Easy and quick ItalianHoagies start with a saucy Italian sausage and veggie mixture that gets loaded into hoagie rolls, topped with cheese, and broiled to perfection. These quick hot sandwiches make the perfect filling dinner or lunch!
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Italian Hoagies
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 6-8 sandwiches (depending on how much meat is added to rolls/size of rolls
PEPPERS AND ONION: Add oil to a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the 2 diced peppers and diced yellow onion. Sauté until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds. Push veggies to the side and increase heat to high.
SAUSAGE: Add sausage to the center of the pan and let it sear (brown) before crumbling with a wooden spoon and browning all the way through. As you crumble the sausage, season with salt and pepper. I add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, adding to taste preference.
FINISH MEAT SAUCE: If there is more than a tablespoon of grease, drain it off. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add in the whole tomatoes and surrounding liquid, basil, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking down the tomatoes with the wooden spoon. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer for 5 or so minutes while preparing the buns.
BUNS: Position the oven rack 4-inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to HIGH broil. Cut buns in half and then spread softened (Note 3) butter (to taste) over the inside of each bun. Lightly sprinkle garlic powder on top of the butter (optional). Place in oven and broil until lightly toasted, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove. Spoon meat sauce on the bottom halves of the buns and top meat sauce with sliced cheese. Return to the broiler and broil until cheese is melted, about a minute (watch closely). Remove from the oven, sandwich the top with the bottom and enjoy promptly!
Video
Notes
Note 1: Peppers: We use one red and one orange pepper, but the choice is yours. Aim to cut the peppers and onion into small, similar sizes for uniformity and the best sandwich filling. Overly large pieces of veggies won't get tender in time and don't meld as nicely into the meat.Note 2:Italian-style ground sausage: Depending on personal preference, use mild or spicy sausage — either works. Sausage comes in different-sized packages — as long as you’re in the general ballpark, this recipe will work just fine. We use 1 pound, but if you have a 19-ounce package, throw it all in if you like. If using Italian sausages with casings, remove the casings before cooking.Note 3: Softening butter and broiling: To soften butter quickly, pour hot water into a glass bowl or cup (that fits over the butter). After a few minutes, dump out the water then quickly cover the butter. Residual heat from the dish will soften the butter nicely in 5-10 minutes. When broiling, watch very closely as the sandwiches broil — they can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds!Nutrition information is for the sandwich filling only, since buns and cheese varieties can vary greatly.