Years ago I made Nature’s Candy, which was a deliciously sweet and savory oven roasted side dish that was so good I’d almost call it a dessert. Well, I decided to take that amazing flavor combination and turn it into a sheet pan dinner. I added some sweet Italian sausage, a red onion for a slightly more savory twist, and a few more fall-inspired herbs. This Oven Roasted Autumn Medley has all the best flavors of the season in one sheet pan!
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How to Serve Oven Roasted Autumn Medley
I served this sheet pan mix with a side of mashed potatoes, but you could also serve the roasted sausage and vegetables over a bed of greens for a fall-inspired salad. Or just serve it on its own with a nice piece of crusty bread and some butter on the side. :)
Can I Use a Different Sausage?
Yes, if you don’t like or can’t get sweet Italian sausage, you can use a maple or apple flavored turkey sausage in its place. Any type of sausage with those fall vibes will work great!
Other Vegetable Options
This dish is also pretty flexible when it comes to the vegetables. You can swap out the sweet potato or just add some butternut squash, acorn squash, or pumpkin. All of those hard, slightly sweet winter squashes work great. Carrots, with their subtle sweetness, are another great option!
Tips for Roasting Vegetables
One of the goals when roasting vegetables in the oven is to get that nice caramelization on the edges. The caramelized edges are sweeter and have a deep, intense flavor. To get this nice browning action, make sure your vegetables are not too crowded on the baking sheet. They should be in a single layer. If the vegetables are piled too high on top of each other the steam will get trapped and the vegetables will essentially steam in their juices instead of getting that nice caramelization.
So, if you decide to double this recipe, make sure to use two sheet pans!
Oven Roasted Autumn Medley
Servings 2Ingredients
- 1 red onion ($0.44)
- 1 lb. sweet potato ($1.07)
- 2 apples ($0.76)
- 8 oz. sweet Italian sausage ($1.40)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 tsp dried basil ($0.10)
- 1 tsp rubbed sage ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional) ($0.11)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Core and dice the apples into 1-inch pieces. Peel and dice the sweet potato and red onion into 1-inch pieces.
- Place the chopped apples, onions, sweet potatoes, and Italian sausage links on a large 9×13-inch baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over top, then add the basil, sage, rosemary, salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Toss until everything is well coated in oil and herbs.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet and use tongs to transfer the sausage to a cutting board. Slice the sausage into medallions, then add them back to the baking sheet. Return the baking sheet to the oven.
- Roast the autumn medley for another 20 minutes, or until it reaches your desired level of browning. Top with chopped parsley for garnish after roasting, then serve.
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Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Nutrition
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How to Make Oven Roasted Autumn Medley – Step by Step Photos
For this recipe I used two sweet Italian sausage links, one sweet potato (about 1 lb.), two apples, one red onion, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp dried rosemary, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Core and dice the apples, peel and dice the sweet potato, and peel and dice the red onion (all 1-inch pieces). Place the apple, sweet potato, onion, and sausage links on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil, then sprinkle the herbs and spices over top (basil, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper).
Toss to coat everything really well in oil and herbs. Make sure everything is spread out on the sheet pan as evenly as possible.
Roast the autumn medley for 20 minutes, then remove it from the oven. The sausage will be about half-cooked at this point, but firm enough to slice into medallions. Carefully remove the sausage with tongs to a cutting board, slice, then return the slices to the sheet pan. Return the sheet pan to the oven.
Roast the autumn medley for another 20 minutes, or until it achieves the level of browning that you like. Top with a tablespoon of chopped parsley, if desired (just for garnish).
Serve immediately and enjoy! This mix also works great for meal prep!
This is easy and delicious! I used chicken and apple sausage….. Even my four-year-old loved it! Thanks!
If you wanted to use the smaller (3oz) precooked chicken sausages, how long would you cook the veggies before adding the sausage? And should you still flip the sausages at some point?
I’m not familiar with those sausages, but I would suggest adding them in the last 15 or 20 minutes, since you just want them to warm through and not over cook. You probably won’t need to flip them.
Just made this but added some mushrooms and a beet and roasted an extra 10 minutes. Delicious! Perfect for a crisp fall evening.
This looks amazing! My husband has gotten on a low sugar kick. Do you know what the sugar content is on this meal, perhaps? I’m thinking of throwing some pineapple bits into the mix. It looks amazing!!!
I’ve made this twice for dinner already this week! It is so good! I love that you can just cut everything up and pop it in and almost (but dont’ really!) forget about it. I added some red potoatoes into the pan too, but I think I’ll also pick up some squash soon and add it to the mix as well. Thanks for the idea!
Amazing! Used fennel instead of the onion since I had it on hand and mild Italian sausage. I also forgot to stir it and it was still incredible! Thank you for another great recipe!
Beth–I love the way so many of your recipes turn out to be springboards and get us all thinking about ways to use simple ingredients, many of which are already in our kitchens. I happen to have chicken sausage in my fridge, and this will be PERFECT, although since it is precooked, I’m going to add it about halfway through. And no sweet potatoes, but a butternut squash just hanging out–see what I mean?
Nice!! I love how everyone shares their ideas and inspired each other! :D It’s my favorite part of this whole thing!
Loved every bit of it! My partner and I were sad to look at an empty casserole dish after making this!
We used chicken sausage ( stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes & spinach) It was DELICIOUS!
This is a winner for Thanksgiving :)
You saved dinner at my house on Monday – Thanks a million!!! I leaped off the couch to make it at 4:15 and my husband was calling it “gourmet” by 5:45. Two toddlers asked for seconds as well. Thanks for rescuing me. I always know I can count on you to deliver a delicious solution to my dinner dilemmas. :-) A “Beth dish” is sure to show up on my menu plan almost weekly. Keep up the great work.
Our favorite thing we’ve ever made from this website. We used the apple chardonnay chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s, which was so perfect for this. Definitely give it a try!
This looks really inviting and I think I’ll make the vegetarian version of this dish very soon (I am pregnant and can’t stomach meat right now…).
I think I’ll substitute fresh herbs for the dried ones (because I only have these), and I was wandering if I can substitute squash for the sweet potatoes? Sweet potatoes are impossible to find in Italy… What do you think?
Yes, winter squash would be amazing in this. :)
Super easy and VERY yummy! I especially loved how wholesome the whole dish was, and how easy it is to subsitute the meat.
I don’t think I’ll do it again with apples, but winter squash sounds like a great idea! Thanks so much for the recipe!
P.S. I have zero cooking skills and this turned out perfectly, a testament to how simple it is.
I made this tonight with mild Italian chicken sausage I got at Publix (Greenwise) and it was fantastic! I used one Gala and one Fuji apple, not sure which one is better. Yum.
This was delicious! I will definitely make it again. I also added some frozen cubed butternut squash and used chicken thighs instead of sausage. :)
I was just about to ask how this would be with butternut squash. I have a butternut squash and some turkey sausage that are begging to be made into this.
Oh my word, YUMMY!! This recipe was amazing. Thanks for another great seasonal recipe, Beth!!