Chicken Sausage, Mashed Potatoes, and Baby Broccoli

I really debated whether or not to share this simple recipe for chicken sausage, mashed potatoes, and baby broccoli. Honestly, it's not much of a recipe, more of a quick meal idea, but I make it so often I decided that it was worth it to share.

It really does come in handy when you need a quick, healthy meal and don't have time to think about what to make or run to the grocery store. I always keep chicken sausage in the house since it is incredibly versatile - usually a fresh pack in the fridge and some back-ups in the freezer. I use it all the time.

In terms of the recipe, it couldn't be faster. Start by quickly blanching the broccoli while you chop up your potatoes. One tip, the smaller you make the potatoes the quicker they will cook. Then take out the broccoli and get the cauliflower and potatoes in the boiling water. While they cook, get the sausages browned. Then just mash the potatoes and cauliflower and dinner is ready.

Since this is more of a recipe blueprint than a true recipe, check out all the ideas below on how to customize this dish and make it your own easy, weeknight dinner.

Love chicken sausage? Don't miss this guide for 16 Healthy Dinners Made with Chicken Sausage.

Ingredients

• Sausage: Any type of sausage will work in this meal. Precooked chicken or turkey sausage is often the healthiest option and comes in a variety of flavors. Beef or pork sausage also works. Make sure to fully cook raw sausage. Vegetarian and vegan sausage can be swapped in as well.
• Vegetable: In this version of the recipe, I used baby broccoli but you can use any vegetable you like. Cook them alongside the sausage for extra flavor. You could also roast the vegetables in the oven while you prep the other ingredients. Some favorite veggies for this meal include asparagus, green beans, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and carrots. 
• Starch: For the starch in this recipe I made cauliflower mashed potatoes. You could swap in mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, rice, quinoa, polenta, or sweet potatoes. 
• Spices, herbs, and seasoning: Kick up the flavor in this dish by adding your favorite spice or seasoning blends. We love making it with Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or poultry seasoning.

What is the best chicken sausage?

This is a tricky question to answer and really depends on what flavors you like. Here are some of our favorite brands for chicken sausages. 

• Whole Foods Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage: If you are looking for a slightly spicy Italian sausage, the Whole Foods chicken sausage is really delicious. 
• Aidell's makes some really tasty chicken sausage. My favorite flavors are green chile and spinach feta.
• Applegate makes a really tasty chicken sausage and my kids love their chicken and apple sausage.
• If you like buffalo flavor, Al Fresco buffalo flavored chicken sausage is delicious. I also like their roasted red pepper and asiago flavor.
• Trader Joe's has a wide variety of chicken sausage and I have yet to find one that I don't like. They make a really good sweet Italian chicken sausage.