Football Friday: Grilled Sausage & Pepper Bombers

We're back with our first Football Friday recipe of the season! We've missed sharing some tasty game day food ideas; and are finally back with a sandwich recipe that has 'Football Season' written all over it! 

Rebecca in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen is a proud Italian who loves nothing more than making homemade lasagna (her last one clocked in at over ten pounds), meatballs (a recipe so secret she'll take it to the grave!) and even sausage and peppers. Doug in the Arkansas Test Kitchen decided to channel Rebecca's Italian pride and put his own Cool Dad's spin on it: grilled sausage and peppers. And these make for one heck of a tasty sandwich! 

For those not in the know, bombers are a tasty combination of grilled bread, lots of tomato sauce and provolone cheese. The meat is usually simmered in a heavy tomato sauce, and grilling them adds a delicious smoky element to the meat. YUM!

Sausage & Pepper Bombers

Mild or sweet Italian sausage links
Minced garlic
1-2 bell peppers

1 yellow onion
Marinara sauce of your choosing
Sliced provolone cheese
Brat/Hoagie buns


1. Cook the the sausage on the grill until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees

2. In a large cast iron dutch oven, sautee the bell peppers and onions over the coals of the grill. 

Note: if you don't have a dutch oven, wrapping the peppers and onions in foil and letting them cook until they soften works as well. 

3. Once the onions and peppers are soft, pour the marinara sauce in the dutch oven and let it warm.

4. Place the sausages in the dutch oven with the marinara sauce and vegetables for 5-10 minutes until warmed through. Give the flavors a chance to meld.

5. Slice buns, and line with Provolone cheese. Add sausages, and top with marinara sauce and sauteed vegetables. 

And now, it's FINALLY time for our Football Friday picks. Last season Doug was so discouraged by his crushing loss, that he decided he'd have better luck letting Tristan make his picks going forward. We LOVED that idea, so going forward, both Tristan and Sawyer will be making our Football Friday picks!

Indy vs. Houston

Sawyer: Texans (she loves JJ Watt!)

Tristan: Colts

Chicago vs. KC

Sawyer: Chiefs

Tristan: Bears

Seattle vs. Cincinnati

Sawyer: Bengals

Tristan: Seahawks

Washington vs. Atlanta

Sawyer:  Falcons

Tristan: Falcons

Jacksonville vs. Tampa Bay

Sawyer:  Jaguars

Tristan: Jaguars

New Orleans vs. Philadelphia

Sawyer: Eagles

Tristan: Eagles

Cleveland vs. Baltimore
Sawyer: Ravens

Tristan: Ravens

St. Louis vs. Green Bay

Sawyer: Packers

Tristan: Rams

Buffalo vs. Tennessee

Sawyer: Bills

Tristan: Titans

Arizona vs. Detroit

Sawyer: Cardinals

Tristan: Lions

New England vs. Dallas

Sawyer: Cowboys

Tristan: Patriots

Denver vs. Oakland

Sawyer: Broncos

Tristan: Broncos

San Francisco vs. New York

Sawyer: Giants

Tristan: Giants

Pittsburgh vs. San Diego

Sawyer:  Steelers 

Tristan: Chargers

Good luck, Cool Dads!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew