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Easy Outdoor Cast Iron Sausage and Peppers Skillet

This cast iron sausage and peppers skillet recipe is very easy and can be cooked in several different ways to adapt to your form of camping, outdoor cooking, or even in your kitchen at home! It utilizes ingredients that are simple and easy to pack as well as store.

Easy Outdoor Cast Iron Sausage and Peppers Skillet ready to eat.
Easy Outdoor Cast Iron Sausage and Peppers Skillet ready to eat.

I have been tent camping with my family since I was a toddler. I love hiking and spending time surrounded by nature to decompress. I am unfortunately not on a wonderful camping vacation right now and am at home in Charleston, South Carolina. 

I do have a natural gas stove, that I am pretending is an outdoor camping stove and dreaming I am in the mountains! You can cook this recipe over a gas or charcoal grill as well as a grate or tripod directly over the open fire! This recipe will cook well on really anything that will heat a cast iron skillet!

Cast Iron Skillet

Every cast iron has a story to tell with its seasoning and flavoring that becomes unique to the owner cooking with it!

My husband was gifted his Granzy’s cast iron skillet that has been in his family for generations. The years worth of seasoning and use of the cast iron is the best part! I can’t begin to count how many recipes we prepare in Granzy’s incredibly seasoned cast iron skillet and it always goes camping with us!

Make sure you properly clean and oil your cast iron skillet in between uses to best maintain your cast iron.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for cast iron sausage and peppers skillet.
Ingredients for cast iron sausage and peppers skillet.

Smoked Sausage

When preparing meals for camping, you want to ensure your ingredients are easy to pack and keep fresh for your adventures. Hillshire Farms Beef Smoked Sausage is what I will use for this recipe. This sausage comes vacuum sealed in a tight ring, so it will not take up too much space in your cooler.

To prepare the sausage for this cast iron sausage and peppers skillet, thinly slice it on an angle.

Prepared sliced smoked sausage.
Prepared sliced smoked sausage.

Bag of Sweet peppers

Bagged peppers are also very easy to pack. They taste great in this sausage and peppers skillet recipe. I do recommend storing in the cooler. The peppers will keep chilled for about 2 weeks. I like to pack a large bag of sweet peppers to have extras for easy, healthy snacking.

Please always wash and dry your fresh produce before cooking or consuming.

To prepare the sweet peppers, remove the stem, deseed and thinly slice in rings. These peppers do not contain a lot of seeds, so it is easy to gently remove the ribs and seeds out of the middle.

Slicing the sweet peppers. Be sure to remove the ribs and seeds.
Slicing the sweet peppers. Be sure to remove the ribs and seeds.

Shishito peppers

Have you heard of shishito peppers before? They are small green peppers that are native to Japan. My husband was stationed in Japan for two years with the Marine Corps and introduced me to these delights! They have a mild and smoky flavor that pairs great with this recipe. As always with peppers, there may be a surprise pepper that is hotter than others!

My local Publix grocery store sells a bag of them in their produce section. They are a favorite of mine to cook with. Like sweet peppers, they last for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator or cooler.

Prepping Shishito peppers.
Prepping Shishito peppers.

To prep the shishito peppers, remove the stem and slice thinly. No need to remove the seeds here.

Jalapeño pepper

I use 1 jalepeno pepper in this sausage and peppers skillet recipe to spice it up. You can use as much of the jalepeno as you like depending on your spice level preference for this sausage and peppers skillet recipe. I’ll use the whole pepper!

To prepare the jalepeno, remove the stem, slice in half, remove the seeds and then small dice.

Diced jalepeno.
Diced Jalepeno.

Red onion

Onions can be stored in a cool, dry place when traveling. I use 1 red onion for this recipe. Any type of onion will do, but I love the flavor that red onion brings to this sausage and pepper skillet recipe. You will want to thinly slice the onion.

Tip for slicing the onion:

I used to always fight with onions when slicing or dicing them for recipes. My husband turned me onto this method of preparing an onion and it has saved me from shedding several tears. It is also very easy!

Start by slicing off both the top and root end of the onion.

Cutting both ends off the onion.
Cutting both ends off the onion.

Then, place the cut root side of the onion down and slice it straight in half. Immediately turn the two halves of onion so the outer skin if facing up. This will keep the onion gas that makes you cry contained in your cutting board.

Peel the skin off the onions once placed skin side up.
Peel the skin off the onions once placed skin side up.

Remove the outer skin of the onion and slice thinly.

Easily slicing the onion.  Tear free!
Easily slicing the onion…Tear free!

