There’s something undeniably satisfying about the combination of smoked sausage, peppers, and onions. This keto sausage and peppers recipe delivers a simple, bold flavor in one pan. It's a fuss-free dish that requires minimal effort and no weird ingredients, making it perfect for busy weeknights and families on the go. This versatile dish can be enjoyed on its own, in sandwiches, or alongside various keto-friendly sides.
Why This Recipe Works
This smoked sausage with peppers and onions skillet is a recipe you'll keep coming back to. It’s colorful, packed with flavor, and ready in less than 30 minutes-no fancy ingredients and no extra dishes. Best of all…it is super simple!
Ingredients
- Smoked Sausage: Adds a big, bold flavor to the dish. Look for sausages with no added sugar or fillers. All-beef sausage or uncured Polish sausage are great options. You can also use a low carb kielbasa or any cooked beef, chicken, or pork sausage you’d like. You could even use an elk or venison sausage for a nice change of pace.
- Bell Peppers: A colorful mix of red, yellow, and orange peppers adds natural sweetness and visual appeal. You can use any color or color combination you’d like.
- Onions: Yellow or white onions provide a savory base for the dish.
- Butter or Avocado Oil: Helps everything caramelize and adds rich flavor.
- Minced Garlic: Adds aromatic flavor to the dish.
- Bragg’s Liquid Aminos: Adds a savory umami flavor.
- Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce: For a smoky-sweet twist that pairs really well with the sausage.
- Petite Diced Tomatoes, Italian Seasoning, Keto Granulated Sugar, Salt, Pepper, and Chopped Parsley: These ingredients are combined to create a tasty and low carb sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here are two methods for cooking this dish: skillet and sheet pan.
Skillet Method
This smoked sausage with peppers and onions skillet is an easy one-pan dinner that’s full of bold flavor and low in carbs.
- Prepare the Ingredients: Before slicing the sausage, place it in the freezer for a couple of minutes. While the sausage is cooking, go ahead and slice your onions and bell peppers lengthwise.
- Sauté Sausage: Place your skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. While that’s melting, go ahead and mince the garlic so it's ready to go. Add the minced garlic to the skillet. Slice the smoked sausage into coins or half-moons and add to the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is lightly browned. Remove the sausage from the skillet, drain any excess grease if needed, and set it aside.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add the sliced peppers and onions to the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies start to soften and get a little golden around the edges.
- Combine and Season: Add the cooked sausage back to the skillet along with the Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
- Add Sauce (Optional): In a small mixing bowl, add diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add sausages and tomato mixture to skillet. Stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Decrease heat to medium. Add parsley and stir in to mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Sheet Pan Method
Sheet pan dinners are hands down the best. It doesn’t get any easier than throwing all your ingredients on a baking sheet and basically forgetting about it for 30 minutes while it bakes. I also love that sheet pan meals make low-carb eating so easy, especially when doing a keto sausage and peppers sheet pan meal.
Read also: Easy Keto Crockpot Meal
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Prepare Ingredients: Slice the bell peppers, onions, and Brussels sprouts. Cut the Italian sausages into fourths.
- Season and Bake: Drizzle the veggies and sausage with olive oil and sprinkle the cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the sausage is fully cooked.
Traditional Skillet Method
- Grill sausages and slice into rounds. Alternately, slice sausages and cook in a large skillet over medium heat with 1 ½ teaspoon oil, to brown (about 8-10 minutes). Remove sausage from the pan.
- While the sausage is cooking, slice the peppers and onion. Mince the garlic.
- Heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot. Swirl to coat the pan. Saute the vegetables with the garlic until softened (about 10 minutes).
- Add the sausage and any accumulated juices back to the pan to re-heat. Add the Marinara sauce and stir to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve.
Sheet Pan Method
- Slice the sausage into rounds. Slice the peppers and onions. Mince the garlic.
- Toss the ingredients with 1 tablespoon of oil and bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes until browned, stirring halfway through.
- Put into a bowl and add warmed Marinara sauce.
Tips and Variations
- Sausage Selection: Always check the label of your smoked sausage to ensure it’s keto-friendly. Some brands include added sugar or fillers.
- Vegetable Options: Feel free to add other vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms. Just know they’ll release more liquid, so you may need to cook them a little bit longer to get that nice sautéed texture.
- Spice It Up: Add some red pepper flakes for a little extra spice!
- Marinara Sauce: Sweet Italian sausage cooked with colorful bell peppers and onions with Marinara sauce is great with eggs, on sandwiches, or as is!
Serving Suggestions
This dish makes for a complete and satisfying meal in itself, so you can serve it as is! You could also pair it with a nice keto salad or soup. How about a keto Caesar salad! For a fun option, you can also add your favorite keto bread, biscuit, or English muffin to this meal. In fact, you could even make a sandwich from this dish. You could also add a side of vegetables to your meal. Consider serving with a Sugar Free Lemonade or a Keto Mango Margarita!
The best thing to serve with this scrumptious meal is some cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles. You can also serve it with a chopped green salad and your favorite soup.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Leftovers
Let everything cool completely. Store the leftovers in an airtight container or zippered storage bag. Once cool, store it in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Don’t forget to label it (unless you enjoy mystery meals 😅). It’ll keep for up to 2 months.
Having a large family, leftovers are gold! We love meals that have leftovers because it makes the next day’s lunch or dinner so much easier.
Freezing
Yes. This dish freezes surprisingly well. Let it cool completely, then store it in a freezer-safe container or zippered storage bag for up to 2 months.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
For long-term meal planning, you could freeze this dish before or after cooking. If freezing before cooking, make sure your ingredients are dry before tossing them into the bag. If freezing after cooking, make sure the dish is completely cool before freezing.
Reheating
Yes, absolutely! This reheats very well, so you can make this ahead of time. It will last 4 days in the fridge or 3-6 months in the freezer. Once cooked, allow the dish to completely cool before moving to an airtight container. Store in the fridge up to 4 days. To reheat, warm your skillet to medium and saute (stirring frequently) until warmed throughout. Alternatively, you could pour onto a baking pan and reheat at 350 degrees F until hot. You could also reheat in the air fryer (about 325 degrees) or on the grill.
This one pan keto meal is everything you need - Protein, vegetables, tons of flavor, and basically no work at all.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide