When I’m perusing the meat aisle on a weeknight looking for a quick and easy dinner option, I often walk right past the chicken thighs and ground beef and head straight for the sausages. They’re already packed with flavor and its so easy to chuck them on a baking sheet with a few veggies for a dinner that everyone loves. This Baked Italian Sausage is one of my go-to recipes for busy evenings.
Recipe highlights
- Packed with flavors that satisfy everyone
- One pan = minimal cleanup
- Low effort, doesn’t need babysitting
- Makes great leftovers
- Inexpensive
- Good balance of protein and veggies
Baked Italian Sausage ingredients
This recipe is super easy to customize, but here’s what I use as a blueprint:
- Italian sausage: Uncooked, store-bought. You can also use bratwurst, turkey sausage, or any other fresh, uncooked sausages.
- Bell peppers: I like to use a mix of red and yellow for the vibrant color.
- Red onion: I love the sweetness of red onion, but you can also use yellow or white onion, or even shallots.
- Fennel bulb: Nothing beats the flavor of roasted fennel, especially alongside Italian sausage. It’s a match made in heaven!
- Fennel seeds: These are optional, but they add a fragrant note to the recipe that elevates the whole dish.
- Salt: The sausage is already well-seasoned, but a pinch of salt will bring out the flavor of the veggies.
- Oil: I use olive or avocado oil for this, but you can use whatever oil you like to cook with.
- Lemon: Roasted till juicy for a tangy drizzle at the end.
Equipment needed
As promised, this is a one-pan wonder and you don’t need to get a million pots and pans dirty. You will need:
- 1 sheet pan (baking sheet)
- Parchment paper to line the sheet (optional)
- Cutting board and knife
- Mortar and pestle, or something heavy to crush the fennel seeds with.
How to make this Baked Italian Sausage
This recipe is low-fuss, low effort, and fairly quick. The whole thing comes together in under 40 minutes.
- Start by moving one of your oven racks to the upper-middle position, and preheat the oven to 450F. A very hot oven is ideal to make sure the sausage gets nicely browned.
- Chop your veg. I like to cut the peppers, onions, and fennel into large pieces because I love how they look and I enjoy the satisfaction of biting into big pieces. Plus, larger pieces will cook at a similar rate as the sausages.
- Lightly crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a frying pan to release the aroma.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper (if using) and place the veggies and whole sausages onto the tray. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and crushed fennel seeds, and toss everything to coat.
- Arrange the sausages and veggies in a single layer, and place in the oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, flip the sausages over and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the sausages reaches 175 degrees F. (I use an instant read thermometer for this). If at this point the sausages and veggies are not quite brown enough, move the oven rack up, turn the oven to broil, and broil the sausage and veggies for 3-5 minutes or until they are browned and crisped to your liking.
- Squeeze the roasted lemons over the sausages and veggies and serve straight up or with a starchy side. (Ideas below).
What to serve with it?
A starchy side dish is great for soaking up all the lemony sausage-y juices of this dish. Here are a few ideas:
- Mashed or roasted potatoes
- Buttery noodles
- Soft polenta
- A toasted hoagie bun for a quick sandwich
Baked Italian Sausage variations
This Baked Italian Sausage can be riffed on in a million ways. For example, you can mix up the sausage by using bratwurst or English bangers, and you can use different veggies depending on your mood and the season. Wedges of acorn squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or zucchini are some of my go-to veggies for roasting like this. Just keep in mind the different cooking times of different veggies, and cut them in the appropriate sizes. For example, I tend to cut quick cooking veggies like peppers into large chunks, whereas potatoes get sliced on the thin side so they have time to cook through.
Storing and reheating
To store leftovers, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat, you can use a microwave or warm them in a skillet with a bit of oil until heated through.
My favorite reheating method is to slice the sausages and sauté them with the veggies to crisp them up.
*Sometimes I’ll make the leftovers into a quick frittata by pouring beaten eggs over the sliced sausages and veggie mixture and finishing it in the oven. (Just make sure your pan is oven proof!)
FAQ
Yes, you can make baked Italian sausage without vegetables. Simply place the sausages on a sheet pan and bake as directed. You might want to adjust the baking time slightly, checking for doneness earlier.
Baked Italian sausage pairs well with a variety of sides such as mashed potatoes, pasta, or polenta. You can also serve it in a bun for a delightful sausage and pepper sandwich.
To prevent the sausages from drying out, make sure they are cooked in a hot oven and not overcooked. Most sausages are really fatty and should be able to stay juicy after cooking.
Yes, you can use pre-cooked sausages. If you do, add them halfway through the cooking time to ensure they heat through without becoming overcooked.
To make the dish spicier, you can use hot Italian sausages or add crushed red pepper flakes to the vegetables before baking.
Baked Italian Sausage
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 Cutting board and knife
- 1 Mortar and pestle optional
- 1 Instant read thermometer optional, but recommended
Ingredients
- 454 g Italian sausage links
- 2 bell peppers
- .5 red onion
- 1 fennel bulb save the fronds for garnish
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
- .5 teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin (or your oil of choice)
- 1 lemon halved
Instructions
- Move one of your oven racks to the upper-middle position, and preheat the oven to 450F. A very hot oven is ideal to make sure the sausage gets nicely browned.
- Cut the veggies. I like to cut the onions and fennel into 1 cm wedges, and the peppers into random large triangle-like pieces.
- Lightly crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a frying pan to release the aroma.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (if using) and place the veggies and whole sausages onto the tray. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and crushed fennel seeds, and toss everything to coat.
- Arrange the sausages and veggies in a single layer, and nestle in the lemon halves. Place the tray into the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, flip the sausages over and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the sausages reaches 175 degrees F. (I use an instant read thermometer for this).
- To brown the sausages and veggies a bit more, switch the oven to broil, move the tray up a rack, and broil the sausages and veggies for 3-5 minutes. (See recipe notes).
- Squeeze the roasted lemons over the sausages and veggies and serve straight up or with a starchy side dish.
