• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Butter & Baggage logo
  • Recipe Search
    • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Breads & Biscuits
    • Breakfast
      • Muffins
    • Casseroles
    • Desserts
      • Bars
      • Brownies
      • Cakes & Cupcakes
      • Cookies
      • Fruit Desserts
      • Pies, Cobblers & Crisps
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Sauces & Dips
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups & Chilis
  • Kitchen Hacks
  • Portfolio
  • About
    • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Search
  • Recipe Index
  • Kitchen Hacks
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Pork » Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

    Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

    Published: Feb 12, 2017 · Modified: Jul 2, 2022 by Barbara Curry · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

    Sausage sheet pan dinner with apples and fennel on a platter.
    Sausage sheet pan dinner with apples and fennel on a platter.

    A Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner with Apples and Fennel is simple enough to add to your weeknight dinner rotation. Cooked all in one pan over rice for a fantastic meal with just one pan to wash, you’ll love the combination of flavors.

    Sausage, fennel and apples on a black platter next to serving spoons.


     

    Sweet Italian sausage recipes are some of my favorites, like Italian sausage pasta, or the flavor it adds to lasagna. It’s the star of this sausage sheet pan dinner, where you will create an entire dinner on the sheet pan.

    Italian sausage combined with sweet apples and savory fennel provide a unique combination that seeps into the rice on the sheet pan as it cooks.

    Sheet pan dinners are great when it comes time to clean up, but the challenge is to make sure everything can cook for the same amount of time without one ingredient being overcooked.  Having great flavors that mix well together is the easy part.  

    With the combination of sausage, apples and fennel, you have a dish that meets all my requirements.  First, it’s delicious, second the apples are not mushy by the time the sausage has cooked, and last but not least, you only have one pan to clean.  

    A sheet pan full of rice, sausage and apples.

    I would suggest using a firm apple like Fuji but any firm apple will keep it’s texture for this dish. Choose ones that you like.

    I love the idea of adding fennel along with the apples.  The sweet and savory are a great combination with the Italian sausage.  By using pre-made rice, all the flavors from the apples, fennel and sausage soak into the rice while it’s cooking.  

    You can leave out the fennel if you don’t like the slightly licorice flavor it adds and the dish will still be great with just apples and sausage.  However, when fennel is cooked, the licorice flavor is hardly detectable.

    This is a great dish for a busy week night.  It all comes together in the time it takes you to slice the apples and fennel.

    Why you’ll love it

    • Sheet pan dinners combine the main dish and the side dish so clean up’s a breeze.
    • Apples and fennel are a combination you might not have tried, your going to love it!
    • Having a dish that can be thrown together last minute for a quick turn around is awesome for busy families.

    What you’ll need

    Ingredients needed for a sausage sheet pan dinner.
    • Sweet Italian sausage – these provide so much flavor, if you want to make it spicy, you can add hot Italian sausage or any type of raw sausage in casing.
    • Fennel – this is an odd looking vegetable with a top that looks like dill, the bulb is what you will eat.
    • Fuji apples – any firm slightly sweet apple will work, if you use a softer apple the slices will be mushy.
    • Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice – any package of prepared rice will work or you can make a batch of rice ahead of time. It just needs to be cooked when you add it to the sheet pan. You will need 4 cups of cooked rice.
    • Olive oil and apple cider vinegar – this is used to coat the apples, sausage and fennel.

    How to make a sausage sheet pan dinner

    Step 1:

    Place a mound of cooked rice in the center of a sheet pan.

    A mound of rice on a sheet pan covered in foil.

    Step 2:

    Slice the fennel and apples.

    Fennel being sliced on a cutting board.
    An Apple being cored and sliced.

    Combine oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and pour it over the sausages, fennel and apples. Cover the rice with this mixture on the sheet pan.

    A glass bowl of sausage, fennel and apples coated in vinegar and oil
    All of the ingredients on a sheet pan before baking.

    Step 3:

    Bake for about 40 minutes until the sausages are cooked through. The internal temperature should be 160º.

    If sheet pan dinners are your thing, try out Ranch Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes or pork chops with peaches.

    FAQs and tips

    What is the difference between Italian sausage and sweet Italian sausage?

    The difference between mild and sweet is the addition of sweet basil in the sweet Italian sausage.

    Is sweet Italian sausage the same as breakfast sausage?

    Fennel, that licorice-scented herb, is a common ingredient in Italian sausage. American breakfast sausage typically features sage. Both sausages incorporate more than these spices, but those are the most common.

