Easy Dinner - Sheet Pan Sausage And Veggies

I enjoy cooking, but I don't always have time to do a big, involved dinner. On nights when I need to make dinner fast, I find myself falling back on the sheet pan dinner standby. This recipe uses root vegetables that will keep for a loooooong time, plus bell pepper for some additional flavor and nutrition. You can do any hearty vegetables that you like, just try to cut them in a size that will cook at about the same rate so you don't end up with some that are undercooked and some that are burned.

Estimated prep time: 10 minutes
Estimated cook time: 30-45 minutes
Makes 4 servings. 2 if you're hungry. 1 if you're The Rock. Note - This makes about 1 cup cooked veg per serving. If you want more vegetables, make more vegetables.

Tools

• Large mixing bowl
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Sheet pan (preferably with edges but a rimless sheet would work)
• Scissors or kitchen shears

Ingredients

• 1 large potato
• 1 sweet potato
• 2-4 carrots
• 1 bell pepper
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 package sausage, any flavor (this time, I used a chicken-sweet potato andouille)
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. WASH YOUR HANDS. Really, in the kitchen you should wash your hands before you start food prep, after handling any raw food, and especially after handling raw meat or fish. After picking up anything you drop on the floor. After scratching your face....Just wash your hands. A. Lot.
3. Trim and dice your vegetables into about 1/2" - 1" pieces and put them in your mixing bowl. Smaller pieces will cook faster, larger pieces will take longer but be nice and soft on the inside. I don't peel potatoes or carrots -- the peel is nutritious and this saves time.
4. After all your veg is diced, drizzle liberally with olive oil -- about 1.5-2 tbsp, and toss to coat. Then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and toss again. Tossing with oil first helps the seasoning stick better.
5. Spread your seasoned veg over the sheet pan in a single layer. If it doesn't cover the whole pan, try to scoot it all together into the middle so you've got a nice bed for the sausages
6. Use the scissors to open your sausage packaging and put the sausages on top of your veg. You just touched raw meat, so what do you do? WASH YOUR HANDS and the scissors. Then, put the pan in the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes until sausage is warmed through and vegetables are toasted on the edges and soft in the middle.

Substitutions and Variations
This is the kind of recipe where you can basically use what you have or want. You could mix in some broccoli and cauliflower. Toss in some turnips. You could add more delicate vegetables halfway through like green beans, cherry tomatoes, or asparagus. If you add them at the beginning they will be wilted and possibly burned by the time your sausage is done.

To add a bit more substance to your meal, fry an egg or two over-easy and serve on top of the vegetable mix for a breakfast hash take on things. Serve with a side of fruit, or vegetables and hummus to get a bit more nutrition.

As far as sausage goes, any flavor will do. I like to keep sausage as a meat option because many packaged varieties last 2-4 weeks, so it's a good 'back up' type meat to have after you run out of things that expire faster.