Four for the 4th: Italian Style Chicken Sausages

Happy 4th of July everyone! America is another year older, so I hope you all celebrated accordingly today. I'm finally coming back inside after a day enjoying the beautiful Madison weather down at the Terrace and hitting the links. It turned out to be a pretty solid 4th of July.

The irony of my Asian salad and Italian sausages for 4th of July posts isn't lost on me, but I guess just like my recipes America is a melting pot of different cultures and styles. I had something like this at the Bradley Center along time ago and have never recreated them for some reason, so today seemed like the perfect day to throw some chicken sausage on the grill and give it a shot. Chicken sausage is a perfect way to still enjoy those cookout guilty pleasures in a healthy manner. They have about a 4th of the fat while still maintaining flavor. Be careful, as they can be easy to overcook and get dry though.

The last post will be up tomorrow; everything is set up and I just have to assemble it, take a pic, and upload it. It'll be a perfect excuse to take a break if you have to get back to work tomorrow. If you're coming late to the blog party, you can find the two other Four for the 4th recipes,  Grilled Jalapeño Poppers and Asian Sesame Pasta Salad here. Happy 4th!

Italian Style Chicken Sausages
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 package chicken Italian sausages
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tsp olive/grapeseed oil
• 1 green pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 jar of your favorite pizza/marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 4 brat buns

Grill chicken sausage over medium heat until firm. Be careful not to overcook them, as mentioned above. If you want those perfect grill marks, turn the sausage just one time. Avoiding being "turn happy" is key. 

Slice onion and peppers into strips. Add oil to the pan, bring to medium-low heat, and sauté while the sausages cook. 

Slice buns lengthwise, add a few spoonfuls of pizza sauce, top with an Italian sausage, the sautéed vegetables, and 1/4 of the mozzarella.