Sausage and Peppers with Zucchini Noodles
The classic combination of sausage and peppers is tossed with tender zucchini noodles in this easy summery one-pot meal.
Serves4
Prep15 minutes
Cook23 minutes to 25 minutes
When you have a glut of zucchini or summer squash and are looking for an easy one-pot dinner, this dish — inspired by the classic Italian-American dish sausage and peppers — is just the ticket. It’s a summery blend of sautéed sweet peppers and onions, seared spicy Italian sausage, juicy cherry tomatoes, and a big bowl of zucchini noodles to soak up all that flavor. In less than 30 minutes, this gluten-free dinner chock-full of vegetables can be ready for the dinner table.
Spicy Italian pork sausage links give off the best flavor to this easy dinner, but you can go with sweet instead if you don’t want a spicy quick. Your favorite chicken sausage will also work if you want to go in a lighter direction — just make sure it’s browned well for maximum flavor. This whole dish is cooked in a Dutch oven so there’s plenty of space to toss when the zucchini noodles go in at the end, plus the one-pot method means there are fewer dishes to wash at the end — something we can all appreciate in the summer.
Use Fresh, Not Frozen Zucchini Noodles
This recipe is the perfect use of an over-abundance of summer zucchini. You can spiralize whole summer squash into long strands that echo pasta or, for an easy shortcut, purchase them already cut from the grocery store. Just don’t use frozen zucchini noodles, which tend to freeze together into one big block and let off way too much liquid as it cooks.
Sausage and Peppers with Zucchini Noodles
The classic combination of sausage and peppers is tossed with tender zucchini noodles in this easy summery one-pot meal.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 23 minutes to 25 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2
medium bell peppers
- 1
medium yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups
grape or cherry tomatoes (about 8 ounces)
- 12 ounces
cooked spicy Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 pounds
zucchini or zoodles
- 3 tablespoons
olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Thinly slice 2 medium bell peppers and 1 yellow onion, and place both in a medium bowl. Halve 1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes. Cut 12 ounces spicy Italian sausage crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds. If needed, trim and cut 1 1/2 pounds zucchini into noodles.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and arrange in an even layer. Cook until browned on both cut sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer with tongs to a plate.
Add the peppers and onions to the pan, season with 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper, and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Push the mixture to one half of the pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and tomatoes to the other half of the pan and cook until just starting to soften, about 2 minutes.
Return the sausage and any accumulated juices to the pan, add the zucchini noodles and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the zoodles are heated through and starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Top with torn fresh basil leaves if desired.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.