Creamy Sausage and Peppers over Mashed Potatoes

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 Typically, you see creamy sausage and peppers over pasta, but we are going to blow your mind with it served over creamy mashed potatoes!

This recipe is inspired by our whole wheat penne sausage and peppers. I had a little cream left in the fridge that I tossed into the sauce, and I loved the extra richness that the cream added! 

We were in the middle of moving at the time and my kitchen was half packed. When I went to grab the penne, all my pasta was already packed, but my potatoes were still sitting in the pantry. I figured, why not?! And we absolutely LOVED the change in carb! I mean, you can’t go wrong with mashed potatoes!

What Do I Need For Creamy Sausage and Peppers?

I love a quick dinner recipe with simple ingredients! Here is your grocery shopping list with a quick explanation of each ingredient. I find it so helpful to get a little snapshot of what I’m going to need for a recipe before getting into all the details!
  • Italian Sausage Links – you can get mild, sweet or spicy depending on what flavor you prefer
  • Green Peppers –  remove the stem and seeds and slice into thin slices
  • Red Pepper – remove the stem and seeds and slice into thin slices – red peppers are a little sweeter than green peppers so they add another dimension of flavor
  • Yellow Onion – we prefer a yellow onion, sliced thin
  • White Wine (cooking white wine) – we don’t drink alcohol so we cook with cooking wine, but feel free to use whichever you prefer – you can also use chicken broth if you don’t want to use wine at all
  • Fire Roasted Tomatoes – adds a tiny bit of heat and so much flavor to the sauce
  • Tomato Paste – a 6oz can, any brand works – just choose your favorite
  • Tomato Sauce – an 8oz can, any brand works – just choose your favorite
  • Water – thins the sauce out a little and helps blend all the ingredients together
  • Italian Seasoning – a dried seasoning blend that you can buy at the grocery store that usually includes dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme and dried marjoram
  • Sugar – enhances the flavors
  • Salt – adds flavor
  • Heavy Cream – adds richness and all the creaminess to the sauce
  • Parmesan Cheese – you can buy shredded parmesan or shred your own or use the grated parm from the bottle. 
You can find the measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card at the end of this post.

What is Italian Sausage?

Italian sausage most often refers to a style of pork sausage that is seasoned with fennel and garlic. You can find it at the grocery store in the pork section by the other sausage links.

What Can You Substitute For Cooking Wine?

Red or white wine vinegar, cranberry juice, ginger ale, grape juice, apple juice, and chicken or beef stock are all good substitutes for cooking wine.

For this particular recipe, I would go with chicken or beef stock as the best substitute.

Best Mashed Potatoes

We have an entire post about making the best mashed potatoes. We cover all the big questions from what kind of potatoes to use, how long to boil them, how to mash them, how many you need to feed a crowd, how to avoid the typical mashed potato pitfalls, plus how to keep them warm, reheat them and even freeze them. Head to our post there for all the details!

Can Pasta Be Used Instead of Mashed Potatoes?

You can absolutely use pasta instead of mashed potatoes if you want. Cook a good hearty pasta like penne or rotini until it is al dente. You can mix the pasta and sauce together or keep them separate and just pour the sauce over the pasta while serving.

Why You Will Love this Recipe

  1. Full of Flavor: When you cook the sausage in a large skillet it flavors the whole dish leaving seasoning behind for cooking the onions, peppers and creamy sauce. And let’s be honest, sausage, peppers and onions all together is a trifecta!
  2. Simple: The ingredients are all easy to find and the whole meal is made in two pots (one for the potatoes, one for the sausage and peppers) 
  3. Quick: The whole dish from beginning to end comes together in just about a half hour
  4. Family Friendly: My whole family eats this one, and that is a rarity!
  5.  Satisfying: This dish is hearty and combines your veggies, protein and carb all in one dish checking all the typical main dish boxes
  6. Versatile: Make this dish your own! Use turkey sausage, kielbasa, or chicken sausage if you want! Swap the peppers for any color peppers you want. Dial up the heat with spicy sausage or a dash of red pepper flakes. Add more cream to make it creamier! 

Reheating, Storing and Freezing Creamy Sausage and Peppers

The quickest way to reheat this dish is the microwave, especially if you’re just warming up a single serving. It should be ready in about one minute. You can also reheat the sauce on the stovetop in a skillet over medium-low heat until heated through. You’ll most likely need to add a little extra cream or milk to thin out the sauce as it reheats.

I prefer to store the creamy sausage and peppers separately from the mashed potatoes. Keep them both in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 5 days.

Unfortunately, this dish does not freeze well because of the cream in the sauce. 

You’re going to love this recipe because it tastes totally indulgent, like you spent hours cooking it, but it comes together in just a half hour! Creamy sausage and peppers over mashed potatoes is hearty and explodes with flavor! Your whole fam will love this one!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian sausage links, 1 package
  • 1 small green pepper, sliced
  • 1 small red pepper, sliced
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced thin
  • 2 Tablespoons cooking white wine
  • 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 12 ounces water
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • Parmesan Cheese for finishing
  • mashed potatoes

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