A Sandwich for the Ages

These colder temperatures have us reaching for cozy, delicious, hearty food and this sandwich of yesteryear is just what the doctor ordered. While many satisfying and crave-worthy comfort food dishes take hours to simmer, braise, and stew, these sandwiches come together in a snap and are the perfect weeknight meal.

Crispy bread, gooey mozzarella, sausage, and peppers cover all the food groups. And who doesn’t love a one-pot meal for easy clean up? My mom would make these all the time. I used to love walking in the door and being hit with the smell of garlic and onions. And most of all, I adored nights when we could eat with our hands. 

It is no wonder these sandwiches were among the first things I remember making when I was out in the world on my own. They are affordable, you do not need a lot of equipment, and they were a major step up from the ramen noodles my roommates and I lived on. We loved whipping them up on weekends and watching football with our neighbors. You can serve them whole or cut them in pieces if there are other nibbles being offered.

Any recipe that makes it easy for people to gather is a recipe worth holding on to, as that is what the world needs now: lots and lots of gathering and connecting with family and friends over cooked-with-love food. The simpler, the better.

Old Fashioned Sausage and Pepper Heroes

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 T. olive oil

6 Italian sausages (3 sweet and 3 spicy), cut in ¼-inch slices

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large Spanish or white onion, in ¼-inch slices

1 large red bell pepper, ¼-inch horizontal slices

1 large orange or yellow bell pepper, in ¼-inch horizontal slices

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

4 long rolls

1 large, fresh mozzarella ball, sliced

Directions

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add sliced sausage and sauté, stirring frequently until browned on all sides. Remove from pan and in same skillet add garlic, onion, and peppers. Sauté until desired doneness, about 10 minutes. Reincorporate sausage and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, slice the rolls horizontally and toast open-faced until light brown. (This can be done in the broiler if you don’t have a toaster oven that will fit them all at the same time but keep a close eye on them.) Add sausage and pepper mixture and top with sliced mozzarella. Return them to the broiler to melt the mozzarella. 

Serve whole or cut in pieces.