Instructions

1. Rinse two or three bell peppers under cold running water. Pat the peppers dry with a paper towel. Pick peppers of many colors, such as red, green and orange, to make the dish more colorful.

2. Place the peppers on a cutting board, and cut off the tops and bottoms with a kitchen knife. Hollow out the insides of the peppers to remove the pepper seeds and white fleshy parts. Slice the peppers into strips with the knife, place the peppers in a bowl and set aside.

3. Cut one or two onions into strips roughly the same size as the pepper strips. Add the onions to the bowl with the sliced green and red peppers. Choose sweet onions or yellow onions to get the most flavor.

4. Peel one or two cloves of fresh garlic. Mince the garlic with a knife or squeeze it through a garlic press.

5. Preheat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, over medium heat. Add the minced garlic to the oil and saute it over medium heat for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Remove the minced garlic from the oil to prevent burning while you complete the dish.

6. Add whole Italian sausages to the preheated skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are well-browned on all sides. Remove them from the skillet and set them aside.

7. Add the peppers and onions to the skillet and cook them until they are browned or caramelized. Turn them often to prevent them from burning and sticking.

8. Stir a few tablespoons of tomato paste and about a cup of cooking wine into the pepper and onion mixture to deglaze the pan. Add diced tomatoes, if you like, and season to taste with seasonings such as salt, pepper, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes.

9. Return the sausages to the pan with the peppers, onions, tomato and liquid. Leave them whole or cut them into bite-sized pieces.

10. Bring the dish to a boil over medium heat. Reduce and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the sauce. The vegetables and sausages are done when they coated in a thick tomato sauce without any runny liquid in the pan.

11. Stuff the Italian sausage and peppers into warm hoagie rolls or spoon them over hot pasta, such as penne. Top with shredded mozzarella or grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.