On days when my schedule is overloaded, this easy throw-together recipe is always a hit with my family.
This is a favorite in our house because not only does it double well (so you can freeze half for another meal or feed a large group) but it's quick to assemble before a busy day. I like to use Uncle Charley's sausages (which is a really good Pennsylvania sausage company), organic pasta sauce and sometimes, I'll throw in a couple drained cans of fire roasted tomatoes. You might want to taste your sauce before you serve it just in case it needs seasonings. Usually, the sausage (and the sauce--so use a good one!) gives the sauce all the flavor it needs. Great goulash. This also is a good sauce for lasagna.
Read MoreFatal flaw for me: this cooked up so greasy it was impossible to eat. I put in uncooked sausages, and when it was done cooking, the sauce was just a greasy mess.
Read MoreThis is a favorite in our house because not only does it double well (so you can freeze half for another meal or feed a large group) but it's quick to assemble before a busy day. I like to use Uncle Charley's sausages (which is a really good Pennsylvania sausage company), organic pasta sauce and sometimes, I'll throw in a couple drained cans of fire roasted tomatoes. You might want to taste your sauce before you serve it just in case it needs seasonings. Usually, the sausage (and the sauce--so use a good one!) gives the sauce all the flavor it needs. Great goulash. This also is a good sauce for lasagna.
I scaled this down to just two servings and used all hot Italian sausage. Since we love bell peppers (which you might have guessed), I used a mix of green, red, yellow and orange and probably used more than indicated. I also subbed bow tie pasta that was already cooked and in the freezer, for the elbows. I tweaked this just a little by adding some crushed red pepper for some zip, and a little dry white wine, because I couldn’t help myself, lol! Well, this was really good and a snap to make! Hubs and I both really enjoyed it. This is now my go-to recipe for sausage and peppers! Love it! Thank you korilynne for a terrific new recipe!
LOVED IT, but I knew that we would, lol! This took no time to throw together and the slow cooker did all the work. I cooked it on low for about 6-1/2 hrs. and that was perfect. The sausage was so tender and the sauce so flavorful, that it needed nothing else added. I would've never thought to serve this over elbows, but it was a perfect match. Hubby took one bite and said 'this is delicious'! I would make this anytime, wether I'm busy or not...It's just great comfort food~YUM! Thanks, Korilynne for sharing this awesom recipe that I will be using often! :)
Fatal flaw for me: this cooked up so greasy it was impossible to eat. I put in uncooked sausages, and when it was done cooking, the sauce was just a greasy mess.
Very good, easy, and makes a lot. I used less sausage--I used smoked turkey sausage and dumped it all in the slow cooker chopped; I didn't bother with putting them in whole and then pulling them back out again. I did use some water but wouldn't next time; I like really thick sauce and I don't like it when it's watery, which this was. I added some minced garlic to this (instead of the onion) and served over farfalle pasta. The recipe does make a lot, but we'll take portions for lunch during the week and for leftovers later on. Thanks for the recipe!
I baked the sausage for 30 mins. @ 400 first to get some of the grease out of the sausage. Then I cut the sausage into 1" pieces before adding them to the slow cooker. I used red, green, yellow and orange peppers, along with several green onions. I added 3 large cloves of garlic and used white wine in place of water. I cooked on high for 4 hours and served over rice. The while family loved it and the leftovers were excellent
I've made this recipe before but in a skillet so I was excited to see it done in a crock pot...what a time saver! This is a family favorite of ours, though we put the sausage/pepper mixture over angel hair pasta
This is so good. I made extra for subs later in the week. I will use this recipe in my monthly rotation. Thanks for sharing the recipe,I can use all the help that I can get.
I love it when I’m just looking for a simple, easy recipe to use up ingredients that have been hanging around in the freezer, and I run across a gem of a recipe. I admit I did tweak it slightly. I only had hot sausage, took them out of its casing and browned it in the skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. I chopped the veggies, not sliced them to get a chunky style sauce. It came out perfect. My husband immediately said after taking the first bite “This is a five star.” I couldn’t agree more. I’ll be making this again and again.
My family, including my grandsons, 4 and 8, really enjoyed this. I ended up cooking it on top of the stove, and made it just as the recipe states, except I sprinkled some parmesan on top. It was very tasty.
Yummy! Thanks Korilynne, this recipe is super easy and was soooooo good! Huge hit with my family :)
I give this a 4 star for flavor, but 5 star for ease of preparation. You can't get much easier than dumping ingredients into a crock pot to cook while you are busy with life. The flavor wasn't bad...I'm not sure the addition of water was needed since the flavor seemed a little flat. Also, I think the next time I make this, I'll half the amount of pasta. 16 oz seemed like a lot. I'll probably add some spice next time or maybe make a home made marinara to pour over top of the sausage, peppers, and onions. I'll try again, but with some minor adjustments.
