Grilled Sausage and Pepper Heroes

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 40 min
  • Active: 40 min
This hearty sandwich comes together quickly on a small portable grill, making it perfect for a tailgate or picnic. Make the balsamic vinaigrette at home and take it along in a small jar. You can purchase the Italian sausage ring (shaped like a spiral) at an Italian butcher. If you can’t get the cheese and parsley flavor, use any flavor you like. If you’d like to make this on a full-size grill, you can cook everything at once and remove the ingredients as they finish cooking.
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Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 red bell pepper, top and bottom removed, cut into 4 planks 

1 yellow bell pepper, top and bottom removed, cut into 4 planks 

1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings 

One 1 1/2-pound Italian pork sausage ring, preferably cheese and parsley flavor 

Four 6-to-8-inch hoagie rolls, split  

8 slices provolone (about 6 ounces)

Directions

  1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a small jar or other lidded container. Shake to combine. Soak 2 long wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes (alternatively, use metal skewers).
  2. Preheat a small grill to medium-high heat and brush with olive oil. Brush the peppers and onions with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Stick the skewers through the sausage ring at a perpendicular angle to each other (in an X). Place the sausage ring in the middle of the grill and cook until the underside is charred, 5 to 6 minutes.  
  3. Flip the sausage ring with tongs and a spatula and arrange the peppers around the ring. Grill the sausage until browned and crispy in places and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board. Add the onion rings to the empty space on the grill. Cook the peppers and onions until crisp-tender and charred on the edges, about 4 minutes per side (the peppers will come off first, since you put them on first). Transfer the vegetables to a cutting board as they finish cooking.  
  4. Brush the cut sides of the rolls with olive oil and grill, cut-side down, until toasted, about 1 minute. Flip and lay 2 slices of cheese on the grilled cut sides of each roll and cook until the cheese just begins to melt, moving as needed so they don’t burn, 1 to 2 minutes. 
  5. Remove the skewers from the sausage, cut into serving pieces 4 to 5 inches long and divide evenly among the rolls. Cut the peppers into strips and separate the onions into rings. Pile on top of the sausage. Drizzle the heroes with the remaining dressing and serve immediately.  

Cook’s Note

This recipe works on a small portable grill (12 inches in diameter or larger). If you’re not going to be at your gathering long, a portable gas grill is preferable as you won’t have to worry about letting the charcoal cool down. If you are using a charcoal grill, prepare the coals as you would a full-size grill by banking in the center to light (or using a chimney starter). Most small grills have a line inside that show the maximum amount you can fill them, about halfway up. Let the charcoal cool completely before disposing of the coals. If you need to pack up before your coals are cool, dump them into a fireproof vessel and douse with water until completely out, then dispose of the coals.

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