sausage and pepper patty melts

the perfect quick and cozy holiday meal!

I first shared my love of smashburgers with you in 2022, when we cooked my OG recipe for beef smashburgers. In What to Cook the book, I shared a smashburger recipe I’ve been cooking in recent years now that my kids are obsessed with all things sandwich (smashburger sammies are on page 37, for those who have it!). And today, I’m sharing a new spin on a patty melt, which actually inspired the cooking method that I used for the smashburger sammies in the book!

A traditional patty melt consists of a thin beef patty topped with caramelized onions and melty cheese grilled between two pieces of rye bread. It’s gooey and delicious and a perfect comfort food that I order almost anytime it’s on the menu.

A lot of its flavor comes from the caramelized onions, which are sautéed low and slow in butter on the stovetop, rendering them perfectly soft and insanely delicious. I LOVE caramelized onions… but they are absolutely not something I cook when I don’t feel like cooking.

This spin on patty melts solves that issue! Instead of beef, we’re making thin smashburger-style patties out of ground Italian sausage, which comes preloaded with spices and aromatics like fennel, garlic, and paprika. And instead of caramelized onions, we’re using jarred roasted red peppers. They complement the sausage perfectly and give our sandwiches a soft, sweet bite like we’d get from caramelized onion — but with zero time and effort.

One thing that’s *wild* here is that we decided to go with no sauce. The greasy sausage + provolone + pepper was unctuous and juicy enough for me and all of my testers! But if you’re a sauce queen: plain ole mayo, pesto, mayo with garlic and lemon stirred in, whatever saucy thing you’ve got in the fridge would prob all be pretty tasty here.

This sandwich has all the components of a complete meal: a grain (we’re using sourdough for our bread!), a protein, and a veg. So if you only feel like cooking the sammies, I fully endorse that decision!!

But should you want to make side, I have some ideas:

1. Lean hard into the diner-style dinner and bake some frozen fries, or make your own using this recipe.

2. Buy some potato chips and call it a day.

3. Make a super simple side salad! I was in the mood for greens the day I made these, and LOVED the freshness it added to the plate. Here’s the salad I made, in case you’re in the mood too. If you don’t make it tonight, come back to it another day! You can pair it with any other protein and grain (rotisserie chicken + microwaved frozen rice + this salad would be a perfect dinner).

A totally optional but very delicious arugula apple salad:

• 3 tablespoons EVOO

• 2 tablespoons any vinegar (balsamic or apple cider would be my picks)

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon honey

• Kosher salt and pepper

• 1 honeycrisp apple, cut into thin batons

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

• 4 handfuls of arugula (about 4 loosely packed cups) 

In a serving bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons EVOO, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey, a large pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Add 1 apple cut into thin batons, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, and 4 handfuls of arugula. Mix to combine and serve.

The countdown is on, people! If you’re still planning your menu, don’t forget about the Thanksgiving playbook we shared last week. And if you’re prepping for a house full of guests, here’s what to feed them!

learn about more Thanksgiving happenings on Substack here!

Tomorrow — Sunday, November 17 — at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT I’ll be going live on the Substack mobile app with

Olivia Noceda

and

Sohla El-Waylly

to answer any and all of your Thanksgiving planning and prep questions!

To tune in, download the Substack mobile app (click the button below to do so on your phone!). If you enable notifications from What to Cook, you’ll get notified when we go live and you can simply tap to join. Leave questions for us in the chat area, and we’ll weigh in as we get them!

PS, if you won’t be able to join live, we’ll share a recording of it afterward. But I hope you can join!

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Serves 4

Cook time: 45 minutes 

Tools: 

• Parchment paper

• Cast-iron skillet