Sausage and Peppers

My grandmother used to make sweet Italian sausage with peppers often when I was younger. It was one of my favorite meals. But, I never seemed to be able to cook the peppers the way that I liked them without burning them before they reached the desired tenderness. So, I tried roasting them in the oven first, THEN sauteeing them, and ended up with the results I wanted. This recipe does take quite a bit of time, but it is well worth it.

8 links sweet Italian sausage
8 red bell peppers, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz can tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a sheet pan, place sausage on the pan. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes. Set aside. Toss bell peppers with olive oil. Place on sheet pan, cook in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Place onion in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Heat up a large skillet on medium heat. Add the peppers to the skillet (make sure you also use all of the juices and oil from the pan) Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute about 15 minutes or until the peppers are very tender, stirring often. Meanwhile, slice the sausage into disks. Add sausage and tomato sauce to the peppers and onions. Cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring often. Serve with fresh Italian bread.