Here’s my favourite autumn sheet pan dinner with apple, sausage & maple. It has all the flavours of fall, with brussels sprouts, delicata squash and herbs like sage and rosemary, then crunchy roasted pecans mixed in. It's kind of like thanksgiving in a bowl! It’s a perfectly well-rounded meal, with multiple vegetables, protein from the sausage and carbs from the squash. Best of all, it’s easyyyy.
Happy fall! Wow, I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus here, almost since last fall with the exception of a few random posts here and there! It started with renovating that farmhouse I blogged about. We’re now living in it, have a brand new kitchen and overhauled the master bed/bath, but the long-winded description with photos is for other posts. I will say I’m thoroughly enjoying my new commercial oven, whaaaat! Favourite features are how quickly it gets hot, six burners, that I can fit sheet pans both directions in the oven because it’s extra deep, and the even oven temperature – just in time for fall baking.
On that note! Here’s my favourite autumn sheet pan meal. It has all the flavours of fall, kind of like thanksgiving in a bowl. It’s a perfectly well-rounded meal, with multiple vegetables, protein from the sausage and carbs from the squash. Best of all, it’s easyyyy. I have a baby now (!!), which is another reason for my long hiatus, so I’m all for ease. At only three months old she hasn’t developed much of a schedule yet, but she does tend to want to fuss right around dinner time. My sister-in-law, an experienced mom, gave me the best tip that she would prep dinners whenever her kids were napping or she had time, so when dinner rolled around she just had to stick it in the oven. Seriously, best advice. In the case of this recipe, there’s a fair bit of chopping, but outside of that it’s just time in the oven. I’ve been making this recipe for years, but lately I’ll take the 15 minutes needed to chop everything while Esme is napping. Then at dinner I’ll just put it in the oven to bake, and I have my hands free to hang out with her, and then Ryan’s not hangry because we’re eating too late. If you work all day and just want your early evening free to get outside or whatever, you could even do the chopping for this the night before and store it in the fridge. Then you just have to put it on a pan and wait for it to bake!
Here’s what’s in it:
Delicata squash (you could use any squash, though I’d recommend one with edible skin for ease, or sweet potato)
Brussels sprouts
Apple
Beets
Pecans (walnuts or almonds are great too)
Sausage (I used a venison apple maple sausage this time. If you’re in the US, Nature’s Promise makes a great chicken apple sausage that I usually use)
Bacon (optional, but highly recommend)
Sage, rosemary, salt and pepper
A few tablespoons of maple syrup
A perfectly well-rounded meal! You’ll get your carbs, not to mention all sorts of vitamins, from the squash. Beets contain an incredible amount of health benefits, including the growth of gut bacteria and fibre for your digestive system. Brussels sprouts and apple with more nutrients and vitamin C (which helps with iron absorption – so many people are low in iron!). The pork in the sausage will provide the iron, as well as protein, and of course loads of flavour! I add the drizzle of maple syrup in the last five minutes of roasting, which of course makes everything delicious but also makes it nice and crispy.
Chop chop chop it all up and throw it on a large baking tray with olive oil, salt and pepper. I like to chop the beets in small, 1cm cubes, because they take the longest to cook. Chopping them in to smaller pieces ensures they finish cooking at the same time as everything else. Put it in a 400°F oven to bake for 30 minutes. Then I’ll take it out of the oven, drizzle over the maple syrup and add the pecans, and bake for 5 more minutes. Then it’s done! I drizzle balsamic glaze over the whole pan before serving.
Autumn Sheet Pan Dinner with Apple, Sausage & Maple
Servings: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 large delicata squash, or squash with edible skin like acorn or honeynut
1 large beet
about 20 brussels sprouts
2 macintosh apple
1 tablespoon each fresh rosemary and sage
salt and pepper, to taste
8 strips of bacon
5 small sausages, I like these Nature's Promise Chicken and Apple sausages
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
DIRECTIONS
Note: This recipe makes four large servings. I used two sheet pans, since everything crisps up better if it's spread out a bit more. If you only want enough for two large servings, just use half the ingredients and one sheet pan.
Preheat your oven to 400°F, and line two large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Start by washing and chopping the veggies. After all your produce is washed, cut the squash in half, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Continue cutting it in to pieces about 1cm thick and 3cm long. Then, cut the beets in to small cubes, about 1/2cm square. Chop the ends off the brussels sprouts, and cut them in half. Slice your apples in to thick slices. Finely chop your sage and rosemary. Place all your sliced produce on one of the sheet pan after it's chopped. Drizzle everything liberally in olive oil, then put a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper over the whole thing, along with the rosemary and sage. Give it a good toss to combine, and divide it evenly between the two sheet pans.
Chop your bacon in to large chunks using a knife, or you can cut it with scissors. Also chop the sausage in to 1cm thick rounds. Place it over the veggies on the two sheet pans, and put them in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the sheet pans from the oven. Drizzle 1tbsp of maple syrup over each pan, and sprinkle the pecans or walnuts over top. Put it back in the oven to bake for 5 more minutes.
Remove the pans from the oven. You'll know everything is cooked when you can easily pierce it with a fork. Each oven is different and may run hot or cold, so you may need a few additional minutes of baking. Toss it all together, and drizzle the balsamic glaze over top. Serve it up!
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