made the rice separate from the rest of the recipe because it was not minute rice. I made the sausage, peppers and onions with the garlic like the recipe called for. I just didn’t use the chicken broth and add the rice together with the sausage and peppers. We dished out our rice and put the sausage and peppers over the rice. It was absolutely AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. We will definitely be making this again.
Thanks for the 5 star review and it’s always great to read when someone improvises based on what they have on hand and make things work with what you have! Glad it was amazing!
This turned out great! Only addition was a few cherry tomatoes that needed used soon. This will be a go to for me!! Thanks
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad it turned out great and you were able to use up your cherry tomatoes, too!
My teen son walked through the door and said” it smells that that really good dinner we like”. It’s a family favorite here. We likes things really spicy so I add red pepper flakes. Easy, tasty, and I love that it has veggies.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that this is a family favorite dinner! I love adding red pepper flakes too to so many dishes for some extra spiciness!
I think I will try to use about half cooked regular rice. I may have to add a little less liquid, I’ll just wing it and let you know!!
Made this for my husband one night and needless to say it’s on the menu again this week. Thank you, it was very easy and most of all delicious.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been so busy lately and I realized the only meat I had for dinner tonight is Italian sausage that I had planned to use in a pasta dish but I had no ingredients for a pasta sauce!This recipe was wonderful. Some changes I made based on the ingredients I had on hand:-Added a couple roma tomatoes because I only had a few baby bell peppers -Used basmati rice-Used water instead of stock because we’re really sensitive to salt and I didn’t want to risk it turning out salty. As the meat cooked, I could smell that it was going to be really flavorful without the addition of the stock.For cooking the rice: I browned the meat in a pan, and then in a separate pan I sautéed all the veggies, then added 1 cup basmati rice to “toast” it, then added the meat (drained) and 2.5 cups of water and simmered on low for 20 mins. So tasty and easy!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out tasty and was easy for you!
I halved the recipe because I didn’t need as large of a portion and it turned out amazing. I don’t know if it was the type of rice that I got, but the chicken broth didn’t fully reduce after 10 minutes, so I just uncovered it and kept an eye on it until it reduced completely. Super creamy and really flavorful. Highly recommend this for a quick and easy dinner.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that this came out great for you! And way to think on your feet with the broth/rice situation and letting it simmer uncovered.
It very likely was the rice, they vary in how much they will absorb. Better to have a bit extra liquid and it could simmer off than not enough which would mean that you had crunchy rice unless you added more (many people wouldn’t know how to resolve this).
Really yummy! I made it tonight for my husband and I definitely plenty for dinner plus leftovers. Perfect!
Glad that it was yummy and that you have leftovers now, which is handy always for me at least!
This was a delicious meal. I added some Better Than Bouillon (Chicken) at the very end, for better flavor, when everything was done). It was a real hit!
Thanks and glad that this was delicious and a real hit!
Made this for dinner last night and it turned our really well. I used a little less rice because I didn’t have the full 2 cups uncooked. I also didn’t have instant rice so I pre-cooked the rice (but left it on the dry side), then added it in with just a cup of broth at the end for a couple minutes and it turned out great.
Glad it turned out well and that you were able to make this work with the regular rice you had by precooking it.
Just finished making the delicious meal. I loved how easy it is to make and how all the flavors come together. My rice wasn’t as tinder as I like but I probably cooked it on too high of a heat or not long enough. I look forward to cooking this again and again as it becomes a part of my recipe rotation.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it will be in your recipe rotation. Add another 1/2 cup or so of broth (or even water) which will absorb more into the rice and tenderize it more.
I made this with leftover white rice made with a combination of beef and chicken broth. This was delicious! I will make this again.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious and you’ll make it again!
So easy to make. Smells amaxing.and tastes so delicious.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it tasted delicious and was easy!
Has anyone tried making this in a slow cooker?
Love love love this recipe!! First time I made it I followed the recipe and it was scrumptious. Now I’m making it for the third time tonight and I’ve started to add my own flare to it. Now I use turkey and brown rice to make it a little healthier and I’ve double the recipe the last two times so it can last my boyfriend and I more than one meal. Awesome recipe!!
Thanks for the five star review and glad that you have made it many times and have added your own touches.
I made this with Arborio rice. While the sausage etc was cooking I started Arborio as if I was making risotto and cooked it until adding the last cup of chicken broth. I added the mostly cooked rice and remaining broth plus a bit more and cooked the whole thing for a about 10 minutes . Really creamy ..sausage and peppers risotto! Thanks for this really quick and tasty recipe
Thanks for the five star review and I’m sure the arborio rice was delicious and creamy and great!
on the rice is that 1 cup dry = 2 cups cooked? or 2 cups dry = 4 cups cooked
2 cups dry/uncooked. Because in step 3 I wrote “until the rice is done” but I updated the post just to avoid any and all confusion.
what about using brown rice?????? That’s probably gross. Just checking my cabinets and that’s all I had on hand. :)
I’m sure it would be fine if that’s what you have.
