This easy dinner recipe uses just one pan to cook the meat and vegetables, saving both cooking and cleanup time. Red bell peppers, crisp green beans and sweet potatoes help make this a vibrant, colorful dish, full of vitamins and minerals. Chicken sausage helps keep the fat low, while the taste remains high. Many chicken sausages are also easier to slice, meaning that the dish will not only be healthier, but also quicker to make.
Origins of Sausage
Sausage has long been used across cultures as an economical answer to butchering. The first mentions of sausage have appeared in Chinese, Roman and Greek writings, including a Greek comedy entitled, “The Sausage.”
Sausages were first composed of left over scrapes of meat that were not used for other purposes, ground up and stuffed inside a casing, and then preserved. Sausages can be cooked, and the casing removed, cooked and then smoked, smoked raw, or merely left raw in the casing.
Modern day sausages, made of pork, chicken or turkey, are typically encased in a collagen or cellulose casing, as opposed to the natural casings made of intestines used originally.
Cooking with Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are only distantly related to true potatoes, and can make excellent substitutions for dishes typically containing potatoes. Ranging in color from yellow, to orange to purple, the sweet potato contains a great deal of Vitamin A, as well as fiber, Vitamins B5 and B6, with comparatively little starch and sugar.
Sweet potatoes can be backed, fried, steamed, sautéed and mashed, like standard potatoes, and add extra flavor, color, sweetness and health benefits to any meal.
Sautéing
Cooking all ingredients in one pan can be best accomplished by sautéing the food. This involves cooking the thinly sliced ingredients quickly over high heat. Constantly moving the food with a spatula or wooden spoon, or tossing the pan quickly from the handle keeps the food from burning. This differs from pan frying, where larger pieces of food are cooked in oil on each side with little movement.
To achieve a successful sauté, be sure to use a large enough pan to hold all the food. Use very little fat or oil to coat the bottom of the pan and prevent food from sticking, but also from sliding around. Grip the handle of the pan tightly, and jerk from the elbow to lightly toss the food in the pan, or toss quickly with a spatula. Do not stir or toss the food too high, or this will slow down the cooking time.
One Pan Chicken Sausage Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Package of 4 Chicken Sausages
- 2 Large Red Bell Peppers
- 1lb of Green String Beans
- 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon white pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
Directions
- Begin by slicing the sausage into ½” thick pieces
- Snap the ends off the green beans, and then break then into inch long pieces
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes to approximately ½” squares
- Dice the red peppers to about the same size
- Heat the olive oil in the pan and turn pan quickly to coat well
- Place all ingredients in pan and begin sautéing quickly. Continue sautéing until the sausage is browned, and the vegetables cooked through.
Serve while hot
 |
