This recipe for Grilled Brats with Sauteed Peppers and Onions is so simple, yet it’s so delicious, making it the perfect addition to any BBQ or tailgate party.
Served alongside some cold salads, like Deli Potato Salad or Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad, you’ll have a fantastic meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes!
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Ah! Summertime, when the living is easy. The eating is easy, too, especially when you make Grilled Brats with Peppers and Onions.
Not only will you be able to take advantage of summer sales on bratwurst and the seasonal availability of fresh bell peppers, but you can enjoy a simple meal al fresco without a lot of fuss.
Why Make This
It’s so good! Smoky, grilled bratwurst sausage gets a makeover when you top it with peppers and onions. It’s packed with flavor and texture, definitely not your standard brat.
It’s fast! Grilled brats take just 20 minutes to cook, leaving you plenty of time to sauté the peppers and onions. What a quick, delicious meal.
It’s good anytime. While bratwurst are perfect for summer BBQs, they’re equally at home during football season. So make this, and make it often.
Ingredients
Bratwurst sausages – The range of options for bratwurst can run the gamut, from small scale butchers in the midwest that sell their own brats to large commercial companies like Johnsonville that sell nationwide. Sprouts has a line of sausages that they create in-house without the ingredients you can’t pronounce. Check around until you find a sausage you feel good about.
Oil – I usually use olive oil, but you can use any cooking oil you normally use for vegetables. If you’re in a pinch, you could also use butter, margarine, or other plant-based fat.
Bell Peppers – I like to use a red and a green for this dish since the colors are pretty. The sweetness of the red balances the “green flavor” of the other. Use what you like and have.
Onion – You only need half an onion. Be sure to wrap the other half well and refrigerate it. Use it up within the next few days or slice and freeze it to use in another recipe.
Salt, Pepper, Dried Oregano – salt and pepper are givens. Feel free to use a different herb or omit the oregano altogether if you prefer.
Red Wine Vinegar – This adds a sweet tang to the peppers. You can use another vinegar if you prefer.
Hot dog buns– If you have the time, making homemade hot dog buns increases the quality and taste of this dish. While they do take a little more work, they taste amazing. If you buy store buns, remember that buns come in packages of 8 while brats come in packages of 5. Unless you’re making a 5x batch, it will never come out even. Plan ahead and freeze the leftover buns or leftover uncooked brats, whichever you have more of.
Other Toppings for Brats
Personally I think these are wonderful just as is! But here are few topping suggestions for you if you want to go whole hog on your grilled brats:
- sauerkraut
- fresh or pickled sliced jalapeños
- mustard – yellow, of course, but try whole grain and Dijon as well
- shredded cheese, such as cheddar, jack, Swiss, or mozzarella
Step-by-Step Instructions
Grilled brats are a summertime classic that carries over into football season. Knowing how to cook brats on the grill is an easy skill for you to learn.
1. Heat the outdoor grill to medium low. Place the bratwurst on the hot grill and allow to cook for five minutes. Turn and cook another five minutes. Continue cooking and turning the brats until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. This should take about 20 minutes.
2. While the brats are grilling, prepare the peppers and onions. Heat the oil in a skillet until shimmering. Add the peppers and onions and sauté quickly until tender, but still slightly crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the oregano and the vinegar. Toss the peppers with cooking tongs to distribute the ingredients.
3. Once the brats are cooked, pull them off the grill. Serve the brats in buns topped with the sautéed peppers and onions. Add any of the additional toppings if you like, for a deluxe grilled brat.
Storing Leftovers
If you aren’t planning to eat all the brats all at once it’s best to only assemble the ones you do plan to eat otherwise the buns will get soggy.
And then refrigerate all any leftovers in your fridge for up to 4 days. You can store the brats, peppers and onions together in one airtight container. Then just simply reheat in the microwave and enjoy!
FAQs
Like hot dogs and Italian sausages, grilled brats are a main dish sandwich of sorts. Topped with peppers and onions, one might say they were a meal in themselves. That said, it’s nice to serve some side dishes along with brats such as cold salads, beans, chips, or corn on the cob.
