I’ve tried to recreate the amazing grilled sausage sandwiches I used to enjoy at Italian street fairs in Boston’s North End when I was a kid. They are quite simple to put together and make a delicious summer lunch. As you choose, pick hot or mild sausages.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 (4 ounce) links hot Italian sausage
- 1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
- 1 small onion, peeled and cut in half crosswise
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 (6 inch) sandwich rolls, split and toasted
Instructions
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Lightly oil grate, and set 4 inches from the heat.
- Pierce the sausages in a few places with a fork, and set aside. Slice off the bottoms of the onion halves so they will sit flat on the grill. Brush the bell pepper and onion halves with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
- Place the sausages, onions, and peppers on the preheated grill. Cook and turn the sausages until well browned and juices run clear. Cook vegetables until tender and peppers are slightly charred. Remove vegetables and sausages from the grill.
- Place the peppers in a paper bag, close, and cool slightly. Remove and discard the charred skin from the peppers; slice peppers into strips. Slice the onion halves. Place salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Add the peppers and onions, and toss until evenly coated. To serve, place sausages in sandwich rolls, and top with the pepper and onion mixture.
- Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 631 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 56 g |
| Cholesterol | 61 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 1258 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 34 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Great recipe and inspiration. Long story short, I created this sauce for the sausage instead and it turned out great. I took 2 tbls of tomato paste (from a tube), 2 tbls of balsamic vinegar, 3 tbls of olive oil. 1 clove of minced garlic, 2 tbls mayo, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisked together and drizzled over sausage. So yummy.
Fast and easy great tasting lunch. The second time I made these, I put the peppers, onions and sausages in a pot with marina sauce to simmer for a while. Turned out great.
These are okay, but are even better with some adjustments. Don’t pierce the sausages. That releases all the juices as the sausage cooks and makes it drier than it should be. I would also roast the peppers longer until the skin is charred and blistered, and I’d use a mix of red and green peppers for a sweet and bitter complex of flavors. Skip the paper bag. You don’t need it if you properly roast the peppers. The skin will easily come off and where it doesn’t – leave it on! Put all this with the roasted onions on crusty toasted bread and melt some provolone or swiss cheese over it and then add banana peppers, spicy mustard or red pasta sauce, or seasoned Italian sandwich oil and you’re good to go.
These are so good, I don’t even put condiments on them. Grands do but kids put ketchup on everything. Don’t change a thing, fire up the grill, kick back and enjoy.
Great recipe for a classic dish! This is our go-to for a quick and delicious meal.
Hard to go wrong with this staple of summer. I’ve many such a sausage while walking around a festival. But please don’t pierce the sausages! Why give the fire all the good juice? lol. The idea is piercing would keep the sausage from bursting, but the better way is to grill them over lower heat, or do indirect heat and sear over direct at the end. No bursting and no loss of juices. Meanwhile I used both red and green peppers (I just love green peppers). Truly, searing the onions and peppers adds a lot to the flavor. I think I prefer marinara sauce on the finished “sandwich”, but they are also excellent just like this. Instead of bread this recipe is also excellent with marinara over pasta.
Wow! This quick easy treat is Outstanding! Thank you…
Only thing I added was a fair amount of fennel seed and some fresh cut up heirloom tomatoes, We used inexpensive spagetti sauce and seasoned that with Italian seasoning. Simmered for over a half hour which thickened the concoction. Would be a tasty yet easy camping dinner.
Pick good quality ingredients and don’t burn the sausages. You can add crushed red peppers (lightly) or buy the spicier type sausage. If you mess this recipe up, go to a state/county fair or carnival for a lesson in preparation.
Simple and very tasty. I like this as an alternative to sausage sandwiches that in Italian sauce. Each is tasty and unique!
Really yummy and just like at the fair. I doubled the sausages and used 2 whole onions and 4 bell peppers – red, green, orange, and yellow. So good!
Perfect way to use kielbasa sausage on the grill. I sliced an onion and a green pepper and sautéed in a pan while waiting for sausage link to grill. I used hamburger buns that I had on hand, we sliced sausage and placed on bun and topped with the pepper, onion, tomato sauce cheese combination. Excellent. Will make again. So easy, no changes necessary.
I did par boil sausage for 10 min b4 grilling. Have 2 adult sons and I ONLY made 10 sausages (5 hot/5 sweet mild) but I never got a taste Maybe next time, but they have to be great!
FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC,!!!!!!!!!!!!
This has become a “go to” recipe at my house. Thanks for sharing!
This was absolutely delicious! I substituted turkey hot dogs for the sausage and broiled it rather than grilling but it was so flavorful! I do think I’d like to season the vegetables next time I make these.
I have always grilled my Italian sausage this way and it comes out perfect each time. Only exception DON”T pierce the sausage if you want to savor all the delicious juices.
This was very good. I think I might have cooked the onions too much but it tasted very Google
Delicious! I used a vidalia onion instead of red and yellow. I also used only green pepper instead of red and green. If I’d had red I would’ve used it. Also, I used beer instead of wine!
Other than maybe Bobby Flay, I can think of no better grill master than hubby – and he says, “Don’t poke the sausages!” Grill them over medium coals, till browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. They will be perfectly juicy and have that delightful “snap” when you bite into them. This sandwich is nothing new for us, but grilling the peppers and onions made all the difference in the world. Until now I had always cooked them in a skillet and while that’s delicious too, it is no substitute for what the submitter intended in this recipe. I was really amazed at the difference the roasted, charred peppers and onions made, in color as well as taste. Out of this world good!
Loveee sausage, peppers and onions…..suggestion for this that I really did get from a festival….top with some sauerkraut and you will take it to a whole new level!!!