One Pan Roasted Sausage with Eggplant & Tomatoes
I have three ways to get an easy meal on the dinner table in a stress-free fashion and none of those ways involve hearing “it’s my pleasure”, “your total is”, “will that be all?” or “please pay at the second window”.
Now – before I start telling you about this recipe – let me first say, there is a reason I know all of those phrases so very well. We all enjoy the occasional drive-thru treat, right? But, after a few runs through the fast food fast lanes, everything starts to taste the same. Quickly, the cravings for a yummy homemade meal far outweigh the instant gratification of the drive-thru.
So what’s a busy mom with a short window for dinnertime to do?
Well, I have shared several speedy recipes over the years:
In addition to quick casseroles and no peek stews, soups & chilis – “One Pan Roasted Meals” are a major life saver!
It’s important to start off with meat that isn’t frozen (I have started with frozen many times. It still turns out great but timing is longer and not as predictable, depending on the size and type of meat). For this recipe, I used a yummy all beef smoked sausage with no nitrates, no MSG, no hormones etc. I am pretty particular about using high quality sausages without all of the hidden junk.
Simple line a baking sheet with parchment paper, cut the smoked sausage links into 4″ pieces and position with 2″ spacing on the baking sheet.
Thinly slice tomatoes, eggplant & onions. Chop celery if you have it on hand (roasted celery is one of my favorite roasted veggies). Toss the veggies in the juice on one lemon, 2 T canola oil and a dash of s & p.
Arrange veggies in a single layer around the sausages and place into a 275° over for 15 minutes. Crank the heat up to 350° and continue roasting for 20 minutes or until veggies are nicely roasted and golden. Be sure not to overcook the sausage – it can become dry and hard.
If you decided to use another veggie in place of the eggplant and tomatoes – like carrots and potatoes, that is great, but you will need to roast the carrots and potatoes on 400° for 25 minutes BEFORE adding the sausages. Once you add the sausages, drop the oven temp to 350° and continue roasting for 10-15 minutes.
If you have time, serve a little side salad or mashed potatoes with this One Pan meal. But if you are like me, I most ofter serve this with a side of ice water. #busymomproblems
The lemon mixed with the thinly sliced tomatoes and eggplant was so tasty – a ver yummy twist on a traditional meat and potatoes type go meal.
- 3 lb smoked all beef sausage links, cut into 4" sections
- 3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 4 small eggplants, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 T canola oil
- ¼-½ t kosher salt
- ¼-½ t ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 275°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss sliced tomatoes & eggplant in the lemon juice, canola oil and s & p. Place sausages, evenly spaced approximately 2" apart, onto the lined baking sheets and arrange veggies around the sausages in a single layer.
- Roast for 15 minutes at 275° and then increase the heat to 350° and continue roasting for 20 minutes or until veggies a cooked through and lightly golden.
- Once cooking is complete, remove from oven and serve.
- Serves 8