Barbecue Brats & Peppers

Last week of school. I did what I always do on the last week: I said each student name at the door, I wrote a note in each student folder for the next teacher, I sat at my desk on Friday afternoon in the quiet classroom and thought about the year.

P last day was Thursday. He brought me a drawing — not on school paper but on his own paper that he had brought from home in a folder, which means he planned it and carried it to school deliberately, which is a transition skill that he did not have in September. The drawing was of a garden. He said: because you have a garden. I said I do. He said gardens are good. I said yes they are. He handed me the folder. I put it in my bag with the first two drawings. I will keep all of them. Some things are not negotiable about what you keep.

School is over. Summer is starting. The first anniversary is next month — Ryan and I, June 19th, one year married. I am making the cacio e pepe. He already knows this.

We went to the doctor together — Ryan came as he said he would — and the appointment went the way appointments go when they go well: numbers fine, no concerns, continue doing what we are doing. The doctor said seven months is not unusual and to give it more time and to call if we had concerns. We drove home and got tacos from the place on Western Ave that we have been going to since our first summer together, and we ate them at the kitchen table and talked about other things and I did not analyze the appointment out loud even though I was doing it internally. Ryan said I seemed calmer than he expected. I said I was choosing calm. He said that counts. It does.

We’ve been doing tacos on hard days for years now — there’s something about that particular kind of simple, no-fuss food that lets you set everything else down for a minute. This summer I’ve been leaning into that same instinct with these barbecue brats and peppers: one pan, good ingredients, nothing to fuss over, just the kind of meal that lets you sit across the table from someone and talk about other things. After a season of choosing calm wherever I could find it, that feels exactly right.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bratwurst sausages
2 bell peppers (any colors), sliced into strips
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 hoagie rolls or brat buns, for serving

Instructions

Prep the vegetables. Slice the bell peppers and onion into even strips and set aside.
Sear the brats. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the bratwursts and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the peppers and onions. In the same pan, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sliced peppers and onion. Season with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes.
Add the brats back in. Nestle the browned brats into the pepper and onion mixture. Pour the barbecue sauce over everything and stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook together for another 5 minutes, until the brats are cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Serve. Toast the buns if desired. Place each brat in a bun and top generously with the barbecue pepper and onion mixture.

Nutrition (per serving)

Barbecue Brats & Peppers — The Kind of Summer Meal You Eat Without Overthinking It