Fall Sheet Pan Recipe With a Side of Dove Wisdom

To date, any recipes I’ve shared with you have been tried and true, old family favorites; dishes I’ve been making for years. The recipe I’m going to share with you today is a new one, but I’ve already made it two times, and I think it’s a winner! It makes good use of fall vegetables and maple syrup that gives it a yummy flavor. And so, I’m going to share it with you now.

Now, giving credit where credit is due, I thank my daughter, Laura, who found this recipe and passed it on to me. After she told me how good it was, of course, I asked her to share it with me. She found it at the HOW SWEET eats website. Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out yourself:

https://www.howsweeteats.com/2020/09/maple-sheet-pan-sausage/

Not only is this meal delicious, it's quick and easy. Once everything has been chopped, you make a tasty sauce to go over it, and then into the oven it goes to roast. All on one sheet pan. It really couldn’t get much easier. And I just love it when I can get my dishes done while my meal is cooking.

And by the way, did you know “sheet pan” recipes are all the rage these days? They are. A quick Google search will return a plethora of these easy, one-pan meals. And, if you’re looking for a cookbook that features “sheet pan” recipes, I’m happy to say our library has eight cookbooks that feature them, all published within the last three years. Check them out!

OK, here we go. 😊

Maple Sheet Pan Smoked Sausage with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts

WHAT YOU NEED

12 ounces (precooked) smoked sausage, sliced into 1-inch thick rounds

2 cups cubed butternut squash, 1-inch cubes

2 cups halved brussels sprouts

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

kosher salt and pepper

brown jasmine rice

WHAT YOU DO

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Chop the squash and brussels sprouts - you want the pieces roughly the same size. Chop the squash into 1-inch cubes. Then chop the brussels sprouts accordingly, either halving or quartering them. It may differ each time depending on the size of your vegetables. By keeping the squash in 1-inch cubes (no larger) it cooks in 20 to 30 minutes.

Spread the sausage, butternut cubes and brussels sprouts out on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil and garlic in a bowl. Pour it over the sausage and vegetables and toss well. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.

Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Toss and roast for 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve immediately over rice.

Beth's tips for this recipe:

I use Hillshire Farms Beef Smoked Sausage. You'll find it in the grocery store by packaged deli-meats.
The butternut squash has to be peeled before you cut it up. I use a potato peeler and peel it just like a potato which works real well.
The recipe doesn't call for it, but I always spray the pan with Pam before I add the food. It can't hurt, right? Clean-up is a breeze.

This meal is great to make ahead of time - leftovers are great. You can also easily double it and do it on 2 sheet pans.

I hope you get a chance to try out this great, fall dinner – and that you enjoy it as much as we do.

THE SIMPLE WISDOM OF DOVE

I’m a big fan of Dove Dark Chocolate. Dark chocolate is good for you, right? 😊 So, I kind of eat it on a regular basis. As a bonus, each delectable square of chocolate is wrapped in a foil paper with a wisdomous quote on the inside. I really enjoy these little sweet messages. Sometimes they make me chuckle, sometimes they inspire me, and occasionally they hit really close to home.

This is the one that’s hit the closest to home. On the night my father passed away, my brother unwrapped this one and left it on the kitchen counter. I found it in the morning, after holding vigil with our dad all night. Very prophetic.