This sheet pan sausage and veggies dinner is ready in about 30 minutes, and you can use whatever vegetables you like. Roast the sausage on the same sheet pan with the veggies, then top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve over fresh arugula to give it a peppery bite, or over rice, quinoa, or pasta.
This sausage sheet pan dinner couldn't be easier, providing your protein, your side dish, and your green veggies all in one. Italian sausage gets crispy in the oven, the rendered fat coats those roasted root vegetables with delicious goodness.
If you're not a fan of carrots and parsnips, (but how could you not be?) use whatever veggies you like! Possible variations are endless, try potatoes, brussels sprouts, red peppers, almost anything!
I like to serve the roasted sausage and vegetables over arugula with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Then top the whole thing with some grated parmesan cheese and you've got yourself a meal.
I always keep Italian sausage on hand for easy dinner ideas. Try my other Italian sausage recipes like Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers, Baked Sausage and Apples, Italian Sausage with Cannellini Beans, or Italian Sausage Stuffing.
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Ingredients for sausage sheet pan dinner
- Italian sausage: Choose spicy or sweet, whatever suits your fancy.
- Carrots: I always have a bag of real, whole, organic carrots in the fridge. When you buy them without the tops they last a long time and they're great to have around.
- Parsnips: One of my favorite winter vegetables. Try to find medium-sized parsnips that aren't too skinny at the bottom as those ultra-skinny parts won't be usable for this recipe because they will burn before the sausage is done.
- Arugula: Serving over arugula is optional. I love the peppery bite and brightness that arugula brings to this dish and it keeps it a little lighter.
- Olive oil and lemon juice: A drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon act as the dressing for the arugula.
- Grated parmesan cheese: Please use real parmigiano reggiano and grate it yourself. We only have a few ingredients here, so let's use the best so the flavors shine!
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper: To season the vegetables. I love the warm spice of the black pepper on these veggies.
Variations
Sheet pan sausage and veggies is a blank canvas for your endless ideas of vegetable, seasoning, and sausage combinations.
- Use a different kind of sausage: Look in your butcher's case for links of chicken sausage, turkey sausage or bratwurst. You can could also use fully cooked smoked sausage like kielbasa for a smokier flavor and lower fat option.
- Try other veggies: Swap in red potatoes or sweet potatoes, add red bell pepper, onions, brussels sprouts, broccoli, or zucchini. Just make sure all the vegetables you are using will cook in the same amount of time as the sausage. Cut them into smaller pieces for long-cook veggies or add them a bit later for quick-cooking ones like zucchini.
- Mix up the spices and seasonings: Like it spicy? Add crushed red pepper flakes. Try an Italian or Greek seasoning blend.
- Add a sauce on top: Once the sausage and veggies are cooked, toss them in Basil Pesto in the summer or Sage Pesto in fall and winter!
How to make sheet pan sausage and veggies
Recipe inspired by a sausage sheet pan dinner from Smitten Kitchen.
Step 1: Chop the veggies
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Peel and chop parsnips and carrots.
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PREP TIP If parsnips are on the thicker side, I cut out that woody center stem. It can be unpleasantly hard and chewy. Just slice a 1-inch chunk, then cut into 4 wedges, and nip off that triangular piece of stem. You can also carefully notch it out with a paring knife. This is not needed on the thinner parts.
Divide the vegetables between two sheet pans - I love my Nordic Ware sheet pans, they don't buckle! - and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix together.
Step 2: Add Italian sausage to the sheet pan
Cut each Italian sausage into three pieces. Place on sheet pan with veggies.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, until root vegetables begin to brown. Halfway through, stir them up and rotate the pans.
If serving over arugula: When the sausage and veggies are almost finished, place arugula in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and squeeze the lemon all over.
Remove pans from oven, consolidate onto one sheet pan, sprinkle parmesan over the top and toss together. Scoop the roasted veggies and sausage on top of the arugula and serve. Voilà! An easy sausage sheet pan dinner on the table in no time.
Expert tips for sheet pan sausage and veggies dinner
- Don't crowd the pan! Although you could fit everything onto one sheet pan, the sausage and veggies will not brown and caramelize, they will just kind of steam and get mushy. (Guess how I figured that out?) So if you only have one pan, do this in two batches.
