Baked Italian Sausage

At a glance

What stands out: Baked Italian sausage is a back pocket dinner idea. With only a few minutes of prep, you can have a satisfying main dish ready for pairing with a simple side. Flavorful, customizable, and oh-so-straightforward! We've also included options to make this recipe a complete sheet pan meal.

How long it takes: 10 minutes of prep, plus 30 minutes of cooking
Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, mixing bowl
Servings: 5

We don’t think a trip to the grocery store goes by without us putting a package of turkey sausage links or ground Italian sausage in the cart. We know we can easily throw together a meal with either one of these two things. A couple of our favorites are Instant Pot pasta with sausage, spinach and tomatoes, one pan sausage and rice with sweet peppers, and, of course, this baked Italian sausage.

This is honestly one of those meals we make over and over and OVER again. It’s ridiculously straightforward and it’s a great way to use up whatever produce you may have in the fridge. While our basic baked Italian sausage recipe has onions and bell peppers, we've made it with sweet potatoes, mushrooms, yellow onions—we’re talking maximum versatility here!

If you’ve ever had sausage and peppers at an Italian restaurant, this sheet pan dinner has similar vibes, but while the restaurant version is sometimes swimming in grease, this one is much lighter! You also get that nice browning and caramelization from the oven, which adds plenty of flavor.

About This Baked Italian Sausage Recipe

• Three ingredients. Need we say more? If you’re over recipes that require a dozen ingredients (half of which you’ll never use again!), this baked Italian sausage will make your grocery shopping a breeze.
• Big flavors. Italian sausage packs in a lot of flavor on its own, but the roasting process also adds lots of depth by intensifying the sweetness of the veggies and browning the sausage. So. Good.
• So many serving options. We share some ideas below, but this is a recipe that has endless possibilities. Slice up the sausage and toss it with pasta, pair it with a store-bought salad or side dish, or come up with your own variation.

What goes in

• Raw Italian Sausage Links: You can use turkey sausage or pork sausage. Even a vegetarian sausage will work here but if you go that route, we recommend adding the sausage only during the last 10 minutes of baking time. If you happen to have pre-cooked or smoked sausages, be sure to take a look at our sausage sheet pan dinner.
• Bell Peppers: You can use any color! Red, yellow, and orange are sweet while green onion has a bit of bite and grassiness to it.
• Red Onion: Cutting the onion into thick pieces keeps it from burning.
• Olive Oil: Use an inexpensive cooking olive oil, not a fruity (and pricy!) oil meant for finishing or drizzling.
• Salt and Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper will add much more flavor than a jar of ground pepper!

Cooking Tip

For even easier cleanup, line your sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Be aware that may reduce browning slightly.

How it comes together

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Lightly coat a rimmed sheet pan with olive oil spray or cooking spray. Place the Italian sausages on the pan.

In a medium bowl, toss the vegetables with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the onions and peppers around the sausages in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables and flip the sausages.

Return the pan to the oven and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked to at least 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.

Before you start

Ways to change it

• Make sausages without veggies: If you just want sausages, you can use a smaller pan and omit the vegetables, olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep the baking time the same. Try air fryer Italian sausage for another way to cook sausages quickly and efficiently.
• Add more vegetables to make it a sheet pan meal: Cubed potatoes or halved baby potatoes, cubed sweet potatoes, sliced carrots, parsnips, or mushrooms all work well here. Use as many as will fit on the pan in a single layer or divide between 2 pans. If you like the idea of a whole meal baked on one sheet pan, be sure to check out our collection of 20+ sheet pan dinners.
• Use cherry tomatoes to make it saucy: Adding cherry or grape tomatoes, along with a pinch of sugar to cut the acid, will give you a saucier baked Italian sausage recipe. This is reliable for serving with crusty bread or tossing with pasta.

Ways to serve it

• Salad: For a complete dinner, serve baked Italian sausage with Israeli couscous salad. A lighter choice would be simple green salad served with creamy Italian dressing or honey mustard vinaigrette.
• Pasta: Slice the sausage and serve the sliced sausage and peppers with pasta and your favorite store-bought sauce, or serve this recipe alongside fresh tomato pasta, baked feta pasta, or pasta with arrabbiata sauce.
• Other grains: Instant Pot polenta, Instant Pot quinoa, or Instant Pot brown rice also work as a pairing for baked Italian sausage.

Make Ahead Ideas

Slice the onions and peppers up to two days in advance and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To freeze leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Reheat: The sausages and vegetables can be reheated in the microwave or in a skillet with a bit of oil.

Leftover Love

Stuff leftover baked Italian sausage into a bun with the peppers and onions on top for a straightforward next-day lunch!

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #66. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 5 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 ½ pounds raw Italian sausage links (see note)
• 2 large bell peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces (any color)
• ½ large red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Prepare a rimmed sheet pan (appr. 13 x 18 inches) by spraying it with olive oil spray or cooking spray. Place Italian sausages on sheet pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together bell pepper, onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper until vegetables are coated with olive oil and seasonings. Arrange around the sausages in an even single layer on the prepared sheet pan.
3. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Stir vegetables and flip sausages. Return to oven and continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked to at least 165ºF when checked with an instant read thermometer.

Notes

You can bake more sausages or fewer. We based this recipe on a 19 oz. package with 5 sausages. Nutrition information is calculated for 1.5 lb. sausage (5 servings) and includes the vegetables.

Sausages (no vegetables): Omit the vegetables, olive oil, salt and pepper and keep the baking time the same. Use a smaller sheet pan.

With added vegetables (sheet pan dinner): To make this a sheet pan dinner. add more vegetables, such as cubed or baby potatoes, cubed sweet potatoes, sliced carrots, or mushrooms (as many as will fit on the pan in a single layer or divide between 2 pans).

Frozen sausages: Increase cooking time slightly, about 10 minutes. You don’t need to thaw them first.

Smoked/precooked sausages: Add them to the pan after 15 minutes, when you stir the vegetables.