Sausage Sweet Potato Sheet-Pan Dinner

Can you cut the Italian sausage links into slices instead of baking them whole?

The trick with sheet-pan suppers is the timing. Ingredients are cut in specific ways and added at the right time so everything gets done at the same time. It's best to leave the sausages whole while cooking. Cut sausages cook much faster than whole links, so they'd be fully cooked long before the veggies. Also, raw sausages do not easily keep their shape after they're cut.

How can you make this sausage sweet potato sheet-pan dinner your own?

If you like to get creative and switch things out, this is a perfect recipe for you. The easiest thing to swap is the sausage. Try using Polish sausage, bratwurst or other link sausages instead of Italian. Switch peeled butternut squash with the sweet potatoes. Another easy swap is using apples instead of pears.

How do you store leftovers of sausage sweet potato sheet-pan dinner?

Figuring how long to keep leftovers can be a bit of a challenge sometimes, but this dish is simple to keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Heat it all back up in your air fryer, if you have one, or in a skillet on the stovetop. Otherwise, chop up all the ingredients and mix them into scrambled eggs. They’re also delicious on top of salad greens with a balsamic vinaigrette.

—James Schend, Taste of Home Deputy Culinary Editor