This super simple sheet pan dinner is easy, satisfying, and a great fall dinner idea. Sliced sausage is tossed up with a medley of cubed autumn squash and sweet red apples then baked up at high-temps for a savory autumn dinner. Bake this sheet pan sausage with apples and squash when you crave a simple but cozy fall dinner with easy fall flavors.
Sausage and apples make a great combination in the oven. A little sweetness from crisp cubed red apples plays nicely with the spices happening in the sausage.
Big cubes of golden squash sweeten and tenderize as they roast in the oven while shallots add a delicate and mild touch of onion flavor. Everything is tossed up with drizzles of olive oil and coarse salt and pepper on a sheet pan.
It’s a great cozy fall dinner with just a few simple ingredients that all roast up together on one sheet pan for an easy and satisfying meal. Serve this alongside your favorite kind of steamed wild rice. Serve it with a nice hot bowl of orzo and lots of fresh minced parsley on top.
You could also just as easily serve it over a big bed of fresh green spinach leaves and let the heat from the sausage and veggies slowly wilt the spinach, creating a warm hearty salad.
I think the spinach idea is easily a favorite, right? Hot spiced sausage and squash with cubes of sweet roasted red apple and shallot on a bed of spinach? Yes. I’m always thinking of ways to sneak green things onto our plates, so, that always has me at hello.
Oooh, but you could also serve it over a quick bowl of quinoa or couscous… If you like that idea, pop in and check out these spicy chipotle acorn squash bowls with avocado and quinoa!
Ultimately, this meal is great on its own served with maybe a little warm flatbread on the side. Pair it up with nothing more than a nice glass of red wine that can stand up to the roasted flavors of the dish.
Roast Sheet Pan Sausage With Apples And Squash
Start by washing, trimming, and cutting your shallots. I’ll use a bag of baby shallots or smaller shallots (about 4 to 5) and dice them into a 1 inch dice. If that is not available, you can use a large red onion cut into the same size. The shallots have a sweeter but milder flavor.
If you can’t find a little bag of small shallots, use regular size ones and cut them down. Anywhere from 4 to 6 regular size shallots cut into 1 inch cubes should do the trick.
peel and cube your squash
I used an acorn squash which (I have to admit) is a tad trickier to peel completely due to the ridges it has built into it’s shape. It basically tastes pretty much the same as butternut squash.
use acorn squash or butternut squash
If you’re more keen on easy prep, the butternut squash is easier to peel, seed, and cube. I was able to peel up the acorn squash by simply using a potato peeler, then using a little paring knife. The paring knife helped to carve out whatever peel was left in the ridges where the potato peeler couldn’t reach. Then I cut it in half, removed the seeds with a spoon and cubed.
Both types of squash will hold the same flavor in the dish so don’t worry about that. I will say that a butternut squash will yield more squash than a smaller acorn squash. If you use the butternut squash either use half of it or divide the entire cubed squash onto 2 sheet trays. You can then distribute the rest of the ingredients evenly onto both trays and roast. To help everything roast up in a timely fashion together, I’ll also cut the squash and apple into a 1 inch dice or cube.
Drizzle Olive Oil & Season
Toss large diced red apple (I used cubed fuji apple), squash, and shallots in a drizzle of olive oil. Now season with coarse salt and ground pepper. I used mild Italian sausage which I sliced while it was nice and cold out of the fridge. It can be rather tricky to slice it as it is soft and can ‘smush’ up under the knife when pressing to cut.
To get nice clean cuts on the sausage, cut it while cold with a nice sharp knife. Cut it into about 1/2 inch thick slices. Once you’ve drizzled and seasoned the apple, shallot, and squash, tuck in the sausage slices all throughout the sheet pan. Sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley and roast. Additionally, sometimes I like tucking in sprigs of thyme or rosemary for a touch of fresh herb flavor and color.
roast sheet pan sausage & serve
Roast in a 450 F degree oven for 25 minutes or until sausage and shallots are cooked through and squash is tender. Toss everything around once in between for even browning.
Garnish with fresh apple slices and fresh herbs, if desired. Serve this sheet pan sausage with apples and squash on a platter with your favorite steamed rice, orzo, couscous, or nice warm flatbread! Enjoy this easy sheet pan bake as a nice cozy autumn dinner or an easy oven dinner on cold-weather nights.
Sheet Pan Sausage With Apples And Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pack Mild Italian Sausage - sliced
- 1 squash Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 1 Red Apple - large dice
- 4 to 5 medium Shallots - 1 inch dice or 1 large red onion
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Coarse Salt and Cracked Pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F.
- Toss squash, apple, and shallot together on a sheet pan with salt pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and arrange in a single layer.
- Tuck in sliced sausage, dotting the sheet pan evenly throughout with the slices. Sprinkle with a little parsley or tuck in sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary before roasting for added flavor.
- Roast in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes or until sausage and shallots are browned and cooked through and squash is tender.
- Garnish with fresh apple slices and herbs if desired. Serve hot.