Olive Oil

I place a heavy drizzle of olive oil in the cast iron once heated and preparing to add the veggies. You can use your cooking oil of preference.

Seasonings

To season this cast iron sausage and peppers skillet recipe, I’ll use Kinder’s “The Blend” seasoning, as well as Kinder’s “Red Garlic” Seasoning.

The Blend!  Season those veggies up!
The Blend! Season those veggies up!

We do pack a small box of seasonings when camping, as cooking is very enjoyable for my family and a big part of spending time together on trips is preparing fun outdoor meals! If your seasonings when traveling are minimal, I’d recommend at least using some salt and pepper, as well as a little garlic powder if available!

Kinder's Red Garlic Seasoning.
Kinder’s Red Garlic Seasoning.

Kinder’s “The Blend” is a mixture of salt, ground black pepper and garlic. Kinder’s “Red Garlic” seasoning contains crushed red jalepeno and garlic. Both of these seasonings are very versatile. I like to use them to season meats, vegetables, potatoes and much more. I love using Kinder’s “The Blend” as a topping for corn on the cob!

How to Make the Cast Iron Sausage and Peppers Skillet

Wash and dry your fresh produce and prepare the ingredients as detailed above!

Heat your cast iron skillet to medium heat on your cooking surface of preference or availability in the outdoors! The cast iron will start smoking when it is ready. Then, coat the pan with a heavy drizzle of olive oil.

Add all the pepper and onion slices to the heated cast iron skillet. Season with both Kinder’s seasonings or your seasonings of preference. Saute for about 6-7 minutes. You may need to add a little more olive oil if you notice the peppers sticking or the pan drying out.

Add all the prepared peppers and onions to the cast iron.
Add all the prepared peppers and onions to the cast iron.

Add the sliced sausage and continue to cook for 6-7 additional minutes or until browned.

Then, add the sausage the the sausage and peppers cast iron skillet.
Then, add the sausage the the sausage and peppers cast iron skillet.

Remove the cast iron from the heat and serve!

Easy Outdoor Sides for Pairing

Rice- It is easy to boil water in a pot over an open fire, on a camping stove, or in a dutch oven. Rice pairs really well with this sausage and peppers skillet recipe. I pack a bag of Jasmine rice when going camping. When serving with rice, plate the sausage and peppers directly on top of the rice.

Mashed Potatoes– This is my favorite side with this recipe. If you can boil water, you can make mashed potatoes. When camping, I leave the potato skin on for ease. Mashing potatoes and mixing ingredients can easily be done with a fork if you don’t have room to pack a potato masher in your camping equipment, but a masher does make this easier. I plate the sausage and peppers directly overtop the mashed potatoes when pairing.

Cast iron sausage and peppers skillet served on mashed potatoes.
Cast iron sausage and peppers skillet served on mashed potatoes.

Campfire Baked Potatoes– Baked potatoes are the easiest side to make while camping. You can simply prepare the potatoes and wrap them well in aluminum foil. Then, place directly in the hot campfire coals to cook.

Easy Outdoor Cast Iron Sausage and Peppers Skillet

Easy Outdoor Cast Iron Sausage and Peppers Skillet

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

This cast iron sausage and peppers skillet recipe is very easy and can be cooked in several different ways to adapt to your form of camping, or even in your kitchen at home! It utilizes ingredients that are simple and easy to pack and store.

Ingredients

  • 10-12 sweet peppers (1/2 large bag or 1 small bag), remove seeds and sliced
  • 6-7 Shishito peppers (1/2 bag), sliced
  • 1 Jalapeño pepper, diced
  • 12 oz Smoked Sausage, sliced
  • 1 Red Onion, sliced
  • Seasonings- Kinder "The Blend" and "Red Garlic"
  • Olive Oil

Instructions

    Heat your cast iron skillet to medium heat on your cooking surface of preference or availability in the outdoors! The cast iron will start smoking when it is ready. Then, coat the pan with a heavy drizzle of olive oil.

    Add all the peppers and onion slices to the heated cast iron skillet. Season with both Kinder seasonings or your seasonings of preference.

    Saute for about 6-7 minutes. You may need to add a little more olive oil if you notice the peppers sticking or the pan drying out.

    Add the sliced sausage and continue to cook for 6-7 more minutes or until browned. Remove the cast iron from the heat and serve!

Notes

This recipe is great served over rice, mashed potatoes or with campfire baked potatoes.

Additional Recipes

Hamburger Tin Foil Meal on the Campfire

Pie Iron Recipes: Philly Cheese Steak Quesadilla

Our Wilderness Stew Recipe for Camping

Easy Outdoor Cast Iron Sausage and Peppers Skillet 2

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