Living so close to our various family members, impromptu mid-week meals are fairly common. I usually have a few pounds of sweet Italian Sausage in the freezer, and we can throw a sheet pan dinner together with whatever vegetables we have on hand.
Combining the root vegetables with the Italian sausage gives them a lovely savoury golden crust as they roast together.
The quicker-cooking vegetables go on a separate sheet for flash roasting.
Then, we toss it all together in a serving dish so everyone can help themselves. We rarely have any leftovers; when we do, they’re easily reheated for a quick, healthy breakfast or lunch.
Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
This is an easy mid-week meal that can be adapted in countless ways. Don’t like Italian sausage? Use cubed chicken breasts or thighs instead.
If you’re cooking for fewer people, you can cut the recipe in half and do it all in one pan. But it makes great leftovers! Just sayin’…
- Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients
- 5 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
- 4 large potatoes, cut into 1.5” cubes
- 4 tbsp good-quality olive oil
- kosher salt
- 2 lb Italian Sausage, cut into 1” slices
- 2 large bulb fennel, cored and cut into ½” slices
- 2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment for easy clean-up.
- Directly on a baking sheet, toss the carrots and potatoes with half the olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt until the vegetables are evenly coated. Place the sausage pieces on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly around the pan in a single layer—roast for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the fennel and broccoli to the second sheet and toss with the remaining olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. These vegetables take less time to roast than the carrots and potatoes, so add this pan to the oven about halfway through the baking time.
- Serve with a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
Note: Feel free to substitute different vegetables, such as baby potatoes (halved), sweet potatoes (cut into 1-inch chunks), large broccoli or cauliflower florets. (If using potatoes, do not line the pan with foil, as they are prone to sticking.)
You can substitute any vegetables you have going. Just be sure to stage the cooking time accordingly.
- More prolonged cooking: Brussels sprouts, red onion, cauliflower, sweet potatoes,
- Shorter: bell peppers, green beans, summer squash, sugar snap peas
