November 26, 2018

One Pan Sausage Dinner with Fall Vegetables

Name: One Pan Sausage Dinner with Fall Vegetables
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 red onion, chopped; 1 large sweet potato, peeled or scrubbed and diced into 3/4-inch cubes; 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch slices; 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half; 8 ounces Brussels sprouts, halved and stems cut off; 12 ounces pre-cooked chicken sausage (I like an apple variety for this recipe), cut into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon dijon mustard; Salt and pepper to taste

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This one pan sausage dinner is the perfect 30 minute meal on a night when you want a nutritious meal but you really don’t feel like cooking!

I made this on Instagram stories a month or so ago and the consensus was that you guys wanted this recipe! It’s one of those that I just throw together when I don’t especially feel like cooking (which is more often than you might think!), but it’s a great healthy meal that uses up some of the stuff in your fridge.

I usually keep a package of chicken sausage in my fridge and it is great for quick and easy meals like this one. Slice it, sauté it over high heat so it gets golden brown and caramelized, and mix it with whatever vegetables you have. Dinner, done!

For this particular rendition of that one pan meal, I used a lot of fall vegetables and flavors. Despite a pending snowstorm in Michigan and our Christmas tree standing in our living room, I’m still hanging on to fall because it seems like we barely had one!

I used red onion, sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and a nice apple chicken sausage. Sometimes I add apples or regular potatoes to mix this up a little. It really is whatever I have on hand, usually.

This one pan sausage dinner is the perfect 30 minute meal on a night when you want a nutritious meal but you really don't feel like cooking!

How to Make this One Pan Sausage Dinner:

This recipe really is nearly fail-proof but the important thing is to take into account the different cooking times of the vegetables you’re making. Start with the hard vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions. (If you like your onions a little less cooked, you can add them in the second round, but I like mine really cooked well.)

Once those have a good head start, you’ll add the next level. This is where you’d add bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, those types of vegetables.

You’ll want to add vegetables that have the shortest cooking time last. Things like mushrooms, asparagus, and spinach cook quickly and you’ll want to add them last to prevent overcooking.

Tip: Use the largest skillet you have (that has a lid) so that the vegetables have lots of space. This will help them caramelize and brown, rather than just steaming from being too crowded in the pan.

Make this cozy one pan meal vegetarian:

There are a couple of ways that you could make this vegetarian. My favorite is to leave the sausage out. When the vegetables have cooked and you’ve added the sauce, move it all to the edges of the pan and crack and egg in the center and fry it. Vegetable hash with an egg – so good!

Another way to boost protein if you’re leaving out the sausage is to add a protein-packed grain like quinoa, or to add beans or cheese. All great and tasty additions, with or without sausage.

Make it Gluten-Free:

It’s already naturally gluten-free if you use a gluten-free sausage.

Make it Whole30 Complaint:

You can do this by choosing a compliant chicken sausage (mustard, too) and leaving out the maple syrup in the sauce.

Make it better:

Add bacon. RIGHT? I recommend cutting the bacon up into small pieces, cooking it first, and then removing it to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the grease and use that instead of olive oil to sauté all the vegetables in. Add the bacon back in immediately prior to serving.

Want more one pan meals? I KNOW YOU DO! I have countless one pan recipes, but here are some great ones: