Spetsofai is a Greek appetizer that comes together easily and showcases the beautiful colours and flavours of bell peppers, onions, and sausages.  This easy recipe can be enjoyed year-round.  Dip a piece of crusty fresh bread into the softened peppers, caramelized onions, and tender sausage for a delicious and satisfying bite.

I think this pan-fried sausage, onions and peppers recipe will soon become a family favourite appetizer! You can also mix in some cherry tomatoes if you want more of a tomato sauce base.

This skillet recipe only requires one pan for a tasty meal with easy cleanup. Serve spetsofai over rice or quinoa for a satisfying weeknight meal, or enjoy it on its own as an appetizer.

RECIPE TIPS 

• Cook the onions on their own first until they’ve softened but not caramelized since they will continue to cook once you add in the bell peppers.  Ideally, the vegetables should be soft and tender but not mushy.

 

• Chop the bell peppers and onions into squares or rectangular shapes. If they’re cut too thin, then they will become too soft during the cooking process.

 

• You can adjust your seasoning depending on the type of sausage you use. For instance, you may want to omit the red pepper flakes if you’re using spicy Italian sausages. You can also adjust the salt and pepper depending on your preferences.

 

• Use a large, wide, non-stick frying pan so that the sausages can cook in a single even layer in the pan and so that there will be enough room once you add in all of the vegetables.

 

INGREDIENTS NOTES 

Sausages:  You can use any type of sausage that you like. I’ve made this recipe with chorizo, Italian sausage and honey garlic sausage (my favourite one!), but you could also use chicken sausage or turkey sausage.

Some sausages are pre-cooked or fully cooked, but check the packaging or with the employees in the deli section of the grocery store. I like to use precooked sausage because it cuts down on the cooking time.  You will want to select sausages that can be sliced and hold their shape once cut.

Bell peppers: I like to use a mixture of orange, yellow, and red bell peppers because it adds colour and variety to this dish. If you only have one type of pepper, that’s ok too! I find that green bell pepper doesn’t work as well for this recipe because they are more bitter tasting. I love the sweetness of red, yellow and orange bell peppers.

Yellow onion: You can substitute white or red onion if you don’t have yellow onion. Yellow onion is great for sauteéd dishes because its flavour becomes milder.

White wine: I’ve used chardonnay and pinot gris when making this recipe.  But you can use any dry white wine.

Tomatoes: If you’d like your spetsofai to have more of a tomato sauce base, add a handful of cherry tomatoes after adding the chopped bell peppers.

HOW TO MAKE SPETSOFAI: STEP BY STEP 

STEP 1: Prepare the ingredients. Slice the sausages into bite-sized pieces. Chop the bell peppers and onions into squares or rectangular-shaped pieces.  You don’t want them to be too small otherwise, they will cook too quickly.

STEP 2: Cook the sausages. Heat up the olive oil in the frying pan. Add the sliced sausage so that the pieces can cook in a single layer.  Allow the pieces to cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until browned and cooked through. If your sausage isn’t pre-cooked, then you will need to fry it for longer. Once the sausage is cooked, transfer it to a clean plate and set aside. Leave the oil in the pan.

 

 

STEP 3: Sauté the veggies. Add the chopped onions to the pan. Sauté them on their own for at least 10 minutes on medium-low heat or until they’ve softened. Then add in the chopped bell peppers. Mix together and continue to cook for another 30 minutes uncovered and stirring occasionally.

 

If you’d like to add cherry tomatoes, you can add them after adding the bell peppers.  Sprinkle in the red chilli flakes, seasoning salt, sugar, salt, black pepper, and fresh thyme leaves.  Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.

 

STEP 4: Mix in the wine and sausages. Pour in the white wine, stir the ingredients, and then add back in the cooked sausage slices.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes to combine all the flavours. Serve hot with fresh bread and feta cheese or on top of rice. Enjoy!

STORING & SERVING

This recipe comes together in under an hour and makes about six servings. You can store spetsofai in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze spetsofai.  To freeze, allow the dish to cool completely, and then transfer any leftover spetsofai to a freezer-safe container.  Allow the spetsofai to defrost in the fridge overnight.  I recommend using a frying pan for the best results when reheating.

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