Easy Sheet Pan Meal for Busy Families
Busy weeknights call for easy sheet pan meals that can be thrown together in a flash, just like this recipe. But, we aren’t forgetting about taste. This One-Pan Fall Vegetables and Chicken Sausage boasts the perfect balance of flavors including tangy, slightly sweet, savory and salty…all in one bite! If you are looking for an easy sheet pan meal to add into your meal rotation, this one is worth giving a try.
Recipes that are flexible and allow you to swap ingredients in and out are some of the best ones! The fall vegetables used in this recipe include butternut squash and brussel sprouts, but you can mix it up depending on what is available at the grocery store or farmer’s market that week. Sweet potatoes would be a great substitute for butternut squash or add a mix of both!
As a mom with littles, I know that exposing my kids to a wide variety of foods is necessary if I have hopes of raising adventurous eaters. One strategy I have learned is to not overwhelm them with a lot of new things all at once. When choosing your veggies for this recipe, select one that is unfamiliar and one that they generally like. This means that even if they are uncertain about one food, they know that there is plenty to eat and enjoy at the meal.
When selecting chicken sausages, definitely read the ingredients and review the nutrition label (I share one of our favorite brands in the video). While our family does prefer apple chicken sausage, there is a bit of added sugar. You can choose the brand and flavor your family prefers and fits your nutrition needs. And, it is always important to keep a healthy perspective when it comes to sugar and our bodies. A tiny bit is okay and when paired with some healthy protein and fat, our blood glucose responds much better than when eaten by itself.
September is National Family Meals Month. We know that eating a meal as a family has a wealth of physical, social and emotional benefits. Sheet pan meals, like this One-Pan Fall Vegetables & Chicken Sausage, just might be the solution you are looking for to reduce mealtime stress.
One-Pan Fall Vegetables and Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
12 oz Apple Chicken Sausage (like Al Fresco or Trader Joe’s brand)
4 cups Butternut squash, peeled and cubed
16oz fresh Brussel sprouts, cleaned and halved
2 ½ TB spicy or deli mustard
1TB olive oil
1 TB pure maple syrup (or honey)
½ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare brussel sprouts by washing, chopping off ends, removing any brown leaves and cutting in half; place in a large bowl along with the cubed butternut squash. Add the olive oil, maple syrup or honey, spicy mustard, salt and pepper and combine well.
Place the vegetables on a large sheet pan, lined with a silicone mat (or lined with foil/parchment paper and sprayed with oil). Roast in the oven for 25 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, slice each link of chicken sausage into 3 pieces.
After vegetables have cooked 25 minutes, remove pan from oven and toss veggies so they can brown on both sides. Then, snuggle the pieces of chicken sausage and return pan to oven for 10-15 minutes for the veggies and sausages to lightly brown and caramelize. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Serving Size: Makes 4 servings
Tips and Suggestions
- Serve with spicy mustard on the side, if desired.
- Alternative vegetables could be used (if preferred), like sweet potatoes or acorn squash instead of butternut squash.
- Different flavors of chicken sausage can be used. Read the ingredient list and choose one your family will love!
Nutrition per serving
Calories 314
Total Fat 11g
Saturated Fat 3g
Sodium 794mg
Carbohydrate 38g
Dietary Fiber 7g
Added Sugar 9g
Natural Sugar 6g
Protein 19g
