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Sausage and Peppers Freezer Meal

This sausage and peppers freezer meal recipe came about the same way some of our others have. We invented it using what we had left at the end of our freezer meal assembly day. We took some extra vegetables that were already prepped, onions and peppers and combined it with other ingredients we had on hand.

I had accidentally bought too much sausage because of a miscalculation on my part, so we actually invented three different recipes using sausage and what we had left of other ingredients. Sometimes the best freezer meal recipes come about that way! That day, our Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce and our Italian Wedding Soup were also born.bag with sausage meatballs and sliced peppers and sausage and red and yellow peppers on rice on a plateThis recipe can either be served over rice or it can be rolled in a flour or corn tortilla and eaten as a wrap.

Sausage and Peppers Freezer Meal Recipe:

  • 1 lb. of Italian sausage (see directions for preparing it below)
  • 1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped or sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tsp. cajun seasoning
  • 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

You can use mild or spicy sausage depending on your family’s preference. Remove the sausage from the casing and slice. I prefer to actually squeeze out sausage meatballs and flatten them a bit with my fingers to slicing. It is a messier method, but it is easier to remove the casing this way.raw meatballs on a baking sheet, meatballs and sliced peppers in a bag, red and yellow peppers with meatballs on riceFry the sausage slices in a frying pan over medium-high heat until lightly browned on both sides. Alternately, you can place the raw sausage “meatballs” in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven.

Blot the cooked sausage slices on a paper towel to remove some of the grease.

To assemble this meal, place the cooked sausage pieces in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the sliced peppers, onion, minced garlic, cajun seasoning, and the can of diced tomatoes.

Remove the excess air from the bag, seal and freeze.meatballs, yellow and red pepper slices in a clear bagOn the day of cooking, thaw the sausage and peppers freezer meal. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until heated through. Serve over rice or in a wrap.

This recipe is gluten free and keto friendly if served on cauliflower rice. You can even make cauliflower rice ahead and freeze.

Can you freeze cooked Italian sausage?

You can absolutely freeze Italian sausage. If you freeze raw Italian sausage, it has a tendency to get freezer burnt quite quickly even if it is packaged well. By cooking the sausage first, it will keep much longer in the freezer.

To freeze ground Italian sausage, brown it first in a skillet. Be sure to drain it to remove the extra grease. Measure out 1 or 2 cup portions into medium sized resealable freezer bags or add the cooked ground sausage to freezer meal recipes and freeze.

Make meatballs out of Italian sausage by squeezing chunks out of the casing and laying them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook at 350° until the outside is brown and they are no longer pink inside. Blot the excess grease before adding them to a resealable freezer bag or into a freezer meal recipe and freeze.

sliced red and yellow peppers and sausage meatballs on a bed of rice

Sausage and Peppers Freezer Meal
Servings: 4
Calories: 353 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. Italian sausage see directions for preparing it below
  • 1/2 yellow pepper sliced
  • 1/2 red pepper sliced
  • 1 onion chopped or sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1-2 tsp. cajun seasoning
  • 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
Instructions
  1. Remove the sausage from the casing and slice. 

  2. Fry the sausage slices in a frying pan over medium-high heat until lightly browned on both sides or bake in the oven on a cookie sheet.

  3. Blot the cooked sausage slices on a paper towel to remove some of the grease.
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the cooked sausage pieces in a large resealable freezer bag.

  2. Add the sliced peppers, onion, minced garlic, cajun seasoning, and the can of diced tomatoes.

  3. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. On the day of cooking, thaw the sausage and peppers freezer meal.
  2. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until heated through.
  3. Serve over rice or in a wrap.
Recipe Notes

You can use mild or spicy sausage depending on your family's preference.

This recipe can either be served over rice or rolled in a flour or corn tortilla and eaten as a wrap.

You may also be interested in these easy make ahead recipes:

Pesto Chicken and Vegetables

Reggae Gumbo Recipe

Make Ahead Mac and Cheese