The sheet pan diet is where it's at. Not really a diet at all, just a method where all of your food gets cooked on one pan, leaving only one pan to be washed. This sheet pan sausage and peppers is an easy dinner fix for a hungry crowd.
![Metal sheet pan on a countertop with roasted sausages, red green and yellow peppers, and onions](jpg/horizontal-cooked-sm2.jpg)
Sheet pan meals are my jam. Sheet pan fajitas for Mexican night, sheet pan orange chicken for Asian night, this apple and onion sheet pan meal in the fall, and this here sheet pan sausage and peppers for Italian night. No matter your mood, no matter what you're craving, the sheet pan dinner has you covered.
Before we dive in to the nitty-gritty of the recipe, let's talk about sheet pans in general. Not all sheet pans are created equal, ok? There are some super flimsy ones out there, some with non-stick coating (which will just inevitably get scratched and then rust, ew), some that will warp and never be flat again.
And then there's these sheet pans. I've bought these sheet pans as gifts. I've recommended them to everyone I know. My mom owns them, my sister owns them. We have them in our Airbnb cabin. They're a MUST have if you're going to venture into the world of sheet pan meals.
They're durable. They never warp. You can scrub them and not worry about ruining any coating. They clean easily, and they do a bang up job of cooking your food.
So, get yourself some Nordic baker's half sheets. End rave. Let's move on.
Prepping sheet pan sausage and peppers
Step 1: Cut your peppers into strips lengthwise. They don't need to be perfect and uniform, they just need to be about the same size-ish, like this:
Step 2: Slice your onion into long strips as well. If you're not sure how to do this easily, refer to this post on how to cut an onion the easy way.
Step 3: Break apart your chunks of onion so you have thin slices, similar in size and shape to your peppers.
Step 4: Put all the peppers and onions on your (new, kickass) baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the salt and italian seasoning, then get in there with your hands and toss it all together until its good and coated.
(Not pictured, because I'm a dumb dumb and forgot to take a picture of this step.)
Step 5: Add your sausages. Just nestle them in, moving peppers and onions to the side to fit them. Everything should be close and snuggled in, like they're getting ready to take a cozy nap in the warm oven.
Give the whole thing another sprinkle of salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, and she's ready to go!
Step 6: Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until sausages reach an internal temperature of 145°. If you prefer a browned/crispy exterior, turn the broiler on for the last three to five minutes of cooking, watching closely to avoid burning. The whole thing should come out of the oven looking something like this:
Types of sausage to use
I used a mild Italian sausage here, but you could use anything you like! A hot Italian would also work, if you prefer something spicy, or even an andouille.
Keep in mind that the times listed in the recipe are for raw, full sausages. If you are using a cooked sausage, or a sausage that is cut into slices, that is going to change your cook time.
Many chicken sausages come pre-cooked. If you're using a pre-cooked sausage, you'll want to start with just the veggies and add those to the pan for the last 10 minutes or so, just to get them heated through and browned.
What to serve it with
I like serving this with just a whole mess of the roasted peppers and onions and a drizzle of dijon mustard. It stands on its own really well and doesn't need much else.
If you need some more volume to the meal, you could always serve it over cauliflower rice, or regular rice if you're not paleo.
I've also cooked up a little homemade tomato sauce on the stove, with a can of diced tomatoes, some tomato sauce, some tomato paste, garlic, black olives, and spices, and put a spoon or two of that in the bottom of the bowl or dish and put the sausage and peppers on top, which was a big hit.
Special diets: Whole30 & keto
Guess what?! This meal is not only deliciously paleo, it's both Whole30 compliant and keto friendly.
Sheet pan meals are one of the most satisfying things on Whole30. You get super sick of cooking, super sick of doing dishes, and you just want something that:
- fills you up
- tastes delicious
- and has minimal clean up
And, with your high in fat sausage and your low in carb peppers and onions, if you're looking for an easy keto meal, this one's got you covered too!
Meal prep sheet pan sausage and peppers
If you want to meal prep this recipe, here's how to do it - put your peppers, onions, oil, and spices all in a big Ziplock bag. (Leave the sausages out at first.) Close it up, leave some air in it, and toss it around until everything is good and coated.
Add your sausages, give it a gentle mix around or two to get them some coating love too, then pop the bag in the fridge.
When you come home at the end of a long day and ask, "what's for dinner?", there she is, waiting for you in all of her sheet-pan glory. Dump her out onto that sheet pan, nestle your sausages in, pop her in the oven, and you're done.
Recipe
Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers
The sheet pan diet is where it's at. Not really a diet at all, just a method where all of your food gets cooked on one pan, leaving only one pan to be washed. This sheet pan sausage and peppers is an easy dinner fix for a hungry crowd.
Ingredients
- 3 medium bell peppers, sliced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 ¼ pounds raw Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or other high heat cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°.
- Slice your bell peppers and onions into long strips and place on your sheet pan.
- Drizzle with the avocado oil, sprinkle with the seasonings, and then toss with your hands to get everything good and coated.
- Nestle your sausages into the pan, spreading them out evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sausages have reached an internal temperature of 145°.
- If you prefer a browned and crispy exterior to your sausages, move the pan to the top rack and turn on the broiler for 3-4 minutes. Watch closely, as you don't want them to burn! You're just looking for a slilghtly brown and bubbly skin on top.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately. You can serve them as-is with mustard, or if you are serving a crowd or need more volume to the meal, serve over rice or cauliflower rice,
Notes
Want to meal prep this recipe? Cut up your peppers and onions and add them to a large Ziplock bag with the oil and spices. Seal the bag and toss around to coat everything. Add the sausages to the bag and stick the whole thing in the fridge. When you're ready to cook it, dump it out on a sheet pan and bake! Easy peasy.
If you prefer a spicier sausage, you can use a hot Italian instead of a mild, or an andouille.
If you use a cooked sausage, you will want to add those to the pan only for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking to get them heated through.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 473Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 1310mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 23g
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Cindy
What temperature?
Not mentioned.
Jessica
Hi Cindy! On the recipe card, the first step in my recipes is always what temperature to preheat the oven to. In this case, it's 425°. I just checked and it is on the card, so let me know if there's someplace you're not seeing it!