Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers

An easy way to put classic Italian comfort food on the table. This a real crowd pleaser and can easily be adjusted to feed a few or a crowd. My dad is going to be thrilled to see this on his plate later in the week. I took some help from the grocery store and used a very good jarred marinara as the base. I used a bag of sweet mini peppers which were cheaper than buying the full sized red, orange and yellow bell peppers. You can serve this dish over pasta or polenta for a change of pace.

Serves 6

6 large sweet italian sausages(I used chicken sausages that my grocery store makes in house)
1 large red, yellow and orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into thick strips
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 25 oz jar of marinara
1 28 oz can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
2 tbsp minute tapioca(thickens the sauce)
1 cup red wine
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp fennel seed
salt and pepper
6-8 basil leaves torn
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the sausages on all sides. Place the peppers, onion and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Place the sausages on top. Pour the wine, marinara, tomato paste, vinegar and diced tomatoes over all. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, tapioca, chili flakes and fennel seed over top. Gently stir to combine. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. Stir the basil leaves in just before serving. Serve over cooked pasta or polenta. Top with parmesan.