Ok Averie, I am making this right now because I had a packet of leftover Brown Rice with Quinoa from Aldi and needed to use it up. I also had a three pepper bag of red, orange and yellow peppers , some green onions and lovely hot italian sausage. It schmells wonderful! Hubs will LOVE it and I will too! So easy and quick! Thanks much! First time I am reviewing but have your website bookmarked extensively! You have some great recipes!
My husband is very hard to cook for. I had country sausage in the freezer. Zero hour was coming fast so I googled recipes for country sausage and came across this recipe. I used red and green peppers. To my surprise he actually liked it! I will be making it again with sweet Italian sausage. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad that this was a winner for your husband and you will make it again!
I have made this recipe several times now and figured I should leave a review. I have used different kinds of sausages and every time it is delicious! My picky eaters have no complaints and clean up there plates. Thanks!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that even your picky eaters clean their plates!
Love this recipe! been using it for awhile now and has alot of flavor. And love its all in one pan.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you’ve been using this recipe for awhile!
My whole family loved this. Everyone had seconds even my pickiest eater. I did have to tweak the recipe because I did not have instant rice. I used 1 cup of Jasmine rice and 1 and 1/2 cups of broth. Also, we added grated cheddar to the top which was yummy, but it did not need it. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a hit even with your pickiest eater!
How long did you cook for using the Jasmine rice ? Usually making normal it is like 20 mins. Thats what I have at home and was thinking of making this.
I am making this recipe right now. I happened to have some Italian sausage on hand and I did not know what to do with it and I didn’t want to make meatballs and spaghetti cuz that’s so cliche so I Googled Italian sausage recipe and I came to this website and found your recipe and from the looks of it it looks delicious already I did not use fresh green peppers and yellow peppers I used a stir fry blend with the onions and since I’m cooking for men in my family my teenage boys I mean so I double the rice and double the broth use the whole bag of stir fry peppers and onions and I added some tomato bouillon and made extra broth no fresh parsley but I have parsley and for the garlic I had some minced garlic in a jar from the Dollar Tree I can’t wait for the family to eat oh and I made a that of Jiffy corn muffin and I put cheddar cheese in the batter
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you were able to find a use for your Italian sausage!
How can I use regular rice instead of the instant rice?
I don’t know for this recipe since it’s designed to work with minute/instant rice. You’d have to experiment with things on your own and come up with a solution that’s going to work.
I have made something similar to this before. I would just use leftover cooked rice.
I’m going to make this for dinner. I will be using leftover rice so do I need as much broth as the recipe calls for?
Definitely not, no, because this recipe assumes you’re using dry/uncooked minute rice which is why you need an equal part of liquid to dry rice. In your case, you will need very little broth, if much of any is my guess.
This was delicious! Although I used a frozen 3 pepper and onion blend and regular rice because that’s what I had. It came out perfect! This recipe is a keeper for sure. My 18m old loved it and even asked for more.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved it!
Hi! Would this still be good with a green pepper instead of red and yellow? I only have green in the fridge right now ?
Yes that would be fine I’m sure.
I did this with some ground sausage that herbs and garlic mixed in already. Instead of rice however, I added cauliflower rice (paleo-friendly). It was delicious. I added a couple chopped jalpenos towards the end to give it a bit more of a kick.
It was a perfect meal to take for lunches this week. Thanks a lot!
Sounds like a winner with the cauli rice (great idea) and I love the addition of jalapeños! I love heat as well! Glad this was a perfect meal-prep recipes for lunches for the week!
My son had such a rough week. 13 years old, he was physically assaulted & had a knife pulled on him Tuesday. When he asked if he could make dinner for the family tonight, and gave me the ingredients he’d like to use, I typed them in and your recipe popped up. I had most of the ingredients, and shopped for the rest. This was his first “big dinner” tonight. It is simple and delicious. Thanks for posting this. I’m fighting back tears, and I want you to know you helped him gain some confidence this evening.
Oh my God I am so sorry for this horrifying act of violence against your son. Seriously as a parent of an almost 11 year old girl, I cannot even imagine how distraught and sad and in pain you and your whole family are over this senseless violence. I express my deepest sympathy for your family. As a mom, my heart breaks hearing this.
As a blogger, I am glad I could help. I am also extremely!! impressed that after the week your son had, he wanted to cook dinner! I am super impressed by his cooking skills and his tenacity in life. You are doing an amazing job as a parent! Hang in there :)
This was a huge hit tonight for dinner… kids went back for seconds.. and it was so easy to make.. even the baby at it! wondering about the caloric and nutritional info on it? (I’m tracking calories)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! For stats check out https://www.averiecooks.com/faq Item #4
Delicious! Thank you for such a simple delicious work night meal. Leftovers will be great for lunches for the week. I came across the recipe because I needed to cook something different with my husband’s venison ground hot sausage! I did not add one spice not even salt and pepper and the sausage flavored it enough along with those delicious peppers and onions of course! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! The reason I made this recipe is that I too was set with the task of creating something new and different with sausage. Glad you have leftovers for lunches for the week, too!
