Healthy Italian Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Sandwiches

Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Sandwiches. Italian street food at it's best. This is one of my DH's favorite meals. Here the recipe is lightened up with chicken sausage for a healthy meal that is still comfort food. I like to serve it open-faced and garnish it with fresh basil. A little Parmesan would be nice too. An added bonus, this is an easy do-ahead meal for busy moms. I made the sausage, onion, pepper mixture during naptime, and reheated it right before dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 package cooked turkey or chicken Italian sausage
  
• 4 to 6 fresh Italian sandwich rolls
  

Directions

Heat olive oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, basil, and garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the Marsala wine, tomatoes, and chili flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. Bring to a simmer.

Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each, about 1-inch cubes. Add the sausage to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.

Serve in bowls. Or, if serving as a sandwich, split the rolls in half lengthwise. Hollow out the bread from the bottom side of each roll, being careful not to puncture the crust. Fill the bottom half of the roll with sausage mixture. Top and serve sandwiches immediately. Or, serve open-faced, like I did.

Adapted from Everyday Italian