Last updated on November 9th, 2023
Can we all agree that a new year deserves a rockin’ new sheet pan dinner? This one, which Mr. Fox and I have fallen passionately in love with, features Delicata squash, diced apples, and sweet Italian sausage. It’s easy to prep, fast to cook, and divine to devour. Video and printable recipe:
A note about Delicata squash: This is the cream-colored, cylindrical-shaped winter squash that you can find in grocery stores and farmers’ markets from October through March. The squash is named for its delicate (read: tender and edible) skin. The skin features green or orange stripes. It is a colorful squash!
Here’s a quick run-down of the dinner in pictures. For more details, be sure to watch the whole freaking video!
Halve, seed, and cut the delicata squash crosswise into half moons.
Then cut a red onion into half moons, and add it and some roughly chopped sage leaves to the squash. Toss the works with salt, pepper, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Next, roughly dice up an apple or two, and set them aside.
Now arrange 2 or 3 sweet Italian sausages on the upper half of the baking sheet. Brush or rub the links with olive oil so they will brown attractively in the oven. Roast at 425°F for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make a mustard sauce! Put some Dijon mustard and some whole grain mustard (a heaping soup spoon of each) in a small bowl, and mix to combine. Then stir in enough olive oil to achieve a thick but pourable consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste carefully to correct seasonings.
Now retrieve the pan from the oven, add the apple pieces to the veggies, and toss ’em to mix. Also, flip the sausages. Then return the pan to the oven and continue roasting until the apples have softened and the sausages are done — 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer the sausages to a cutting board, and let them rest for 5 minutes.
Then slice the sausages crosswise into 1/2-inch medallions, and return them to the baking sheet.
This is yummy.
Put a generous dollop of the mustard sauce on each plate. Honestly, the sauce is too remarkable for words! Fox and I dipped each forkful of veg and meat into the mustard. And then we swooned with contentment.
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Looking for other sheet pan dinners? I’ve got you covered:
Salmon and Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner (click here for the recipe).
Maple Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner (here’s the recipe).
Szechuan Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (recipe here).
Pork Tenderloin Sheet Pan Dinner (recipe here).
Dijon Pork Chops with Cabbage and Apples (recipe here).
Here’s the printable:
Sheet Pan Dinner with Delicata Squash, Apple, and Sausage
Equipment
- a large baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 pound Delicata squash, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into half moons
- 1 medium to large red onion, peeled and sliced into half moons
- 5 large sage leaves, roughly chopped
- Seasonings: olive oil, salt, and freshly-ground pepper
- 1 or 2 baking apples, roughly diced
- 2-3 sweet Italian sausages
For the mustard sauce:
- a heaping soup spoon of Dijon mustard
- a heaping soup spoon of whole-grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste (or 1 or 2 finely minced cloves of garlic)
- olive oil -- enough to achieved a thick but pourable consistency
- salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Center the oven rack; preheat the oven to 425°F. Tip the squash, onion, and sage onto the lower half of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then toss to coat. Rub or brush the sausages with olive oil, and then arrange them on the upper half of the baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the veggies begin to color -- 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the mustard sauce ingredients in a small-ish bowl. Taste carefully to correct seasonings.
- After 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven. Add the diced apple(s) to the vegetable mixture, and toss with a spoon to mix. Also, flip the sausages. Then return the pan to the oven and continue roasting until the apple pieces have softened and the sausages are done -- 15-20 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then cut the sausages crosswise into 1/2-inch medallions, and return them to the baking sheet.
- Divide the dinner among 2-4 plates, dotting each plate with a generous dollop of the mustard sauce.
NaplesBarb says
Looks delicious! On the menu this week!
Big Drew says
Hi Kevin! Nice recipe for a chilly winter evening here on the ranch in Wyoming.
One of our cowboys noted inconsistency between your video recipe and the text versions: the addition of garlic to the Dijon mustard sauce seems to be missing.
Best regards,
Linda k says
Looks great
Any suggestions for those of us who are not mustard fans
Marcy MacDonald says
Happy New Year back to you and yours,
I will defintely make this recipe, I love squash. I hope I can find the Delicata in my store.
Will also look for the recipe you mentioned with pork chops and apples.
Stay safe,
Marcy
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi NaplesBarb – Let us know how the recipe works out for you.
Hi Big Drew – Fixed now! And thank you.
Hi Linda K. – Feel free to omit the mustard sauce.
Hi Marcy – I just now added the link for sheet pan dinner with pork chops, cabbage and apples. It’s the last picture before the printable recipe. Enjoy!
Terry says
This looks delicious. I love delicata squash. We’ve already eaten our supply from the garden this year. I ordered twice as many delicata seeds this year so hopefully our supply will last longer. Just put delicata on my grocery list so I can try this recipe.
Sunni says
Happy New Year Kevin! Love sheet pan recipes, thanks.
Danella on the Canadian west coast says
Oh yum…looks delicious! Thanks for another great post and Happy New Year. Hope you are on the mend.
Pat says
This was great, Kevin. A real comfort meal for these dark days. I was out of Delicata squash so used a Cinderella squash which also has an edible skin. My sausages gave off some drippings which I spooned over the whole lot. And that mustard mix was a perfect match. Yummers! A keeper!
sharon bacchetta says
Very yummy! I made it tonight and i am a Big mustard fan;) that being said… after reading someone’s concern on not being a mustard fan (didn’t know this existed…;) ) I decided to finish the meal without the mustard… and it was amazing still! You could really taste all the flavors…I may have used a bit too much mustard when dunking each bite initially, but that’s how I roll…. Thanks Kevin…a great dish!!!
Jean says
Could parchment paper be used instead of Aluminum foil?
Francoise says
My friendly grocer told me I was too late for the Delicata squash so I used peeled
butternut squash cut into 1″ cubes. Delicious. I’m sure the Delicata would have been
more attractive but the taste was wonderful. I’ll be prepared for the Delicata next Oct
or Nov. Thanks.
Priscilla lucia says
I hope I don’t have trouble finding delicate squash. Never heard of this before. Love you kevin and happy new year.
Peggy says
Oh! That recipe plated up on those beautiful dishes with the fire going in the background looks so good. I will have to make this since I have a basket of delicate squash waiting to be cooked in my back room. Thanks Kevin, for the scrumptious recipe.
Sallie says
Delicious! Thank you, Kevin.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sallie – Glad you enjoyed it!
pat says
Delish-had last night. Left the recipe out for hubby to get started for dinner. We couldn’t find delicata squash so used hubbard instead. Just wonderful and the mustard sauce should not be omitted. Thank you.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Pat – So glad you enjoyed the mustard sauce as much as I did. Also, thanks for the 5 stars!
Patsy Whiteside says
What I really love about your recipes, Kevin, is that I often have all the ingredients in the house and can decide at 6 p.m. to make them for supper without having to run to the shops. Oh, and it helps that they always work and are delicious.