FALL HARVEST SHEET PAN DINNER

When you’re in a crunch for dinner, there’s nothing better (or easier) than throwing a bunch of fresh ingredients on a sheet pan and roasting them up in the oven. And autumn has got to be the best season for it. So many seasonal squashes, green veggies and savory herbs that you can bring together for a quick and simple plate that will still make you stop and take a beat. This Fall Harvest Sheet Pan Dinner is the perfect recipe to showcase those flavors of fall, while coming together in under an hour. All you need to do is a little chopping.

This quick and simple sheet pan dinner is like a rainbow on a plate. It stars acorn squash, brussels sprouts and chicken sausage. The ingredients get roasted with fresh rosemary and thyme, adding the best warm and savory fall flavor notes. Right before serving, fresh and juicy pomegranate seeds get sprinkled over everything. The result is a delicious, hearty and guilt-free dish.

When served up, this feels a little like eating a hash. The veggies and sausage are tossed together and you can grab a little of everything in each bite. I love throwing together this recipe after a long, busy day when I’m craving something light and low-maintenance, that will still leaving me feeling satisfied. And I must say, it pairs beautifully with a glass of your favorite red wine.

All-star ingredients…

My favorite part of this sheet pan dinner is the squash. I use acorn squash, which is lighter and a little less sweet than a butternut squash. It’s a little bit of a pain to cut up at first, but it’s worth it because it roasts up so well.

The one thing to note about the squash is that the skin is a little bit tough. While you can eat it, I’ve found that the squash isn’t in the oven long enough in this recipe for the skin to really soften enough to be enjoyable. So you have two options. You can use your knife to peel the skin ahead of chopping and roasting. Or you can just peel as you eat. That’s what we did last time I made this recipe and it was a breeze. Plus, once the squash is soft and roasted, the pieces come right off the skin easily with a fork.

To add some green to the plate, I use brussels sprouts to this recipe. They are such a hearty vegetable, and while some people find them funky, I think they have such a rich, toasty flavor when roasted up. Maybe it’s a nostalgia thing for me, but brussels sprouts have always screamed autumn flavors to me.

The chicken sausage brings so much savory flavor to this plate. There are all kinds of flavor variations of chicken sausage links that you can buy at the store. And I like to use one that is infused with some kind of fall flavor like. I particularly love the Smoke Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe’s (honestly Trader Joe’s has the best variety of flavors to choose from overall. You can’t go wrong).

The final touch is a handful of bright, juicy pomegranate seeds. They add the perfect balance of tart sweetness to the richer, more savory flavors of the veggies and squash. Plus they add such pretty color to the plate!

Simple as a sheet pan…

The only prep work this recipe really needs is a little chopping. First, tackle the acorn squash. Start by slicing the squash in half, removing the stem and scooping out the seeds and flesh from the middle. Then. Cut the halves into strips – I find it easiest to cut along the natural grooves in the squash. Finally, chop the strips into 1-2 inch pieces.

For the brussels sprouts, just cut off the bottom parts, and slice them in half. Nothing else to it. Then, slice a package of chicken sausage links up (about 4) into 1/2-1 inch thick pieces.

Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and toss with some olive oil, salt, pepper and some garlic powder. Toss it all together until everything is coated. Then spread out the ingredients on a foil lined baking sheet (makes for such an easy clean up!).

Before putting the sheet pan in the oven, lay out a few fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme across the top of the ingredients. They’ll release a ton of flavor in the oven and infuse everything with just the right savory fall notes.

Roast everything in the oven at 400F for about 30 minutes until the squash is fork tender, the brussels sprouts are starting to char, and the chicken sausage Is browned and caramelized.

Remove from the oven and discard the herb sprigs on top. Before serving it up, sprinkle fresh pomegranate seeds all over the sheet pan. And don’t forget to pour yourself a big glass of wine.

Let me know if you give this Fall Harvest Sheet Pan Dinner a try! I love to hear from you in the comments, or tag me on instagram @eat.think.live and let me see your creation! Plus, you can check out the rest of my recipes HERE.