Sausage Bake Dinner makes an entire hands-off meal in one dish. This easy baked Italian sausage recipe combines roasted sausage, sweet potatoes, and onions for a flavorful sheet pan sausage and veggies meal!
Easy Sausage Bake Recipe
Roasted Sausage Sheet Pan dinner is a healthy, easy, and foolproof family meal. It uses only one pan so clean up is a breeze! Plus, this baked sausage recipe easily adapts to whatever seasonal fruit or veggies you have on hand.
Sheet pan dinners are my saving grace for busy weeknights. First of all, I love a recipe that doesn’t require cooking at the stove! Simply cut up sweet potatoes, onions, pears and toss them on a baking sheet.
Mix the olive oil, spices, and veggies right on your baking dish so there is minimal clean up. Throw it all in a preheated oven, add the Italian sausage halfway through baking, and you have yourself a complete meal in less than 30 minutes!
Plus, Sausage Bake Dinner morphs into so many different versions. For a classic Italian sausage and peppers meal, use bell peppers and onions to compliment the meat.
I tested the recipe using seasonal pears, but apples would work just as well. In the summer substitute peaches or nectarines and cook it on a grill pan (my essential summer cooking tool).
Can You Bake Italian Sausage?
Yes! Oven baked sausage is equally flavorful, but virtually mess free. Roasted sausage avoids messy stove top grease splatters. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment to remove any clean up!
Oven baking also cooks the sausage more evenly. Using a grill or skillet may overly cook the skins while leaving the interior raw. Baking sausages allows the internal temperature to be more evenly controlled.
Sheet pan sausage is perfect for entertaining because it eliminates hands-on cooking. A large amount of sausage may be baked at one time with little intervention from you!
How long to Cook Sausage in the Oven
Sausage Bake recipe cooks in a 425ºF oven so the veggies roast quickly and the sausage becomes golden brown. While the potatoes take a little longer to cook, the sausage only needs 15 – 20 minutes to cook fully.
Lowering the temperature to 400ºF will take 25 minutes for the Italian sausage to reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
What kind of Sausage Can I Use for Baked Sausage
Cooking times will change depending on the type of sausage used. If the sausage cooks before the veggies are roasted, remove the sausages and keep warm while the potatoes, onions, and pears finish cooking.
- Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage – Pork sausages need to reach of temperature of 160ºF (71ºC)
- Chicken Sausage – Poultry sausage needs to be baked until a temperature of 165ºF (74ºC)
- Turkey Sausage – Bake until it reaches a temperature of 165ºF (74ºC)
- Smoked Sausage – Since this type of sausage is pre cooked, add it to the sheet pan for last 10 minutes of cooking.
Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies
I love the flexibility of easy sheet pan sausage and veggies. Baked Italian Sausage Dinner uses sweet potatoes, pears, and onions for a fall sheet pan dinner. Substitute different vegetables, fruits, and even spices based on the time of year and what is in season.
For instance, use Italian seasoning, peppers and onions for a traditional baked italian sausage meal served with tomato sauce. Or, substitute peaches, carrots, and chicken sausage for a lighter summer meal.
Here are some additional fruits and veggies that may be added or substituted:
- green beans
- brussels sprouts
- bell peppers and onions
- cubed red potatoes or russet potatoes
- fruit – apples, peaches, or nectarines
- red peppers
- butternut squash
- carrots
How to Make Baked Italian Sausage
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. On baking sheet toss sweet potatoes, onion, olive oil, allspice, cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the veggies out and bake for 10 minutes.
- Add pears and toss to combine with seasonings and sweet potatoes.
- Nestle sausages in between fruit and sweet potatoes. Return to oven for 10 – 15 minutes.
What to Serve with Roasted Italian Sausage Dinner
The bonus of oven baked sausage dinner is the ease of making an entire dinner on one sheet pan. While your hands-off meal is baking, choose a side dish to compliment your meal.
- Rice dish, such as brown rice, rice pilaf, or white rice
- Green salad, such as Harvest Salad or Strawberry Feta Salad
- Lentils
- Green Bean Salad
- Baked beans
- Bacon Cornbread
- Additional roasted veggies, such as Bacon Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and Cheese, Oven Roasted Cabbage, or Roasted Zucchini
Cooks Tips for Making Baked Italian Sausage Tray Bake
- If the sausage cooks before the veggies are roasted, remove the sausages and keep warm while the vegetables finish cooking.
- Substitute apples for the pears or any other potatoes for the sweet potatoes.
- Use under ripe pears so they roast without becoming overly mushy.
- Cut sweet potatoes in evenly sized 1 inch cubes so they cook quickly and uniformly.
- Turkey sausage, chicken sausage, or smoked sausage may be substituted. See above for cooking time and internal temperature adjustments.
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Sausage Bake Dinner
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
- 1 large sweet onion, cut in wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 19 ounces Italian sausage links
- 4 small firm pears, cored and sliced in 8 wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. On the baking sheet toss sweet potatoes, onion, olive oil, maple syrup, allspice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Spread in an even layer and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Add pears and toss to combine with seasonings and sweet potatoes. Nestle sausages in between fruit and sweet potatoes. Return to oven for 10-15 minutes, flipping sausages halfway through.
- If you prefer golden brown sausages, remove baking sheet from oven and increase temperature to 450ºF. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until sausages are roasted and crispy on top.
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Recipe Notes
- If the sausage cooks before the veggies are roasted, remove the sausages and keep warm while the vegetables finish cooking.
- Substitute apples for the pears or any other potatoes for the sweet potatoes.
- Use under ripe pears so they roast without becoming overly mushy.
- Cut sweet potatoes in evenly sized 1 inch cubes so they cook quickly and uniformly.
- Turkey sausage, chicken sausage, or smoked sausage may be substituted. See above for cooking time and internal temperature adjustments.
- Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage - Pork sausages need to reach of temperature of 160ºF (71ºC)
- Chicken Sausage - Poultry sausage needs to be baked until a temperature of 165ºF (74ºC)
- Turkey Sausage - Bake until it reaches a temperature of 165ºF (74ºC)
- Smoked Sausage - Since this type of sausage is pre cooked, add it to the sheet pan for last 10 minutes of cooking.
Nutrition
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Items used to make this recipe:
Sheet Pans Cutting Board Santoku Knife
Judi says
Made this last night and used what we had on hand….fresh peaches and plums, link sausages, white potatoes. Was excellent! Thankful for ALL the great tips! So very easy!
Vanessa T Knopp says
Mom and I loved this recipe. Our sausage took much longer to cook though. I finally took the vegetables out and raised the temp for 5 min on each side. I’m wondering for next time, if I could pre ok the sausage and pears a bit? All in all, a delicious keeper.
Melissa says
Hi Vanessa,
Yes, that would work perfectly fine. Great idea!
Best,
Melissa
Lexi says
Super easy “its finally fall” one pan meal. My whole family loved it!
Melissa says
Thanks Lexi! So glad you enjoyed it. You’re right, fall is the perfect excuse to make this!
Best,
Melissa