Make Ahead
Roasted Sausage with Broccoli and Fennel
Popular on Food52
83 Reviews
Jennifer N.
November 22, 2022
Just on simplicity this is 5 stars, but the flavor is great. Perfect for a weeknight and delish too.
Catherine J.
January 9, 2021
Very easy and delicious. It took longer to cook, maybe about 10 more minutes for the veggies to be soft. Definitely put it under the broiler at the end.
NXL
January 31, 2020
I usually go to Whole Foods and buy the meat that is on sale. This week it was house-made sausages, which I would not usually eat. This recipe is perfect for using a small amount of sausage for flavor, but is mostly made up of veggies . The Aleppo pepper was great, even with spicy sausages. I used the broccoli stems . Made some cheesy polenta that was done at the same time as the main dish. Used the convection roast setting so no need to broil. Fantastic !
Anne S.
February 7, 2019
A weeknight favorite! For TJs shoppers: I use their two pack of fennel bulbs, two packages of broccoli florets and a package of their sweet Italian sausage. I double the mustard mix and put it all in a sheet pan.
Alyssa
April 21, 2018
I make this probably once a month and use it for work lunches. SO so good and simple, and doesn’t put a dent in my wallet! Five stars!
Stacey S.
June 28, 2016
Made this tonight exactly as recipe reads...finishing under the broiler for 3 minutes more. DELICIOUS! Served over fusilli pasta with grated Parmigiano Reggiano......this is a keeper! Going to use the leftover roasted broccoli, sausage and fennel tomorrow for pizza toppings!
EmilyC
June 28, 2016
So glad you liked it! And LOVE your idea of using the leftovers for pizza! Thanks for your note.
KateKimberlin
June 6, 2016
Delicious! So easy too. Hoped for leftovers, but we ate it all. We went with chicken sausage and added a jalapeño for some heat. Topped with grated Parmesan at the end- next time will add that before the broiling. Yum!
Anthony R.
February 23, 2016
Just made a vegan version of this (sans mustard and with Fieldroast's vegan Italian sausage as one reader suggested below) and it came out absolutely fantastic! New favorite for sure. Thanks, @EmilyC!
Darlene
August 18, 2015
Something has me itching for Fall and roasted veggies, casseroles and the like so I went searching and found this recipe. The whole grain mustard added a great flavor. I'll probably add a bit more next time. Delicious and very easy to prepare.
EmilyC
August 18, 2015
So glad you stumbled across this recipe and liked it! Thanks for your feedback.
AntoniaJames
May 4, 2015
Have never thought to combine fennel and broccoli, but I'm certainly going to try it soon. Looks like a perfect weeknight dinner. ;o)
Virginia M.
February 16, 2015
I made this just as written and it really was one of the tastiest and easiest weeknight meals I've made in a long time. This will definitely be made many more times in the future, and since I like trying new recipes and don't repeat very often, that is a big deal for me. Thanks so much, EmilyC!
EmilyC
February 17, 2015
Really appreciate your lovely note -- so glad this dish will fit into your weeknight rotation!
Lisa R.
February 7, 2015
Looks really good, and I want to try it this week. As we usually go out to a club function at 6 p.m. then return after 7:30 p.m. (we don't mind eating late) could I make it ahead, refrigerate then cook when we return?
EmilyC
February 7, 2015
Hi Lisa -- haven't done this before but I see no reason why this shouldn't work well. Maybe wait to toss the sausage and vegetables with the dressing until ready to cook. Hope you like it!
Rxexe M.
December 3, 2014
I use the Premio chicken sausage (even better with the chicken kale combo). It's a wetter sausage and it naturally forms into little chicken sausage meatballs. Not all brands work as well. Premio regular pork sausage works too.
Alla K.
December 3, 2014
if you take the sausage out of the casing, how do you get it to stay in 3/4 inch pieces?
Rxexe M.
November 23, 2014
I've made this recipe approximately 20 times. My family doesn't like mustard, so I skip it and we use chicken sausage. I also microwave the broccoli with a little water in a covered bowl first. I find you can get five "sausage meatballs" out of each link. To serve extra people, I serve it over cellantini or fusilli pasta with some parmesan on the side and it serves a crowd. Great recipe!
Sarah F.
November 14, 2014
Oh my. I made this last night. SO EASY! Served with some Israeli couscous. Was hoping for lunch leftovers, but my boyfriend went back for seconds and thirds - so I'll just have to make more next time!
