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!
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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Nutrition
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 recipe wrecked my dinner and my whole evening. The cooking time and oven time she listed are way, way, way too high- everything burnt to a crisp. And yes, we did 400°, 20 min each side. No we are not at high altitude, no our oven has never been too hot for standard recipes. No we did not use a weird type of pan. Her cooking instructions are just incredibly off. I’d drop the temp to 350, and do 15 each side- that’s standard for cooking veg. Also, onions should be in big chunks not tiny 1 inch pieces, unless you want charred onion. Potential for tasty food but awful cooking specs. Won’t ever be using this website again.
I’ve made this recipe plenty and it’s always been great. Don’t dis Beth and the gang until you’ve at least tried another.
Hi, should I use rubbed sage or ground sage? This recipe sounded good and uses a lot of what I have on hand, but I needed to pick up some veggie sausage and sage at the store but they had two different types of sage, so I just guessed. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated!
Rubbed sage would be best. :)
My absolutely most favorite recipe!
Autumn Medley has been my favorite for at least 7 years now.
Easy to make and extremely tasty.
This was delicious. Thanks for another simple but excellent recipe! I followed the recipe, then served it over quinoa with a little balsamic vinaigrette and grainy mustard-mayo sauce.
It’s Rosh HaShanah this week and I’ve got an abundance of apples. Making this was an easy way to use a few and it was very tasty!
I will definitely make this again, and double the roasted veg next time, including using 2-3 red onions. I served this with mashed potatoes and it was a big hit – great comfort food as the weather turns.
Hi Beth, I’m looking for a recipe similar to this one that you posted years ago (maybe 2015-2016?), that I can’t find anymore. I make it every fall! It was called something like oven roasted root vegetables and included rutabaga and turnips (as suggestions). Do you still have it on your site?
I would love to have this recipe as I love rutabagas and often use them instead of potatoes in meals. Please make some meals with them….they are nutritious and better than turnips and don’t cost a lot…which nowadays is a big deal!
Yep! I just emailed it to you. :)
I’ve been searching for a roasted root vegetable recipe too!!! Could you send a copy to me too?
What email would you like it sent to?
Could this be adapted to be made in an air fryer?
Probably! Roasted recipes usually turn out well in air fryers, but I don’t have one so unfortunately, I can’t offer exact instructions.
I’ve made a lot of recipes from this site but this one was such a delicious compliment to the traditional Thanksgiving spread. I doubled it using two sheet pans as suggested in the comments and used some vegan sausage that I had in the fridge. It was incredible! Pairs well with turkey and cranberry sauce for sure. I’ll serve this next year, too! Thanks!
I will have to double this recipe for my large family. Do you think I should use 2 13″ x 9″ pans, or would I be able to fit everything on a large rimmed .baking sheet (I think it is a half sheet)? Thank you!!
I would suggest using two pans. If vegetables don’t have enough room while they roast the steam will get trapped and they’ll end up sort of stewing in their own juices instead of creating those nice caramelized edges. :)
Found this recipe on your blog years ago and have been making it, minus the sausage, for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter ever since. Such a fun, delicious option. My husband is diabetic so we use this instead of the traditional covered in butter-brown-sugar-and-marshmallows version. Love it!