Name: Loaded Italian Sausages
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 4 sweet or hot Italian sausage links (uncooked), butterflied; 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 1 yellow onion, diced; homemade seasoned salt and pepper; 8oz mushrooms, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced; 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 6oz shredded mozzarella cheese

A Loaded Italian Sausage on a plate

I finally got my office unpacked! I don’t know about you but anytime I come home from a trip my suitcase is either immediately unpacked, or it sits untouched next to my bed for the next three weeks. There is no in between. Unfortunately my office suffered a similar fate, sitting ignored and stuffed with boxes as I unpacked and organized the rest of the house over the past couple of months.

All that to say, IGE finally has an HQ again! Our guest room/office at the old house became Gwen’s room when she was born, and so I’d been working in my bedroom on a rickity IKEA desk I’d had since college why am I telling you this… SNORE! Anyway, the boxes are unpacked, my books are on a shelf, and I got myself a nice new desk (plus a pouf!) from which to bring you this lusciousness – Loaded Italian Sausages, aka seared Italian sausages LOADED with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. File this easy, mouthwatering meal under swoon worthy!

Overhead photo of loaded Italian sausage

I can’t take 99% of the credit for this insane dish as it actually came from a gal on Tik Tok. Never thought I’d say those words, but in a world where social media is just freaking TAXING, Tik Tok is a breath of fresh air. I mean, my current favorite account is a girl who uses tiny doll hands instead of her own. It’s hysterical! Anyway, people also cook on Tik Tok (Gen Z stop laughing at me) and I found this gorgeous, drool-worthy recipe from Jackie @ Low Carb Sate of Mind while scrolling the other day.

Loaded Italian Sausage Breakdown:

Italian sausage links are butterflied then seared in a skillet until golden brown, and then transferred to a baking sheet. Chopped peppers, onions, and mushrooms are sauteed in the same skillet then hit with fresh garlic and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar before being scooped on top of the sausages. Everything’s blanketed in shredded mozzarella cheese then baked until melted and bubbly. So, so dreamy.

Loaded italian sausage sliced in half

More about this dish:

Feel free to use Italian turkey sausage if you want a slightly lighter take on this dish.
There is no need to remove the casings from the Italian sausages after butterflying before cooking. You certainly can if you like, though!
This is a GREAT dish to meal prep. Chop all the vegetables and butterfly the sausages ahead of time so that you can start immediately cooking when you’re ready to eat.
This dish pairs well with a side salad or roasted vegetable, though would also be delicious served with pasta or steamed spaghetti squash and marinara sauce.

Alright, who’s hungry?!

How to Make Loaded Italian Sausages:

Start by heating a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick spray then place butterflied sweet or hot Italian sausages into the bottom, cut side down. To butterfly a sausage, slice into them lengthwise with a knife without cutting all the way through, then pull the sausages apart slightly and press to flatten. Easy!

Sear until the bottom side is golden brown and sizzling then flip and sear for 1 more minute.

Transfer the sausages to a foil lined, non stick sprayed baking sheet then set aside.

Veggie time! Turn the heat down to a touch above medium then add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add chopped red and green peppers, plus a chopped yellow onion. Season with my homemade seasoned salt plus pepper then saute until the peppers begin to soften and caramelize, about 5 minutes.

Next add sliced mushrooms then, when they release their liquid, season with more seasoned salt and pepper. Once the vegetables are nearly tender add minced garlic then saute until very fragrant. Lastly, add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar then stir to combine. The vinegar gives the vegetables a burst of bright flavor, but won’t make them taste sour.

Scoop the vegetables on top of the seared sausages then blanket with shredded mozzarella cheese on top – YUM!!

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, at 350 degrees. That’s all she wrote!

Scoop onto plates then pair with a fresh salad or roasted vegetable to round out the meal. I hope you love these luscious, loaded sausages – enjoy!

Italian sausage, peppers, onions, and cheese on a plate

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