Sausage & Peppers Subs |Cooking With Amanda

I was drooling over different pictures in my Pinterest feed when I happened to notice someone pinned something to a comfort food board. It sort of struck me that comfort food is so unique, personal and individual. That board could be filled with absolutely anything! How could anything be left off that board?

I know some people consider thick soups and hearty stews to be comforting while others go for melted cheese, saucy pasta or warm breads to be the one food that makes them all warm and fuzzy. Then there is a whole other camp of people who would say baked goods like cake or brownies bring them to their happy place.

Finally, I imagine there is a whole party of people who go to a whole other extreme and say that whole grains, clean foods, fruits and veggies are the type of foods that bring them solace. You know what? They'd all be right! Who can define comfort food for anyone but themselves?

Want to know how I define comfort food? I do love me some gooey cheese, warm bread and a heaping bowl of pasta, but that's not my comfort food. I also adore cakes and brownies, but that's not what makes me do back flips.

It's spicy food. That's what makes me feel most at home. I don't know if it's the way the explosion of heat makes my tongue burn and my cheeks feel flushed but spicy food totally makes me feel loved.

These sausage and pepper subs just might have something that almost everyone could find comfort in. Thick hoagie rolls are filled with mildly spicy Italian sausage, crisp, vibrant bell peppers, lots of gooey, melted cheese and a perfectly spicy sauce.

The sauce is dynamite! This tomatoes rich sauce has a dose of harissa. Harissa is a Middle Eastern paste made out of a variety of roasted peppers. I found it adds a slightly sweet heat to the sauce. You could certainly leave it out; your sausage sub will stay taste divine. On the flip side, you could add more than the quarter cup I use. It's all about comfort here. Eat what you love and you will be happy - that's my new motto!

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Sausage & Peppers Subs Recipe

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Ingredients

1 pound italian sausage links
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped shallot
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
14 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste, 6 ounces
1/4 cup harissa, optional
pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup shredded italian blend cheese
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
5 hoagie buns

Directions

Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Add sausage links and brown for 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add shallot and garlic to pan, cook for 1-2 minutes or until soft, stirring as they cook. Add both peppers to pan. Continue to cook vegetables for another 4-5 minutes or just until they begin to soften but still have some bite to them.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano and basil. Add Harissa if using. Stir. Let sauce simmer for additional 5 minutes.
Cut sausage links on the bias into 3 chunks per link. Add sausage to sauce and let sausage cook another 5 minutes.
Cut sub rolls open, but do not slice all the way through. Fill each roll with sausage and peppers. Arrange subs on a baking sheet and preheat your oven to broil.
Top subs with shredded cheese and broil until cheese is bubbly about 2-3 minutes. Top with fresh basil right before saving.