Monday, February 18, 2019

Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner

A super easy sheet pan dinner recipe with Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies. Prep the simple, budget-friendly ingredients in only 15 minutes, pop it in the oven & go relax for a bit. This is my go-to "lazy" meal when I'm feeling tired & hungry but want to eat something homemade & comforting without much work. (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free & whole30)

Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner

I'm excited to FINALLY share one of my all-time favorite dinner recipes with y'all.

I've posted cellphone snapshots of it many times on Instagram over the years and even attempted to photograph it with my DSLR twice in the past two years, but both times it was close to dusk & the pics turned out blurry. Third time's the charm, eh?

I've been making this sheet pan sausage, veggies & potatoes meal for probably 10 years. I got the basic recipe from my step-mom who used to fix it for us back in Kansas. She used a rope of kielbasa sausage, onion & red bell pepper, and a few potatoes then seasoned it all with Cavender's (a Greek seasoning blend).

Over the years, I've tweaked the seasonings and veggies to make it my own. I never measure the ingredients or seasonings (probably the main reason it took so long to make it on the blog) and will often switch things up based on what I have on hand.

Easy Sheet Pan Dinner: Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies

The biggest change I've made over the past several years is packing the sheet pan with more veggies. Almost to the point where I can't get it all to fit. Whoops. To be fair, the leftover potatoes & veggies are yummy reheated for breakfast with eggs or even dumped into homemade soups.

So I add a bit more potato, an extra bell pepper, and sometimes 1/4 of a green or red cabbage. I've also experimented with slicing the smoked sausage differently or cooking it separately on the stove so it turns out either crispier or juicier.

And most recently, I've doubled the amount of smoked sausage to 2 ropes instead of 1, so the meal is more filling (extra protein) and stretches further. Another way to do this is to serve the sausage and potatoes with a side salad. I've done that many a time over the years, especially in the summer months.
Easy Sheet Pan Dinner: Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies
As you can see, the basic recipe is super flexible and simple.

But since I've tinkered with it so much myself, I'm sharing all my best tips here so you have an easier go at it the first few times you fix this.

Then hopefully you'll make it your own & report back here to let me know how you've improved it even more. :)

Prepping Easy Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe with Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies

Tips For Making Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner

  • Chop the potatoes into smaller pieces (closer to bite-sized) so they cook faster
  • You can use russet potatoes as long as you peel them, but I've always used waxy potatoes (Yukon gold & red potatoes) because they're less starchy. Sweet potatoes would also work, too!
  • Season the potatoes & veggies liberally with dry spices. I include basic measurements in the recipe card for you to start with, but feel free to add more!
  • How you prep the sausage will impact the texture at the end since it's already cooked. If you like all your pieces to be charred & crispy then slice the kielbasa into thin rounds and mix it all up with the veggies before cooking (see the collage picture above for an example of this).  If you like the outside to be slightly charred but still want the sausage to have a juicy bite, then cut the rope into 1 1/2 inch chunks so there is less surface area exposed to the heat.
  • The more veggies & sausage you add onto the sheet, the longer it will take to cook and brown on top. When the baking tray is packed full of food, it'll steam in the oven as it bakes until the pieces start to cook & shrink. This is why I add the step at the end for turning on the broiler to brown everything. 
  • If you want to slightly decrease the cooking time & make sure everything is nice & charred, add less to the sheet pan. That could mean one less potato, only 1 bell pepper, and/or 1 rope of sausage. Another alternative is to brown the sausage separately in a skillet on the stovetop while the veggies roast so they have more space on the sheet.
  • If you want to use 1 rope of sausage instead of 2 (that's the way I fixed this for years), it'll serve 3-4 people (depending on how hungry they are). To make the meal stretch further since there is less meat, I like to fix a small leafy salad to serve on the side for each person, usually with a homemade dressing like blue cheese, apple cider vinaigrette, or maple balsamic vinaigrette. You'll have plenty of time to do this while the food is in the oven or you can prep it ahead of time.
  • Need a low-carb swap for this recipe? Substitute chopped cauliflower or sliced cabbage instead of the potatoes. Both veggies will cook faster than potatoes so you may want to check on it at the 30-minute mark to see if it's already done. 

Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner

Ideas For Using Leftover Sausage & Potatoes

If you're cooking for 1-2 people or making a bigger batch and end up with leftovers, here are a few ways to use 'em:
  • reheat the potatoes, veggies & sausage in a skillet on the stovetop to serve as a warm hash with fried or scrambled eggs for a fast & easy breakfast
  • cut the sausage into thin pieces (if you left them in chunks) and add that + the veggies & potatoes to chicken or veggie broth with extra seasonings, meat & veggies (like celery or carrots) to make a quick homemade soup. It would also be yummy added to Zuppa Toscana soup or cabbage roll soup.
  • chop the leftovers into tiny pieces and use as a filling for egg breakfast muffins or an egg breakfast casserole
  • saute the leftovers, fix some scrambled eggs, and pile a bit of both into a warm flour or corn tortilla to make breakfast tacos
Have any other good ideas for using up the leftovers? Leave a comment below! 

Easy Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe

Need More Easy, Quick-Prep Meals? Check Out These Recipes From The Blog:


sausage & potatoes recipe, smoked sausage & potato recipe, easy sheet pan dinner
Main Dish
American
Yield: 4-6

Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner

prep time: 15 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 60 mins
A super easy sheet pan dinner recipe with Smoked Sausage, Potatoes & Veggies. Prep the simple, budget-friendly ingredients in only 15 minutes, pop it in the oven & go relax for a bit. This is my go-to "lazy" meal when I'm feeling tired & hungry but want to eat something homemade & comforting without much work. (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free & whole30)

ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs of Yukon gold or red potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
  • 1 onion (I prefer yellow or sweet onions)
  • 2 sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
  • 2 (12-16 oz) ropes of smoked sausage (a.k.a. kielbasa)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil (like avocado oil or olive oil)
  • 2 teaspoons of granulated garlic
  • 2 teaspoons of cracked black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning blend (like Everything But The Bagel seasoning or Cajun seasoning)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)
  • Sea salt, to taste (adjust depending on the sodium content of your seasoning blend)
For Serving (Optional):
  • Spicy brown mustard
  • Barbecue sauce
  • Sauerkraut

instructions:

  1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. 
  2. Meanwhile,  wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized chunks. Peel & thinly slice the onion, de-seed & dice the bell peppers, and either cut the smoked sausage into thin circular rounds (for crispier pieces) OR into 1 1/2 inch chunks (for juicier pieces). 
  3. Spread the potato, onion & bell pepper onto a large rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with cooking oil, sprinkle with the spices & toss well with clean hands until all the veggies are coated. 
  4. Push the veggies together a bit and add the chopped smoked sausage to one end of the sheet pan. Alternately, if you cut the sausage into thin slices, toss the pieces with the seasoned veggies.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through, or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Turn the oven's broil setting to LOW and continue cooking the sausage & potatoes for 5 minutes or until the tops are slightly crispy & browned.
  6. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces & garnishes (mine are barbecue sauce, spicy brown mustard & sauerkraut). 

NOTES:

The more you pack the sheet pan with veggies & sausage, the longer it will take the food to cook and brown on top. If you need it done a bit faster or want everything extra crispy, reduce the amount of food on the baking sheet so there is more space & surface area to brown. (Example: Use 3 only potatoes and 1 rope of sausage. ) Alternately, you can brown the sausage separately in a skillet on the stove in the last 10-15 minutes (it's already cooked so it doesn't take long).

To make this whole30 compliant, you'll need to make sure the smoked sausage and seasoning blends you use don't contain any sugar. 

For more tips & info on swaps, see the bulleted section above in the blog post.
Created using The Recipes Generator

Did You Make This Recipe?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how it went! Please leave a comment here on the blog, on Pinterest via the "tried it" feature, or use the hashtag #therisingspoon & tag @therisingspoon when you share pics to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. It helps me to get feedback on my creations and it totally makes my day. :)


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A super easy sheet pan dinner recipe with smoked sausage, potatoes & veggies. Prep the simple, budget-friendly ingredients in only 15 minutes, pop it in the oven & go relax for a bit. This is my go-to "lazy" meal when I'm feeling tired & hungry but want to eat something homemade & comforting without much work. (gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free & whole30)

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MEDICAL DISCLOSURE: The information included on this website is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. None of the opinions expressed here are meant to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. You should always consult your healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for your own situation or if you have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.

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