    What does fennel taste like?

    Fennel is a vegetable that’s a member of the carrot family, but it looks more like a cross between an onion, celery and dill! It has a slightly licorice flavor.

    MORE dinner recipe ideas

    • Biscuits on top of chicken pot pie in a skillet.
      Southern Style Chicken and Biscuits
    • A skillet with shepherd's pie with a spoonful missing.
      Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe with Ground Beef
    • A slice of deep dish pizza
      Pizza in a Cast Iron Skillet
    • Two Smash burgers in buns with sauce.
      Smash Burgers
    A black platter filled with sausages and apples next to two serving spoons.

    Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

    Author: Barbara Curry
    A Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner with Apples and Fennel is simple enough to add to your weeknight dinner rotation. Cooked all in one pan over rice for a fantastic meal with just one pan to wash, you'll love the combination of flavors.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    PREP: 10 minutes minutes
    COOK: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4

    Ingredients
     

    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 lb sweet italian sausage links
    • 2 bulbs fennel sliced
    • 2 fuji apples Sliced into 1 inch slices
    • 2 8.8 oz Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice microwaveable, or 4 cups cooked rice
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 375º.
    • Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine sausages, fennel and apples and pour mixture over the top. stir to cover.
    • Place rice in a mound in the middle of a rimmed baking sheet and cover with sausage and apple mixture.
    • Bake until sausages are cooked through, and apples slightly browned, about 40 minutes. A meat thermometer will read 160º.
    Barbara’s Tips + Notes
    • You can use 4 cups of cooked rice.
    • If you don’t like licorice, leave out the fennel. 
    • You can use any type of raw sausage in casing.
    • Try to use firm apples or they will get  mushy.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1413mg | Potassium: 405mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg
    Follow Me On SocialDid you make this recipe? Mention @ButterandBaggage or tag #ButterandBaggage on Instagram!

    Explore Recipes

    PorkBakedApples
    « Skillet Fried Apples – Cracker Barrel Copycat
    Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Barbara Curry is the culinary adventurer of Butter & Baggage. With a dedicated enthusiasm for real butter made from happy cows she is in constant pursuit of delicious recipes and tasty dishes. She shares her experiences, ventures, and occasional misadventures because let’s face it things can get messy in any kitchen.

    More about me →

    Subscribe

    Thanksgiving Favorites

    • A single slice of praline pumpkin pie on a pie server.
      Homemade From-Scratch Praline Pumpkin Pie Recipe
    • A batch of yeast rolls in a linen napkin.
      Homemade Buttery Yeast Rolls – Extra Soft
    • A spoon full of au gratin potatoes with cheese.
      Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Casserole with Gruyere
    • Cornbread corn pudding with a serving spoon in a casserole dish.
      Cornbread Corn Pudding

    Popular

    • A round baking dish of mac and cheese with a serving spoon.
      Southern Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese
    • Loaves of Dollywood bread baked in parchment paper.
      Homemade Buttery Cinnamon Bread (Dollywood Copycat)
    • A serving spoon of baked beans with hamburger.
      Southern Baked Beans Recipe with Ground Beef
    • A platter of old bay seafood boil
      Old Bay Seafood Boil: Crab, Mussels & Shrimp

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Staple Southern Recipes

    • Peach cobbler
    • Peach cobbler cake
    • Seafood boil
    • Baked beans with ground beef
    • Macaroni salad
    • Macaroni pie
    • Sausage balls
    • Ranch potato salad
    • Old fashioned mac and cheese
    • Charred corn
    • Candied yams

    Popular Casserole Recipes

    • Hamburger potato casserole
    • Squash casserole
    • Chicken broccoli rice casserole
    • Cauliflower casserole
    • Pecan chicken casserole
    • Cornbread pudding
    • Chicken ranch casserole
    • Buffalo chicken casserole
    • Spaghetti casserole
    • Chicken tamale pie
    • All casserole recipes

    Bread & Biscuit Recipes

    • Dollywood cinnamon bread
    • Blueberry biscuits
    • Buttermilk biscuits
    • 7UP biscuits
    • Cornbread biscuits
    • Dinner roll recipe
    • Pineapple bread
    • Hawaiian rolls
    • All breads & biscuits

    COPYRIGHT © 2023 BUTTER & BAGGAGE | PRIVACY POLICY | WEB STORIES
    BRANDING & CUSTOMIZATION BY GRACE + VINE STUDIOS

    40 shares