Sausage Kale and Acorn Squash Sheet Pan Supper

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 Load up some fall favorites on a sheet pan and cook your whole meal together.  This easy recipe features Italian sausage, acorn squash and kale in a way that they all shine!

      This delicious and healthy sheet pan supper is a quickn and easy way to get lots of produce on your dinner table.  It is the perfect mix of slightly sweet but mostly savory. 

You can enjoy it just the way it is, or serve it over rice or tossed with pasta.  No matter what, it is a great way to bring a taste of fall to your dinner table.

        This time of year, our CSA always loads us up with winter squash before the season ends. I LOVE it!

     Winter squash are nice because they last quite a while, you don’t have to be in such a hurry to use it all up.  Plus I love the sweet undertones in the flavor.

    We also got our last bunch of kale for the year.  The whole family is always sad when the season ends, but my husband won’t shed any tears over the lack of kale.

     Really, he doesn’t mind it that much as long as I keep using it in different ways.  He just would never run to the store to purchase kale on his own.

     Luckily acorn squash are a little easier to talk him into.  We all love roasted squash, so I knew that part of this meal would be a hit.

     Italian sausage adds that savory punch that ties it all together.  The combination really is pretty darn amazing!

The Beauty of Sheet Pan Meals Plus a Few Tips for Making Them

      What’s not to love about a good sheet pan meal? They are easy, generally there’s only one pan to clean up and dinner is done all at once!

     Be sure to use a large sheet pan with a rim if you can. That way you can stir and toss without throwing your ingredients.

    Plus a lot of ingredients will release some liquid as they cook.  You don’t want the excess oil and juices dripping onto the bottom of your oven.

    A half sheet pan or jelly roll pan is a great choice to build your sheet pan meal on.  They are large enough to make the whole meal and are useful for baking as well!

    Usually you want to toss your ingredients in a little sauce before cooking them.  The oil in the dressing helps keep things from sticking and you can add a lot of flavor.  

    In this case we use a little maple syrup, and vinegar for that sweet and sour balance. Salt, pepper and thyme bring seasoning and a neutral oil is a great way to get everything browned.

    Cutting your ingredients in similar sized cubes or slices helps to make sure everything cooks evenly.  Generally a good toss half way through will help with that even cooking and more distributed browning.  

    Add ingredients that don’t take much cook time at the end.  If the kale was on the pan for the whole 30 minutes, it would have been way over done.  Sprinkling it on at the end gives you that perfect mix of soft bits and crispy edges. 

For a fun twist on fajitas, try making chicken fajitas on a sheet pan. Much like this meal, it makes preparing a delicious dinner and cleaning up after much easier!

If you want more sheet pan supper ideas, check out the recipe for mini meatloaf sheet pan supper, maple balsamic pork tenderloin sheet pan supper, or sheet pan brown sugar and dijon pork loin.  All are a full meal made on one easy to clean pan. 

Can I use another squash besides acorn squash?

Of course!  Feel free to use chunks of butternut squash instead. 

Slices of delicata squash would be another great substitution.  Even chunks of sweet potato would be fabulous mixed in with the kale and sausage.

If you want more great hard squash recipes, check out my collection of fabulous winter squash recipes.  There are tons of fabulous ways to use up your fall bounty! 

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