There’s a lot of debate about boiling or not boiling them. Some say boiling adds flavor while others claim it leaches flavor. We’ve done both with great success. Make our Beer Brats and these Grilled Brats and let us know which you prefer!
If you’ve got lots of leftover brats and not enough folks to eat them, you can definitely freeze them to reheat at a later date. Chill them and wrap for freezing. Store in the freezer for up to a month. To serve, reheat in the microwave or in a skillet.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- brats – $4.78
- buns – $0.80
- green bell pepper – $0.50
- red bell pepper – $1.00
- onion – $0.25
- spices, vinegar, and oil – $0.15
Shopped at a mid-range store, the costs should come out to be about $7.48 for 8 servings, or 94 cents each!
Such a great deal for an upscale, veggie-rich main dish!
Save even more!
Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe more economical:
- Do a price comparison. I know that Costco is the best place to buy ingredients in bulk, like spices, when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where. Costco also offers the best price on hot dog buns if I don’t have time to make my own. I buy several bags and stash them in the freezer.
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when I see a great price on bratwurst, I buy a lot and store them in the freezer. Then we can enjoy them all season long without worrying about the current price fitting the budget. The same goes for bell peppers and onions as well as hot dog buns. This is a great way to have buy tailgate food on a budget.
- Go halvsies. Sometimes the sausages are bigger than they really need to be. We often split the brats in half lengthwise to stretch our purchase. This also makes portion sizes more wieldy for young children.
- Check the clearance – I regularly find packages of brats marked down to $0.99 at my local Ralphs. They’re still within their dates, but the store just wants to move them quickly.
More Great Game Day Recipes
Tell us what you think!
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Grilled Brats with Peppers and Onions
Equipment
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- large skillet
- cooking tongs
- outdoor grill
Ingredients
- 8 bratwurst sausages
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper cored, seeded and thinly sliced
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- salt
- black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 8 hot dog buns
- additional condiments for the brats such as shredded cheese, mustard, sauerkraut, or sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Heat the outdoor grill to medium low.
- Place the bratwurst sausages on the hot grill and allow to cook for five minutes. Turn and cook another five minutes. Continue turning and cooking the brats until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. This should take 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the peppers and onions and sauté quickly until tender, but still slightly crisp.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the oregano and red wine vinegar. Toss the peppers with cooking tongs to distribute the seasonings
- When the brats are done cooking, remove them from the grill.
- Serve the brats in buns. Divide the peppers and onions among the brats. Add additional condiments if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on February 4, 2010. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Janice Mast
Brats are much better if you simmer in beer/water before grilling
Jessica Fisher
I think there’s quite a rivalry there. We like them both ways. You might want to try this: Drunken Brats and Caramelized Onions.
Michael D Colter
The salt, pepper, and oregano on the pepper/onion mix really made it yummy. I followed advice above and was careful not to overcook the mixture, you still want vibrant flavors and a bit of a ‘bite’. I put this on some hot italian sausage and the flavors were magnificent. Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
So glad to hear of your success. Thank you for the feedback.
Mareyan
Have you ever roasted all the ingredients on a sheet pan?
Jessica Fisher
Not for this recipe, but that sounds like a great time-saving hack! Please let me know how it works out for you!
Susan
Hi Jessica. Do you think if I made a whole bunch of the onions and peppers (for a crowd of 50+), they would hold in a foil pan over sterno/steam table for a couple of hours? Would you add a liquid? Thanks.
Jessica Fisher
I probably wouldn’t add liquid, but I would perhaps cook them a little al dente at the start so that they don’t get too soggy. How fun!
Marysol
If I were to make a batch and keep in the fridge, how long do you think it would last?
Jessica
I think the onions and peppers would keep well for about three days. That’s my general rule of thumb.
Jessika
Oh! This is how my sister-in-law’s family makes them(in SD!) and they are delicious! Enjoy!
Jennifer
I’ll definitely be making this during the upcoming football season, thanks so much for the recipe! Go Broncos!! 😉 hehe…