One Pan Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, and Zucchini

Italian sausages, peppers, and onions - just thinking about it makes me hungry.  However, having a street-style sausage and pepper sandwich just isn't in the cards for me most of the time.  Luckily, it's really easy to create a healthier version of this dish at home using a leaner chicken or turkey sausage with lots of vegetables, you can make a delicious substitute at home that is sure to make any weeknight dinner special. 

For this dish, I wanted to stick with classic Italian flavors so I opted for sweet Italian sausages, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions, and mushrooms paired with garlic and Italian seasoning. I also love this version with sausages, roasted potatoes, peppers, and onions.

To finish the dish, I like to add some red pepper flakes as well and top everything with Parmesan cheese, lemon, and fresh basil.  If you wanted to go the sandwich route, you could easily use half a serving and stuff it into some delicious bread. 

Why We Love This Recipe

There are so many reasons to love this recipe!

• Versatile: Make this with any combination of sausage, vegetables, and seasoning you like! Plus it can be served in so many ways from sandwiches to pasta to grain bowls.
• Easy: Once the vegetables are chopped, just dump everything in a baking dish. That's all it takes.  Use prechopped vegetables for an even faster meal.
• Affordable: This recipe is made with easy-to-find, affordable ingredients. Plus since it is versatile, you can take advantage of whatever sausages are on sale.
• Healthy: As long as you choose a healthy sausage option, this meal is packed with lean protein and vegetables.

Recipe Ideas and Variations

There are so many ways to make this dish your own. 

• Try this dish with different flavors of sausages to change up the flavors. Consider using sweet or spicy Italian sausage, roasted red pepper sausage, chicken apple sausage, or smoked sausages. This will work with chicken, turkey, pork, or vegetarian sausages.
• This recipe uses raw chicken sausages. If you start with precooked chicken sausages, cut the cooking time down to 20-15 minutes. Add the sausages to the dish for the last 15 minutes so they don't get tough.
• Change up the veggies! Just make sure to choose veggies that cook in a similar amount of time. Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans asparagus, thinly sliced carrots, or kale are all great options.
• Try this with different dried herbs and seasoning options. It turns out great with blackening seasoning, lemon pepper, Greek seasoning, or Cajun seasoning.
• Finish this dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar. 

Side Dish Ideas

This dish is delicious served with rice, quinoa, farro, or a bowl of cooked pasta.  Or get more creative! Here are some recipes to consider serving with these yummy roasted sausages and vegetables. 

• Creamy spinach polenta
• Cauliflower mashed potatoes
• Garlic spaghetti squash
• Creamy ricotta spaghetti squash
• Easy roasted potatoes