When the Fourth of July gets busy and the yard fills up faster than the kitchen can keep up, a simple slow cooker supper like this is a blessing. This kind of recipe feels right at home in the Midwest, where we have long known that a few sturdy ingredients, a dependable crock, and a little patience can turn into something hearty enough to feed a crowd. Ground Italian pork sausage brings the savoriness, the slow cooking does the work, and by mealtime you have a rich, sticky, cookout-ready filling that tastes like you fussed far more than you did.
Spoon this Summer Sizzle onto soft hamburger buns or sturdy hoagie rolls, and set out a bowl of pickles, a scoop of creamy coleslaw, and a pan of baked beans for a full holiday spread. It also goes nicely beside potato salad, buttered corn on the cob, or a platter of watermelon if you want that sweet summer contrast to all the savory richness.
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Summer Sizzle
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 pound ground Italian pork sausage
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
Directions
1. Brown the ground Italian pork sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks, until no pink remains. Drain off excess grease.
2. Place the sliced onion and green bell pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker, then add the browned sausage on top.
3. Pour the barbecue sauce evenly over the sausage mixture and stir gently to combine everything.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the peppers and onion are tender and the mixture is bubbling, darkened, and richly glazed.
5. Stir well before serving, then spoon onto buns or serve straight from the slow cooker for an easy cookout meal.
Variations & Tips
Make it sweeter: Use a honey or brown sugar barbecue sauce if you want a stickier, sweeter sandwich filling that feels especially good for summer cookouts.
Add a little heat: If your crowd likes things lively, stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes or use hot Italian sausage in place of the mild sausage.
Stretch it for a crowd: This mixture can be spooned over buns more lightly and served with plenty of sides, which makes it a fine choice for feeding extra cousins, neighbors, and last-minute guests.
Keep the texture right: If the mixture looks a little thin at the end of cooking, leave the lid off for 20 to 30 minutes on low so the sauce can thicken and cling better to the sausage.