Let’s be real. You want to eat unprocessed, real-food, but you don’t have all day to spend in the kitchen. Friend, same here! My answer? A list of easy meals that I keep on rotation week after week. I know these meals by heart, they’re easy-to-make, the ingredients are commonly stocked in my pantry, and they please the whole family (most days…kids). Let’s make one of those recipes. This is the Simplest One Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies recipe, a super easy dinner recipe that’s great for busy weeknights!
PS: After this recipe, download my free 64 rotational meal ideas cheat sheet for tons of easy recipes!
An Easy Sheet Pan Dinner
Sheet pan meals are one of the best ways to keep meals easy, nutrient-dense, and healthy when life is busy. Here’s why: minimal dishes, hands-off cooking, and roasting food always = great flavor! The best sheet pan meals are made with a protein and veggies, which can be mixed and matched to change with the seasons. This sheet pan sausage and veggies recipe is the perfect example.
Here at Live Simply, we’re all about eating real-food and I know some members of the community may be following a gluten-free, paleo, or Whole30 way of eating. This recipe checks off all those boxes (yes, Whole30 allows for white potatoes).
A Meal-Prep Recipe
If you’re looking to get a jumpstart on your meals for the week, this recipe is also a great meal-prep idea. Roast up the veggies and sausage ahead of time, portion into containers (I love this set–as you can take them to work and reheat food easily). Or, add this meal (re-heated) to a thermos in the morning for a hot and ready meal at lunch. If you’re planning to make this recipe in advance and store it for later, 5 days is the max for freshness.
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- 4-6 raw sausage links (pork sausage, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage)
- fingerling potatoes (or chopped yellow baking potatoes)
- cauliflower florets
- mini sweet peppers
- garlic cloves
- salt and pepper
- spices: rosemary, thyme, basil
- extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
How to Make this Sheet Pan Dinner
This recipe is so incredibly easy. The most time-consuming part is just preparing the veggies, which will take about 10 minutes. Once chopped, this recipe is completely hands-off, making it the perfect easy sheet pan dinner recipe.
- First, cut a cauliflower head into florets (or buy pre-chopped florets to save time), halve the fingerling potatoes, and halve the sweet peppers.
- Next, place the veggies in a large bowl. Add the garlic, drizzle the oil, and sprinkle in the seasonings: salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and basil. Toss the veggies until well coated in the seasoning and oil.
- Next, line a large sheet pan (or two smaller sheet pans) with parchment paper (for easy cleanup). The sheet pan shouldn’t be “packed” with food as the food needs enough room for roasting without steaming.
- Spread the veggies onto the sheet pan.
- Place the sausages in the bowl where the veggies were mixed, and lightly coat the sausages in any remaining oil and spices left at the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the sausage to the sheet pan, nestled in the veggies.
- Roast the sausage and veggies on the sheet pan for 30-40 minutes, until veggies are fork tender and sausage is cooked through.
Variation Ideas
The beauty of a sheet pan dinner is that with the foundation recipe you can change up how you make a meal based on seasons, food prices, or preference. Here are a few ideas for veggies you could use instead of the potatoes, cauliflower, and mini sweet peppers:
- Carrots (instead of the cauliflower or potatoes)
- Broccoli (instead of the cauliflower or potatoes)
- Zucchini (instead of the cauliflower or potatoes)
- Butternut Squash (instead of the cauliflower or potatoes)
- Brussel Sprouts (instead of the cauliflower or potatoes)
- Bell Peppers (instead of the mini sweet peppers)
- Sweet Potato (instead of the fingerling potatoes)
What kind of Sausage?
For the sausage, you can use raw chicken, pork, or turkey sausage. I prefer a mild Italian sausage that we get from a local butcher, which I then cut into smaller links. Italian or Andeloui sausage both add a lovely flavor to this dinner. You could also use pre-cooked (smoked) sausage, as shown in this recipe.
Serving Ideas
Serve this easy sheet pan dinner as-is, without anything else (making it super easy and fuss-free). If you want to add something extra, here are a few ideas….
- Add a salad on the side. I love this weeknight salad.
- Toss in a handful of spinach after cooking the veggies, allowing the steam to wilt the greens with the veggies and sausage.
- Spoon the veggies on top of a bowl of arugula that’s been tossed with olive oil and lemon juice and add some parmesan cheese on top.
- Serve on top of quinoa or rice. This may be too much with the potatoes and cauliflower, but if you’re using a different veggie, this would add healthy carbs to the meal.
- Top with a balsamic glaze or reduction. Like this recipe.
- Serve with mustard.
- Shred parmesan cheese over top.
I’d love to hear how you enjoy this dinner recipe and if you change up this easy weeknight sheet pan meal to put your own spin on it!
One Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies
Equipment
- 1 sheet pan
Ingredients
- 4-6 links Italian or Andeloui Sausage uncooked, raw sausage links
- 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes halved or yellow baking potatoes (halved and then cut into smaller pieces)
- 10 ounces cauliflower florets (about 2 cups) 1 medium head
- 8 ounces mini sweet peppers
- 6 garlic cloves chopped and crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to taste (somewhere between 1-2 tsp based on taste and veggies use–potatoes need lots of salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
Optional for Serving:
- balsamic vinegar or a balsamic glaze
- Dijon mustard
- arugula
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (or two smaller sheet pans). The food needs enough room for roasting without steaming, so make sure there's plenty of room for the veggies and sausage to spread out (no packed layers).
- If the fingerling potatoes are small, use them as-is. If larger, halve the potatoes into 1" pieces. If you're using yellow baking potatoes, halve and then cut into smaller pieces. The goal is for all the veggies to be relatively uniform in size so everything cooks evenly.1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
- Cut the ends off the peppers and pull out any seeds and membranes. Halve the peppers.8 ounces mini sweet peppers
- Add all the vegetables to a large mixing bowl.1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, 10 ounces cauliflower florets, 8 ounces mini sweet peppers
- Add the oil, garlic cloves, and all seasonings to the vegetables. Mix well with your hands. (If you don't have the individual spices on hand, alternatively, use 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning.)6 garlic cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Arrange the vegetables on the prepared sheet pan.
- Roll the raw sausages in the remaining oil in the bowl, then place among the vegetables, nestled into "pockets" within the veggies.4-6 links Italian or Andeloui Sausage
- Roast for 30-40 minutes, until vegetables are fork-tender and sausage has reached an internal temperature of 160F. See post above for serving ideas.
