This quick and easy weeknight dinner of sausage and apples requires only two ingredients and is on the table in just half an hour. If that hasn’t wooed you, the surprisingly impressive flavor of this one-pan meal certainly will.–Angie Zoobkoff
Sautéed Sausages with Apples
Ingredients
- 1 pound sausage links or bulk sausage, preferably Italian
- 2 medium (about 1 lb) red cooking apples, such as Gala or Honeycrisp
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the sausage until cooked through, with no trace of pink remaining, 5 to 10 minutes for bulk sausage or 15 to 25 minutes for sausage links.
- Meanwhile, core and slice the apples into wedges 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick.
- Add the apples to the skillet containing the cooked sausage (or remove the sausage if there’s no room) and sauté until the apples are browned and tender but not mushy, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the sausage and apples to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Serve hot.
Notes
Add Extra Vegetables
You can bulk up this simple meal (and clean out your crisper) with the addition of extra vegetables. Sauté onions or cooked potato cubes with the sausages and apples, or add mushrooms, broccoli rabe, or Brussels sprouts to the skillet when you add the apples.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This sautéed sausage with apples is a quick and easy last-minute dinner. This satisfying and tasty dinner will be ready to eat in less than a half hour. What could be easier than a 2-ingredient dinner? Add other vegetables, if you desire, but really, none are necessary.
I used sweet Italian sausage and Honey Crisp apples. My only deviation to the recipe is that I would add the apples to the sausage before the sausage was completely cooked. It took about 15 minutes to cook my chubby sausages then another 10 to sauté the apples. Next time, I will cook the sausage for about 5 minutes, then add the apples so all will be cooked in approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
This recipe serves 3 with nothing else served. Next time I make this, I will add a sliced onion when I add the apple for additional flavor.
I decided to add a few other vegetables which turned the dish into a delicious one-pot meal. This included sliced red potatoes, sliced sweet onions, and broccoli rabe—the perfect vegetable complement to Italian sausage. With or without the extras, this recipe makes an ideal cold weather dish. The sweetness of the apples provides a counterbalance to the spice of the sausage and the bitterness of the broccoli rabe.
I used Gala apples. I fried the sausages for 10 minutes and removed them from the pan. Then I cooked the potatoes and onions in the fat and then removed them and set them aside. Next, I sautéed the apples and broccoli rabe separately for 10 minutes each and added back the sausage, potatoes, and onions to complete the dish.
There was no need to drain the sausage or any of the other ingredients. A little salt added to the dish would help to boost flavor. Serves 4 or more if you add some of the suggested vegetables.
This recipe was a hit with our family. I sautéed the Gala apples (skin on) with a bit of sliced onions. Our sausages were a flavorful Cajun style by our local butcher. The sausages happily sautéed along with the apples and onions for about 20 minutes. Talk about dinner in a flash. A perfect speedy weeknight dinner.
This recipe is exactly as described: a nice, easy-to-prepare meal that’s good for those stay-at-home evenings when you just want to kick your shoes off and eat in front of the fire.
Best of all, it’s a good basic recipe that you can doctor to suit whatever you have in the house.
I made it twice, once just the very basic recipe as written and the second time with the addition of onions and potatoes. I almost always have cooked potatoes hanging around the house. I find home fries can make a breakfast filling and a dinner rounded out.
This recipe can also be cut in half. That works for those nights when you’re standing in front of a refrigerator feeling sorry for yourself because you have to eat alone and you are contemplating a frozen dinner. This cooks almost as quickly and is much more satisfying for both the stomach and the soul.
I used bulk mild Italian sausage both times I made the recipe. My Gala apples were just under a pound for the two of them. When I added onions, I chopped up about half of a small yellow onion and browned it with the sausage. The potatoes I had on hand this week were Russet and I added about a pound.
Makes 2 servings if you’re hungry and 3 if you are all light eaters. This also depends on what and how much you find sitting forlornly in the refrigerator and toss in.