- For easier cleanup, you can line the sheet pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. The sausage and veggies may not get quite as crisp if you use parchment paper.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on a sheet pan covered with foil at 350 degress F until warmed through, or cook in the microwave.
FAQ
Sheet pans come in eighth sheet, quarter sheet, half sheet and full sheet sizes. For this sausage sheet pan dinner, you'll need a half sheet which is about 18 x 13 inches. Full sheet pans are about 25 inches wide and won't fit into most home ovens, they are made for commercial use. I prefer sheet pans that are natural aluminum. I don't like non-stick, it seems that the coating always comes off pretty quickly so they're not worth the price or the worry that the coating has gotten into your dinner.
You can freeze sausage and veggies, but the reheating results will depend on the vegetables you use. If you're using potatoes and other root vegetables, it will freeze and reheat just fine. If you're using vegetables with more water content like broccoli and zucchini, it could get watery, so separate the sausage and veggies when reheating to ensure that the sausage stays crispy.
Serving suggestions
I like to serve sheet pan sausage and veggies over arugula to add freshness. You could also serve it as a grain bowl or a pasta dish. Try crispy brussels sprouts or a kale salad with cranberries as a side dish.
You'll love this sheet pan sausage and veggies!
- It's a quick and easy meal: Try it on a weeknight or keep ingredients on hand to make on a whim when you need a quick dinner.
- It's versatile and customizable: You can put endless combinations of sausage and veggies on a sheet pan so that you never have exactly the same meal twice! Experiment with different seasonings and sauces too!
- It's economical: Buy what's on sale or use up what you have in the fridge and the pantry before it goes bad!
More sheet pan dinner recipes
- Greek Chicken and Potatoes gets bold flavors from Greek oregano and lemon that infuses everything as it cooks.
- Harissa Chicken and Potatoes with Herbs is a little spicy, but gets cooled down with a lemon yogurt sauce.
- Roast Chicken and Cabbage is a simple recipe, but the cabbage caramelizes as it cooks and transforms into something magical!
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Recipe
Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies Dinner
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Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 1 lb parsnips peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 6 Italian sausages in natural casing
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano cheese
- 6 oz arugula
- olive oil
- ½ lemon
- kosher salt
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Peel and chop parsnips and carrots. If parsnips are on the thicker side, I cut out that woody center stem. It can be unpleasantly hard and chewy. Just slice a 1-inch chunk, then cut into 4 wedges, and nip off that triangular piece of stem. You can also carefully notch it out with a paring knife. This is not needed on the thinner parts.
Divide the vegetables between two sheet pans and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix together.
Be sure to use two pans or do in two batches. If you put everything onto one sheet pan, it won't brown and caramelize, it will kind of steam and get mushy. - Cut each sausage into three pieces. Place on sheet pan with root vegetables.
- Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, until vegetables begin to brown. Halfway through, stir them up and rotate the pans.
- Just before sausages and roasted root vegetables are finished, place arugula in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and squeeze the lemon all over.
- Remove pans from oven, consolidate onto one pan, sprinkle parmigiano over the top and toss altogether. Scoop the roasted parsnips, carrots, and sausages onto arugula and serve.
Notes
- Although you could fit everything onto one large sheet pan, the veg and sausages will not brown and caramelize, they will just kind of steam and get mushy. (Guess how I figured that out?) So if you only have one pan, do this in two batches.
- If you can't find parsnips, try beets or yellow carrots instead.
- use whatever veggies you like. Just make sure they are cut about the same size and have similar cooking times. But please, for the love of all that is good and holy, do not use baby carrots. They are not really carrots. Peeling and chopping the carrots is only going to take you about five minutes and can even be very meditative. What you spend in time you will make up in real, actual carrot flavor. Instead of just a roasted hunk of fiber that is orange and tastes like water.
Linda Cummings
Yummy
Jorie
Hey! You think I can do this recipe with carrots and potatoes instead of parsnips?
Debra
Yes absolutely! The original recipe uses potatoes and sausage, so carrots and potatoes will work perfectly!
Jorie
Yum! So easy and delicious! Made tonight and it was great! Personal preference but I removed casings and also added extra arugula!
Thanks Deb! Now, Iโm going to have to invite myself to Paul and Sarahโs too ๐
finefoodsblog
So glad you liked it, Jorie! Yes, removing the casings works fine and probably easier for your little ones to handle.