HEALTHY ITALIAN SAUSAGE & PEPPERS

Growing up in a predominantly Italian town on Long Island, New York, there is one staple food that is universally loved: Sausage & Peppers. On Long Island, there are many Italian festivals that typically fall around late August to early September and the air is laden with the heavenly scents of sausage and peppers cooking, among other Italian specialties.

With the invention of turkey Italian sausage, you can now make this wonderful dish with less fat and calories but all of the taste! They key is in finding a well-seasoned brand of Italian sausage. Aldi’s sells some really good ones: the seasoning is perfect! You can also create your own seasonings if you make your own sausage, which I may eventually get into doing myself—but for now, there are some stellar ready-made turkey sausages out there. These are typically served on Italian bread or hoagies, but it’s good over brown rice as well if you want a carb but don’t want to do bread.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package of mild or sweet Italian turkey sausage
• 1 red or yellow Bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 green Bell pepper, sliced thin
• 2 sweet onions, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
• ½ tsp dried basil or 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• Nonstick cooking spray
• A carb (if desired).

DIRECTIONS:

Since turkey sausage has little fat, spray a large pan with nonstick spray and then add the olive oil and spread it around. Brown the sausage on all sides but don’t cook it through. Once brown, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Now, add the peppers, onion, and garlic to the pan and cook it until it looks like it’s getting soft and the color of the peppers turn bright; usually about 3 minutes. Now, slice the sausages into 3 or 4 pieces each and return to the pan with the peppers and onions. Removing them and then adding them back keeps them juicy! Add the diced tomatoes, paste, and spices. Cook until the sausages are cooked through, which should be about 10 minutes.

NUTRITION: