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!
I make this often, but use potatoes, onions, peppers, and celery. Always very tasty.
This was pretty tasty! Simple and quick to put together and then the cook time is mostly hands off so great for a weeknight. For me, the sausage cooked faster than the veg and ended up a little dry. I would probably go for more like 1/2”-3/4” chunks on the veg and shave off a few minutes from overall cook time. If you want something green and don’t feel like salad you could always throw broccoli or Brussels sprouts on the other rack to roast at the same time.
Good to know Natalie!
I’ve made this a number of times in different variations. I’m not a big fan of roasted apple myself, so I usually substitute an equivalent amount of a veggie. Brussel sprouts or broccoli are the current favourites!
Could you make this a day ahead and reheat?
You probably could, but I bet this one is a little better when fresh.
I just so happened to find some Italian sausage on sale today so this was right up my alley!
What would your suggestion for sides be? I see the mashed potatoes in the picture but I’m a bit carbed out.
My suggested sides are listed in the “How to Serve Autumn Roasted Medley” section, right under the first photo, but they’re mostly carbs. 😅
I love this recipe. I have made it with bulk sausage (lean from a local source). I just make small patties and lay them on top.
Couple of questions:
1. What do you serve with it? Worried that it doesn’t have a lot to bulk it out and combine it into a meal if it’s all just in chunks on a dish at the end.
2. Would it work if you roasted other veg as part of this? Such as normal potatoes, carrots or anything like that?
3. Is there some kind of sauce/gravy you’d pour over it or does that ruin the apples? I’d have thought this very dry else although your wonderful pictures have set my mind at ease over the quantities ( group of 4)
Thanks for the great ideas
I just added some crusty bread (and butter) and considered that a meal because it has your protein, vegetables, and carbs all in one. You can definitely switch up the vegetables and play around with it that way. Roasted vegetables of all kinds are great! :) I can’t really think of any sauce or gravy that would go with this off the top of my head. I just ate it as is.
I have bratwurst or maple breakfast sausage links as my two sausage choices today. Opinions?
I bet the maple breakfast sausage would be very interesting with this! Just make sure it’s not the pre-cooked variety.
Do you think I Can I add brussel sprouts to this? Would this affect the cook time or oven temp?
Oooh, I bet that would be awesome! I don’t have enough experience roasting Brussels sprouts to suggest a roasting time, though. I bet at least slicing them in half would be a good idea, though.
Why not chop the sausages first?
This is a raw sausage (not a cured or smoked sausage) so the texture is like ground beef – very soft and mushy. So you can’t really chop it when it’s raw. Once it’s cooked it firms up and then you can slice it at that point. :)
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This is delicious. I’ve made it twice already. The first time I had to substitute acorn squash because the sweet potato I had on hand had gone bad and I was in the middle of making it, with no time to run to the store. It was delicious with both the acorn squash and the sweet potato. Deemed a keeper by my hubby, too. Thanks for this yummy, healthy recipe.
I made this last night with Trader Joe’s Jalapeno Chicken sausage and it is INSANELY good!! The combination of flavors is so tasty. I will definitely make this again!
Wanted to ask if when baking, should you cover the dish or leave uncovered?
Uncovered. :)
Thanks! Excited to try this meal for my family tonight!
Hi Beth,
I looove this recipe and have made it many times over. Right now I have both an acorn squash and a butternut squash, thanks to a squash-heavy CSA. Do you think it’d be possible to substitute the sweet potatoes for the squash (both? acorn only? butternut only?)?
Thanks so much for all that you do!
Oh yes, I think those would both work wonderfully for this. :)
Ended up making this with half of a large butternut squash. Came out delicious. :-) Thank you, Beth!
Instead of basil and rosemary I’m thinking of using an Italian seasoning blend because it’s what I have on hand. The blend has basil and rosemary, but also fennel and oregano. I’m concerned that all those flavors will be weird with the apples. Your thoughts? I do have sage, but im worried it would be too bland with just sage, salt and pepper. Thanks!
I think that might work. Fennel goes very well with apples. Oregano not so much, but maybe you won’t notice that much with the other herbs in there. :P