One Skillet Sausage Dinner

Sausage and potatoes pair up for a quick and easy dinner, perfect for a busy night.

This dinner is for all the busy people out there: the moms who have three kids on three different soccer teams, the families with seven children, the dads whose kids think they can only cook cold cereal and toast, or you.  It is family tested and approved.

Yesterday was hair-cutting day.  Ugh.  I have four boys whose hair doesn’t stop growing.  You might think that they could show some consideration to their barber (yours truly) and wait longer than six weeks to look shaggy around the ears, but no; it grows day in and day out.  My first hair cut took three hours–seriously.  So even though I have improved and shortened my hair-cutting time, haircuts are still a major event in the family.  By the time we are done and cleaned up, the children think their barber should magically have dinner ready for them too.

For families with allergies, take-out isn’t an option.  Busy people need recipes that make a great dinner in the same time as going for take-out.  This recipe was perfect for us yesterday.  In 30 minutes, I went from having no idea what we were going to eat, to dinner on the table.

The sausage comes packed with flavor, so it shrinks the ingredient list without shrinking flavor.

Here are some tips to help you get this on the table ASAP:

1. Chop and add the ingredients to the hot pan as you go.  They will start heating up and cooking while you are prepping the next ingredient.
2. Place the cutting board between the sink and the skillet, with the garbage can next to you.  This saves you time from walking back and forth from the sink to the garbage and the pan.
3. After the vegetables are all added, let them cook with the added water on their own while you set the table or make a salad.
4. Buy lots of green peppers when they go on sale.  Chop and freeze them in zippered freezer bags.  They store great in the freezer and are quick to add to a recipe.
5. Buy the minced garlic in a jars and store it in the fridge. You can find it in the produce section. It is an awesome product and saves you time and your hands won’t smell like garlic.

 

Ingredients:

1, 16 oz Jimmy Dean regular sausage package

1 onion, diced

1/3 cup green peppers, diced

6 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks

6 potatoes (about 4 lbs), scrubbed or peeled, chopped into bite-sized chunks

1 tsp garlic or 1 clove garlic

2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup water

In a large non-stick pan, add your sausage and break it into chunks to brown. The electric ones work the best because they maintain a constant temperature, and that means less burned and underdone potatoes in the same dish.  Heat the skillet on a medium high heat or 375° if you have an electric skillet.  While that cooks, chop your onion.  Add the onions and stir.  Add the green peppers and stir. Peel and chop the carrots; add the carrots and stir.  Chop potatoes and add them after each potato is cut.  Add the garlic and the salt.  Add water, stir, and cover with a lid.

Stir the ingredients about every 5 minutes.  Most of liquid will be absorbed, and the rest will evaporate as the vegetables cook.  Let cook about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are soft.  Keep warm until ready to serve. Serve and enjoy.