Wow - this is easy and delicious. A plus is my book is that it is all made in the crockpot. The only change I made was in the pasta. I had some type of corkscrew pasta rather than elbows. I made the full batch and 2 bags are in the freezer to reheat for a quick meal. The blend of the two sausage flavors is what I feel is the perfect balance in this recipe. Thanks korilynne for sharing your recipe with us. It is good stuff!
Not wild about this, but it may just be a personal preference. I didn't like how the sausage got mushy. It was a great idea though.
I followed the directions and was not happy with the results. To begin with. I think adding water did nothing but make it taste watered down. Perhaps adding more sauce instead of water might help. This recipe isn’t something I will make again.
Very easy and tasty. There was a bit too much liquid for my tastes so will add some stewed tomatoes next time. Will also try adding some minced garlic and maybe white wine.
This dish is very good. I might brown the links next time before putting them in the crock pot. I also might try a different pasta than elbows.
Liked this a lot but must admittedly I did doctor the recipe with spices. Added some garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper I also added an additional jar of sauce and the half jar of water as I was going to cook the macaroni in the crock pot. I gave the recipe the full 4 hours (including 35 minutes for the macaroni!) I did forget a red pepper (I was shopping from memory despite the conveniences allrecipe has for adding to a shopping list!) Will get the basic ingredients right the next time!
Seems to me that the photo should reflect what the title says!! The pasta is not elbows, they are farfalle or bow ties!!! They cook very differently!!
It was too bland for my taste. I should've seasoned my sauce more
My family loved this! So simple to make. Sausages were super tender from crock pot. Will definitely make again!!!
Easy and delicious. I used all hot sausage and even added meat balls. Came out great
I tried the recipe as is and it did not turn out good. it was very watery, and very bland. the sausage after cooking in the slow cooker created a layer of oil i needed to scoop out with a spoon.
EXCELLENT! I love that this recipe is so versatile. Hubby asked for it to be served with rice and it was absolutely delicious. He kept telling me how much he enjoyed it and asked to have sandwiches with the leftovers for tomorrow. I was hoping to freeze the leftovers and have it with elbows another day. Thank you korilynne for such an EXCELLENT recipe that can be served so many different ways!
OMG. So easy & delicious. I am not a fan of spicy foods and this was perfect. It made a lot! there were 3 of us, fed us 2X, froze a meal & gave our neighbors a dinner. All I changed was I had a Portobello mushroom that I sliced & added. Will keep this recipe, especially for get togethers.
Didn’t make any changes but added seasoning to it while it cooked along with red pepper flakes. Excellent ... will make again!!! Super easy meal
Needed a lot more flavor. I added 1 Tbs. oregano, and half a head of fresh garlic. there was too much liquid too thin so I put the uncooked pasta in and it cooked absorbing most of the liquid. Also I used a 45oz jar of Prego sauce.If needed add a little tomato or V8 juice to loosen.
I used bowtie pasta rather than elbow pasta. In addition, I cooked the sausage in a cast iron skillet on the stove before adding it to the crockpot. It gave it a nice flavor and prevented all of the cooked off grease from getting into the dish. In the future, I may try different sauces to give it a bit more flavor or spice.
The texture of the slow-cooked sausage was a little weird, but overall this was really delicious! We like red bell peppers better than green, so I used two of those and one green, but that was the only change I made besides sprinkling a little Parmesan cheese on my plate. Yum.
I gave this a try and as I was preparing it I notice that it was going to be way too much liquid, sure enough it was. I used white cooking wine instead of water. At the end of cooking time it still was way too much liquid, and very bland tasting, I had to add a lot of seasonings to bring some taste and flavor to it. I would also grill the sausages before placing in the crockpot, the way they are in the original receiple don't do them justed. Overall, I wouldn't try it again unless I make significant changes
My husband is a vegetarian so I adapted this recipe using veggie Italian sausage. WOW, came out great and was easy. I mage my own tomatoe
i was looking for direction for the amounts of ingredients to put together something for bf's lunch.. i came across this recipe and modified it to what i had in the kitchen.. here's my variation: i fried up some spicy kielbasa (about 12 oz).. set the sausage aside and then sauteed half of a red bell pepper, half of a green bell pepper, half of an onion, and half of a zucchini.. i only had about 12-14 oz of egg noodles.. and i used about 1 1/2 jars of Hunts no sugar added pasta sauce.. it was so delicious that i told bf i'm tempted to have this for dinner.. he agreed.. we topped it off with parm and i tried a little monterey jack on mine b/c we have no mozz right now.. it was SO good.. ty for the inspiration
I made this for dinner tonight and thought the recipe was amazing. I had to alter it as I didn't have all the ingredients. I substituted the elbow macaroni for cubed potatoes and only used hot Italian sausage. We used a sweeter, cheesier, pasta sauce and my biggest fear was that it was going to be sweet and not spicy and that was not the case. We served it on top of buttered toast with cheese, and its a new favorite.
