There aren’t many things more satisfying – in my opinion – than a sausage and pepper sandwich. They’re the perfect balance of spicy, savory and sweet. And, this recipe has literally the best ratio of sauce to roll. That means the insides of the crusty bread get all gooey and soak up the flavor, and you’ll be left with just the right amount of mess on your plate – or your shirt if you’re like me.

I’ve been making this particular recipe for years now, and even though I’ve tried a few others, I still come back to this one. I’m not sure what it is, but I love it. Unfortunately we have a hard time finding good crusty rolls where I live, but I’ve found that substituting a French baguette works perfectly in a pinch. Or, you could toast up some submarine buns like I did this time. Either way, you don’t want them to be soft.

You can easily customize this recipe to work for your tolerance of spice as well. You can use spicy Italian sausages or sweet ones. You could add extra crushed red pepper flakes if you’re looking for more heat, or if you’d rather leave them out, that’s okay, too. Make the recipe yours. Use all green bell peppers or all red – or maybe even go crazy with some orange ones. Melt some Italian cheese one the top, like Marc does, or sprinkle them with a little parmesan. You can totally rock out this sandwich.

If you end up with leftovers – which I doubt you will – serve them over some pasta instead of having bread for a change of pace.