I've got a great one-pan dinner for you that will fill you up with warmth in these increasingly chilly months. I always find that Italian sausage works great when I don't feel like making a ton of effort for dinner. You need only chop a few ingredients for this one-pan dinner: sausage, apples & fennel. It seriously can't get any easier.
So What is Fennel Anyway?
Let's talk flavor first. I will admit I stayed away from fennel for years because I was told it had a black licorice taste to it. Not my thing at all. However, it's not like biting into that disgusting twisty stick of black licorice candy they sell in bags at the store. No, no. Fennel is decadent. It's mild. And when roasted, it's a revelation. It's easy to cook with because you can cut it the same way you cut an onion.
Yes, it looks slightly weird and awkward, but it can add a beautiful depth of flavor that I think is worth trying. I learned from Wikipedia that fennel is actually considered a flowering plant that is part of the carrot family. I would have thought celery because the fennel stalks have a similar appearance to celery stalks.
The flavor is similar to anise which we commonly associate with a black licorice flavor as mentioned above. If you haven't experienced fennel, I highly recommend it. This recipe would be a great jumping off point to give it a try.
Sausage, Apples & Fennel Gives You Savory with a Touch of Sweet
We're getting that savory flavor with our Italian sausage and some depth of flavor and warmth from the fennel. The addition of apples to this dish gives it just the right itsy, bitsy touch of sweet. I love when a meal can be mostly savory, with just a touch of sweet... like my crispy chicken thighs with honey, butter garlic or my dijon chicken thighs with apple, leeks and fennel. See! More apples and fennel! I love this combination and I hope you will too. 🙂
I love savory cooking, especially in the winter. Italian sausage is one of my go-to's once a New England winter sets in. And one of the most popular recipes on my site is actually a one-pan sausage, potatoes, peppers and onions that is a total crowd pleaser. You know me with potatoes (my favorite food in the world!).
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But this sausage dish brings an elevated depth of flavor once all these ingredients roast together. You could really eat this on its own, but I do love a side of basmati rice which I love pairing with Italian sausage for some reason. You could also enjoy this dish with your favorite side salad.
It's Amazing What You Can Do With 4 Ingredients
The four main ingredients are:
- Mild Italian sausage
- Fennel bulbs
- Red onion
- Gala apples (or whatever kind of apple you want)
Of course there are secondary ingredients for flavor enhancing, but you probably already have these on hand.
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh thyme (optional and you can use dried instead or don't use it at all)
Easy Steps for Making This One-Pan Dinner: Sausage, Apples & Fennel
One-Pan Dinner: Sausage, Apples & Fennel
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 portions 1x
Description
One-pan dinner: sausage, apples & fennel is fantastic winter comfort food. Very easy to put together and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 Fennel bulbs (see note#1)
- 3 Gala apples
- 1 medium red onion
- 8 Mild Italian sausage
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs, optional
Optional side:
- White Basmati rice (cook to package instructions)
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Instructions
- Cut one medium red onion into chunks. I usually cut the onion in half and cut the chunks from there. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish.
- For the fennel, we’re using the bulb part for this recipe, so cut the top part off and set aside. Then cut the knobby end off the fennel bulb. After that, it’s like cutting an onion. Cut it in half, then cut it into thin strips (my video shows this well). Do this for both fennel bulbs then add to the baking dish with the onions.
- For the apples, we’re leaving the skin on. Simply cut around the core until you have four apple chunks. Then slice the apples into half-moon slices that are about ¼” to ½” in thickness. You don’t want these too thin or they will fall apart after cooking. I placed my slices in a bowl of cold water so they don’t turn brown.
- If you’re using fresh thyme, pick out 4-5 thyme sprigs, bunch together, then cut into thirds. Set aside.
- Add olive oil, salt and pepper to the fennel and onion in your baking dish. Toss to coat with the olive oil.
- Add the thyme sprigs (if you’re using) and toss again. If you have some dried thyme, a couple light shakes will do here. Or omit the thyme altogether.
- Add the apples to the baking dish. I grabbed the apples and let the water drip off, then added to baking dish. Give one final toss to combine ingredients.
- Place the sausage on top of the mixture and press down to nestle the sausage into the other ingredients.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes. IMPORTANT: at the half-way mark, take out of the oven and turn the sausage over. They should be browed on the top and we don’t want them to burn or dry out. Turning them over half-way through cooking is essential.
- While the sausage is cooking you should plan your time if you are also making rice to serve on the side or if you are preparing a side salad. This would be a good time to do that.
- Once you take the sausage out of the oven let it cool a few minutes. You can break off some fennel fronds (the leafy part that looks like dill) to use for garnish and break off some fresh thyme sprigs too if you have that.
- For platter presentation, remove the sausage from the baking dish. Toss the apple, fennel mixture gently. There are a lot of delicious juices that have formed. Toss the ingredients to coat in the juices.
- Transfer the mixture to a plate or small serving platter. Add the sausages to the top. Garnish with the fennel fronds and thyme sprigs. Serve immediately. I love eating this with basmati rice.
Notes
- We’re using the bulbs for this recipe, but the stalks and the fennel fronds (the leafy part that looks like dill) are both edible. You can save this if you’re making a soup broth.
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