One-Pan Meal: Chicken Sausage with Potatoes and Summer Vegetables

This easy dinner I'm about to share is definitely one of my favorite summertime meals. The best part about is...only one pan is needed. Yep, one pan, to cook the whole enchilada.

I hope I didn't just confuse anyone...this is about the farthest thing from enchiladas. But I love them both one and the same.

To start the magic that is Chicken Sausage with Potatoes and Summer Vegetables, quarter about a pound of baby red potatoes. I've made this dish several times and I've used to halve them, which I've found takes much longer to cook, since you're working with bigger chunks of taters. Lesson learned: quarter them. Then, add them to a deep skillet with a tight fitting lid on high heat; season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

So not all of these are quartered. Just ignore that :o) Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until a fork can somewhat easily be poked through. Remove them from the pan and set aside. 

Add your choice of sausage to the skillet and saute on medium-low and cook. I like to use Al Fresco's herbed chicken sausage. Regular pork sausage would be great, too, but this just seems to pair perfectly - and leaves me 100% guilt free as I clamor for seconds (or thirds) of this dish. It's already cooked, so I keep heat it up in the skillet for about 10 minutes.

Add onions, peppers, garlic and rosemary to the skillet and mix. You know, all those vegetables you had a blast chopping for 15 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until onions and peppers are cooked and appear slightly browned.

Finally, add zucchini and cook an additional 10 minutes, mixing as it cooks until cooked through.

Then, those potatoes are gonna make another appearance. Add them to the pan and mix well. Cook for another 5 or 10 minutes, making sure you add more rosemary if you can't get enough of that herb, like moi.

No baking, no shoes, no problem. 

 

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Chicken Sausage with Potatoes and Summer Vegetables
adapted slightly from SkinnyTaste (if you don't follow her, check her out! she's a keeper.)

• 1 pound baby red potatoes, quartered
• 2 -4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• 4 Italian chicken sausage, sliced 1-inch thick
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of the knife and peeled
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares
• 2 tablesoons fresh rosemary (or other fresh herb such as thyme), more to taste
• 2 cups zucchini, ½ inch thick and quartered

1. Place oil and potatoes in a large, deep non-stick skillet with a tight fitting lid on high heat; season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. When the skillet gets hot and starts to sizzle, reduce heat to low and cook with a tight lid on for about 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent the potatoes from burning. Remove from heat and let them sit 5 minutes without removing the lid. Set potatoes aside on a dish.

2. Add the sausage to the skillet and saute on medium-low and cook. If sausage is not pre-cooked, stir occasionally until browned but not quite cooked through, about 10 minutes. If sausage is pre-cooked, cook until heated through, about 5-7 minutes. 

3. Season chopped vegetables with salt and pepper. Add onions, peppers, garlic and rosemary to the skillet and mix. Continue cooking stirring occasionally until onions and peppers become slightly browned.

4. Add zucchini and cook an additional 5 minutes, mixing as it cooks until cooked through.

5. Return the potatoes back to the skillet and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper as needed; cover and cook 5 more minutes.

Note: Make it vegetarian and omit the sausage. Make it Spanish and use chorizo. I think I just blew my own mind with that last one.