This was sooooo good! I made it for lunch today, a day off work because of the ice storm outside. It was super quick, used ingredients I already had, though I improvised a little. I used kielbasa sausage, sliced up, instead of an italian sausage. I also didn’t have any minute rice, only long cooking rice. I cooked the rice for only 10 minutes, then added it into the recipe at the same place the minute rice was added, and it worked perfectly. Thank you for such a quick and easy recipe for a weekday lunch!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad you were able to improvise with what you had on hand and didn’t have to venture out in the storm!
Hi – this looks amazing. I don’t have any minute rice.. could I use uncle bens 8 minute rice?
I think most minute rices are about 8 to 10 minutes. You just don’t want the regular, ‘long cooking’ rice that takes 20+ minutes.
Hi Averie, I tried your sausage rice skillet dish and it was great. Does the recipe require two cups cooked rice or 2 cups uncooked rice? Also, do you have caloric information per serving? I used 2 cups uncooked but wasn’t sure if this was correct.
Thank you
Don’t have nutrition stats and you want 2 cups minute or instant rice that’s uncooked. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This is delicious! I add a cup of sweet chilli to it just to add a bit extra spice. (I just use normal pork sausages) the family loves it.
Sounds perfect! Glad your family loves it!
Giiiiiirrrl! Your recipes are on point! My toddler loves rice and loves sausages. This one is sure to be a hit.
Thanks!!!!!!
Just wanted to say, this recipe has become my favorite weeknight meal! I made it for the first time a few weeks ago, and we’ve made it two more times since; it’s delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s a dinnertime favorite!
wow all these recipes are hot, and they look yum, I need to try all of them in this winter vacation.
That looks nice. I will try it next weekend.
After reading its preparation method and ingredients I am thinking I can try it my kitchen also. My mom love to try new dishes so I thinking to give her a little surprise.
My daughter showed my your blog because she was fascinated by the recipes. As a single father it’s really hard for me to keep on preparing interesting meals but this one really doesn’t look so much time consuming so I will try it during the weekend. Hope she likes it! :)
This would be a HUGE hit in my house! Love that sausage.
I love one skillet dinners! This looks so delicious :)
Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com
Rice, sausage, onions, and peppers? Pretty much sounds perfect to me!
I haven’t tried that kind of sausage. My family loves meals with fully cooked turkey sausage–I bet they’d like this, too.
I bet they would! LMK if you try it!
I love cooking with sausage – it’s such an underrated protein that really adds a ton of flavor to any meal! This looks so simple enough; I can’t wait to make it for a busy weeknight dinner!
It adds so much flavor and this was the perfect, fast and easy, weeknight dinner!
Okay, from the pre-cooked sausage, to the minute rice, to the easy ingredients, I’m adding this to my meal prep spreadsheet I’m making for my mom. And, I’m adding this to the list of things I’m making for her when I go home over Thanksgiving. I’m going to have to modify it, but it should be fine – throw the ingredients (minus rice) in a ziplock and freeze, then take out and cook in a slow cooker on low for the day. Minute rice when you get home from work, DONE.
This could probably be made ahead and frozen in a casserole dish, too, I’m guessing.
Just to clarify though, the sausage isn’t precooked. You have to brown that in a skillet first. Then add in the peppers, rice, broth, etc.
But the whole thing from start to finish is 30 minutes, tops, and that includes chopping the peppers and most of that is inactive, not doing any kind of work :) Just waiting. I’m sure it could be done in a slow cooker but honestly, more work and time and ‘hooplah’ than your mom would probably need for such an easy, throw together one-skillet meal. It makes plenty, of which I’m sure the leftovers would freeze great!
One skillet meal HEAVEN! This is an easy prep ahead meal to take with you on the go for lunches! I love it!
One skillet meals with leftovers for lunch or the freezer are my absolute favorite! I haven’t cooked sausage in months–I think Jon would like this for something different. This looks delicious and very flavorful (with an easy shopping list too)!
Super easy shopping list and knowing your love of veggies, you can get creative and work in whatever else you have lurking in your produce drawer :)
Jon had to work late so I offered to bring him dinner. He specifically asked for something easy to eat and not messy so I thought this was just the dish to make. Easy to make and so very good! I did throw in some diced carrots and the last of some cauliflower. I’ll definitely be making this again!
It’s the perfect dish to throw odds and ends into and your carrots and cauli sound great! Glad you guys enjoyed it!
This looks so delicious! A perfect weeknight meal!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com