Easy and tasty. Water mixed with the pasta sauce makes for a very runny sauce. I recommend either 1-1/2 jars of sauce, or make the recipe as stated but add a small can of tomato paste to keep it reasonably thick. This recipe calls for macaroni but it can be served over other kinds of pasta.
i NEVER thought of doing my favorite sausage & peppers in a crock pot! this is a life-saver-no more greasy stove top from frying, no more cutting into sausage to make sure they are done-i love this! saw a comment about the grease in it-old trick-get a piece of bread & dip it to soak up the grease. also, i add a little italian seasoning to it
It had great favor, but way too greasy! I'll keep this recipe, but do it on the stove top, and cook sausage separate from sauce.
Question please, if you made this did you use elbows as called for in the recipe or bow ties as shown in the photo? I am wondering if elbows would be to small to hold up to the other ingredients. I would appreciate anyone sharing their experience or opinion on which pasta would work best. Thanks in advance
Best to brown down sausages either in a skillet or on the grill to reduce the amount of grease.
I made this for my spouse and myself but, using red and orange peppers and spiralized Butternut Squash instead of pasta. We both liked it and would make it again
I used half a box of penne, 1 package of turkey sausage links which I sliced before hand, sherry in place of white wine, 3 cloves of garlic and added a little tomato paste to thicken the sauce. I did 6 hours on low and it was excellent. Very tasty.
This turned out amazing. Rather than sauce, I used olive oil. I also sprinkled a generous amount of black pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and garlic salt over each layer of sausage and veggies (2 green peppers, 1 red pepper, 1 onion). When served over the cooked elbow macaroni, the combination of olive oil and liquid from the veggies created a perfect, light "sauce".
Great dish! Added a little bit more wine which created a nice, flavorful broth to dip bread into. Next time I think I may try adding some mushrooms too.
Simple receipe but good. Its a good solid and simple base b4 you add or subtract things. I will likely add a little more sauce next time and more peppers.
I added the extra 2 jar of water as suggested and it ended up being a wee bit soupy. But it did have good flavor.
I followed this recipe as written and I should have taken other reviewers advice to not add the water. It comes out very liquidity. I used a large jar of Rao's marinara and did add some of my own Italian seasonings. It does taste yummy but I wish it was thicker. I would make it again just not add the water.
We enjoyed this. My husband wanted it with spaghetti. I read reviews and browned the sausage before adding it to the slow cooker. I didn’t have any problems with it being greasy. I only added 1/4 jar of water but it was still a little watery for my taste. I’ll try it without any water next time. I was glad I had a slow cooker meal on this warm, muggy day and didn’t have to heat up the kitchen.
It was sooooo easy!! I made it by 10 a.m., and it was ready by 3:30 including slicing the sausages. You can use all of one flavor or mix flavors. I used 4 mild, 2 with basil. Any "curly" pasta works!
cooked this on low for about 8 hours. The taste was amazing, the sausages tender and delicious. We even threw in a few small potato's to make the dish fuller. Came out great.
Easy peasy and actually I have for years made a similar recipe for east coast italian sausage sandwiches. The difference is/was more seasonings and Ragu Pizza Quick Sauce. Anyway on to this very simple recipe - I believe the taste of this is all in whatever one chooses for a spaghetti sauce. I'm a Ragu girl simply as it doesn't get everyone sick as it's competitors often do. I used lots of peppers and mushrooms and it was very tasty indeed! A simple satisfying dish for sure.
This is so easy and delicious. I love the texture the sausages take on in the slow cooker. I used all hot italians and used "Basic Spicy Sauce" from this site since I had a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes to use up. Served over spaghetti. This is easy weeknight comfort food at it's best. House smeells like an Italian restaurant while this is cooking. Thanks for sharing, Kori!
Very easy to make. Easy leftovers. I added my own herbs that I had on hand from the garden.
This dish is delicious and so savory. You can make it as directed or use it as a starting point to do some refrigerator cleaning. I did the latter. If you take that approach just be sure to think about the cooking times of the various ingredients and if they can hold up through the entire slow cooking process. The aromas coming from the crockpot were amazing. My husband couldn’t wait to sit down to dinner.
I'm giving this recipe 4 stars because it did inspire me to make a delicious dish with Italian sausage and macaroni. The problem is that you're basically just taking a store bought sauce and adding meat and vegetables and tossing it over noodles. Given that, the recommended approach is not ideal. I don't think the slow cooker needs to be involved at all or is even a good idea for this recipe. I did use it to cook the sausage, onions and peppers. I tossed the macaroni in olive oil seasoned with black pepper, turkish oregano, a blend called mural of flavor, and fresh basil. So ultimately, I didn't use a sauce at all. If I were to hew to this recipe more closely, I would heat the sauce separately and probably bake or grill (instead of slow cooking) the sausage, peppers, and onions, before combining everything at the end.
