Description
Easiest Dinner When You Don’t Know What to Cook – This sheet pan sausage and veggie bake saves busy nights. Simple, flavorful, and a total weeknight win.
Ingredients
Scale
- Main Players:
- 1 lb smoked sausage (kielbasa, chicken apple, or similar), sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 3 bell peppers (any color), cored and chopped into chunky pieces
- 1 large red onion, cut into thick wedges
- 1.5 lbs baby potatoes, quartered (or small potatoes, halved)
- Flavor Builders:
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- Finishing Touches:
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)
- Pantry Backups:
- Optional: other quick-cooking vegetables like broccoli florets or zucchini chunks
Instructions
- Prep Your Veggies & Sausage:: First things first, get your oven preheating to 400°F (200°C). Then, grab your biggest sheet pan – trust me, space is key here. Now for the chopping: slice your smoked sausage into nice, thick rounds, about half an inch. Chop those bell peppers into chunky, bite-sized pieces. Quarter your baby potatoes, and slice the red onion into thick wedges. This is where I sometimes get a bit messy, veggies flying everywhere, but it’s all part of the fun, right?
- Toss with Flavor:: Dump all your chopped sausage, peppers, potatoes, and onion onto that sheet pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil – you want everything coated but not swimming. Now, sprinkle on the garlic powder, dried Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Get your hands in there and toss everything together until it’s all evenly coated. I usually make sure every piece has a little sheen of oil and spices. Don’t be afraid to really get in there and mix it up; sometimes I think I’ve mixed enough, then realize a potato is still naked!
- Spread it Out:: This step is crucial for achieving those crispy, roasted edges we all love. Spread your ingredients out in a single layer on the sheet pan. If your pan is too crowded, things will steam instead of roast, and we want that beautiful caramelization, not soggy veggies! If you’re making a bigger batch, honestly, use two sheet pans. It’s worth the extra dish to get that perfect texture. You’ll start to smell the herbs warming up as it goes into the oven, a truly delicious preview!
- First Roast & Flip:: Pop that sheet pan into your preheated oven. Let it roast for about 20-25 minutes. This is where the magic starts to happen! The potatoes begin to soften, and the edges of the sausage and veggies start to get golden. After that initial roast, pull the pan out and give everything a good stir or flip with a spatula. This ensures even cooking and browning. I always peek to see which bits are getting the crispiest – that’s my favorite part!
- Second Roast & Crisp:: Send it back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the sausage and veggies are beautifully browned and slightly caramelized. Keep an eye on it, because oven temperatures can vary! I’ve definitely over-crisped a pepper or two because I wandered off to scroll through TikTok. You want that perfect balance of tender inside and slightly crisp outside.
- Serve It Up:: Once everything is cooked to perfection, pull the pan from the oven. The kitchen will smell absolutely divine, trust me. You’ll see those gorgeous roasted colors – deep reds, golden browns, and vibrant greens. You can serve this straight from the pan, honestly, it’s that kind of relaxed meal. Sometimes I sprinkle on some fresh parsley for a bit of color and brightness. It just looks so inviting, a real winner for the easiest dinner when you don’t know what to cook.