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 really tasty fall/winter dish. And it’s true, once the sausage is sliced up it sort of throws sausage flavor over everything so it seems like there is more than there is.
This is a very simple recipe to make. I use turkey kielbasa…yummy! I usually akways have those ingredients in the house, so it makes for a quick go to meal. I have made this quite a few times, and my two 9 year old boys LOVE IT.
I had this over the weekend and it was absolutely delicious! So simple and it tasted like a gourmet meal.
This is amazing! I made it once and even my picky 3 year old liked it. The only change I made was I used chicken apple sausage and added them in at the last 10 minutes since they were already cooked. Going to make this again and use delicata squash instead of sweet potato since that is what I have on hand.
Will this freeze well?
So-so. It may be a bit dry after reheating, but probably tasty none the less.
I made this last night for dinner (and today’s leftover lunch)… man this was so good!! I followed the recipe exactly, making it with turkey sausages (got some large hot Italian sausages) and they went so well with the sweet and aromatic veggies. I know its called an “autumn” medley but i’m going to continue cooking this all year round. Wouldn’t change it at all.
sorry, noob cook here. as others have posted below, i’d want to swap the sausage for chicken thighs. would i cook them the same way the sausage is, for the same length of time and flipping midway, or should i adjust something?
also, just discovered your blog earlier this week. have been enjoying “stumbling” from one recipe to the next everyday since. thank you so much for all your hard work and for sharing your creativity!
Although I haven’t tried it with chicken thighs, I think it would work just about the same. I’m not sure about the roasting time, though. That is something you might just have to keep an eye on. If you’re using skinless thighs, make sure to brush some oil or something on them so they don’t dry out.
I would probably try risotto with it…on the side or mix it in your bowl or on your plate!!
So I was literally introduced to your site yesterday and let me say, “I LOVE YOU ! ” This was so simple and delicious. I used a no salt seasoning ( if you haven’t heard of/tried them, check out http://www.flavorgod.com not the most budget friendly but 1 jar lasts a while ) a few extra cranks of pepper and fresh sage. Just what I needed as the weather begins to likechange here in NOLA. Thanks so much for sharing :)
what sauce would you recommend with this dish. Thanks
I don’t think that I’d use a sauce on this. The moisture from the sausage and vegetables combines with the herbs to create a slight sauce of its own.
I made this tonight because it was unseasonably cold and it was soooo good! It’s just two of us and we barely had a 1/3 left over. I did use Eckrich beef sausage instead of turkey and it was just wonderful.
Just made this with bratwurst as that’s all I had on hand, and it is fantastic!! Definitely going in the dinner rotation.
I made this tonight but used pre-cooked turkey keilbasa added with 20 minutes to go. It was delicious! Only thing I would change next time would be to add the apples 10 minutes into the cooking time as they were a little mushy. I used granny smith apples- maybe it was just the variety?
Added some asparagus on the side – DELICIOUS!
I’ve made this twice now and it was a huge hit! I added red-skinned potatoes and some purple potatoes to add even more color. Because of that I roasted the veggies for 15-20 minutes longer prior to adding the meat and it came out perfectly. It has been awesome!