Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, until the peppers are very tender and the sausage is heated through and slightly browned around the edges.
Before serving, give everything a good stir so the sausage slices and pepper strips are evenly coated in the glossy pan sauce. Taste and, if you like, season lightly with salt and black pepper.
Cooked sausage and peppers glossy in the slow cooker
Cooked sausage and peppers glossy in the slow cooker
Serve hot straight from the slow cooker, spooning the sausage, peppers, and plenty of sauce over noodles, rice, or into warm sandwich rolls.
Variations & Tips
You can easily tweak this simple three-ingredient meal to fit your family. For milder eaters, choose all sweet bell peppers and a very mild Amish-style sweet and sour sauce; if your crew likes a little kick, use a spicier pepper sauce or add a pinch of crushed red pepper (this would be a fourth ingredient, so only add if you’re not strictly counting). Smoked turkey sausage works well if you’re looking to lighten things up a bit, and you can also use beef sausage if that’s what your family prefers.
If your kids are picky about pepper texture, slice the peppers into thinner strips so they become extra soft and blend more into the sauce. To turn this into a heartier sandwich station for a potluck, keep the slow cooker on WARM and set out hoagie rolls and a small tray of sliced cheese so people can build their own.
Potluck sandwich setup with sausage and peppers and rolls
Potluck sandwich setup with sausage and peppers and rolls
For food safety, be sure to keep the sausage refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the slow cooker, and avoid letting the uncooked mixture sit out at room temperature for more than 1 to 2 hours. Cook on the LOW or HIGH settings as directed—do not use the WARM setting for cooking from the start, as it doesn’t heat quickly enough to keep food safe.
Once cooked, keep the slow cooker on WARM for up to 2 hours for serving, and promptly refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours of the end of cooking. Reheat leftovers until they are steaming hot before serving again.
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