Two T.
August 26, 2014
Love it! I used thinly sliced leek instead of fennel, debragga sweet sausage and actually baked it in a shallow stainless skillet, delicious oven to table meal with minimal mess-ideal for a weeknight, or any night really. Topped with a bit of shaved asagio but now I want to do EmilyC's rec. with a little torn fresh muzz. Served with a little baguette and a cherry tomato salad.
EmilyC
September 11, 2014
Somehow missed this comment until now -- so glad you tried and liked this!
Colleen
August 17, 2014
If I were to add a little cheese, what type would you suggest? I've never used fennel before, but I'm thinking of making this ahead of time and then making homemade hotpockets with this as the filling. I am trying to put together an on-the-go meal idea.
EmilyC
August 18, 2014
Hi Colleen -- This would be delicious with mozzarella or ricotta. The fennel is nice here but I also like the dish without it. Sometimes I use a small amount of crushed fennel seed if I don't have fennel on hand, or sliced red onion works well too. Like the homemade hotpocket idea!
michelle_a
August 20, 2014
Funny, I made this a few days ago and had some really nice feta left over from a dinner party. So I added some thinly sliced pieces to the dish - very good.
Deb K.
March 26, 2014
Has anyone tried this on the grill? I love roasting veggies (foil base, either open or sealed to steam). Spring/summer is coming and I love finding new ideas for cooking outside as much as possible.
EmilyC
March 28, 2014
Hi Deb -- I haven't tried this on the grill but think you could adapt it pretty easily. Along the same lines of this, here was a favorite of mine last summer, including my favorite method for grilling broccoli rabe: http://food52.com/recipes/21935-grilled-italian-flatbread-with-sausage-broccoli-rabe-and-lemon-chili-ricotta
Gotowanie G.
March 25, 2014
This was a great recipe! Easy to put together and the flavors worked well together. I like my veggies over-cooked so I stuck them in 20 mins early but I think that was unecessary and will cook everything together moving forward. My husband requested I add onions next time.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for the great recipe!
4aces
March 18, 2014
wow...I just got home from work & whipped this up. super easy and so DELISH!! I normally go way overboard w sauces, but I made this one according to your recipe & it was perfect! I added half a yellow onion & a red pepper I had that wasn't gonna make it much longer in my fridge & it was really great. might try w zucchini tmrw. thx so much!!
EmilyC
March 26, 2014
Great to hear, 4aces! It's a great recipe for using up odds and ends. Thanks for trying it!
lemax
March 17, 2014
Absolutely loved this recipe. I sauté the mini sausage balls for a few minutes on each side to get the fat out and add additional olive oil and mustard grains to the sauce. Delish....! Thank you.
Jessica D.
February 26, 2014
Quite tasty. I made a double batch and cooked the broccoli and fennel separately in case my kids disliked the latter. I served it with crusty bread but I think polenta would be better.
Darrell
February 25, 2014
What do you suggest serving this dish with? I was reading other comments and seems this dish was served by itself, which seems a little odd.
EmilyC
February 25, 2014
I included some ideas in my headnote -- crusty bread, polenta, or a green salad. When I made it most recently, I served it with ravioli with marinara sauce. But I've also served it by itself on crazy busy weeknights -- it's pretty hearty on its own. Hope you like it!
michelle_a
February 23, 2014
how do you think broccoli rabe would fare instead? this looks really nice & trying to make use of what arrived from fresh direct today :)
EmilyC
February 24, 2014
I think broccoli rabe would work work, and I've been meaning to try it this way too! Broccoli rabe might cook a bit faster than broccoli, so you may need to start checking a bit sooner and/or remove the rabe before the sausage and fennel. Please report back if you try it this way!
michelle_a
March 4, 2014
Okay, I didn't end up using the broccoli rabe for something else. But I made this last night & it was AWESOME. Seriously one of the simplest, and tastiest, recipes I've made in a long time. Prep is super quick and yet returns ten-fold in taste. Paired with whipped potatoes. My girlfriend and I may have eaten the whole pan!
EmilyC
March 4, 2014
So happy you liked it and great to know it works with broccoli rabe! I made it over the weekend and added chopped radish (another tasty variation). Thanks for trying it and circling back!
Swiss M.
February 23, 2014
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I realized I was out of lemons at the last minute, so I subbed 1 Tbsp of red wine vinegar instead. Still turned out great, but I'm looking forward to trying it again with the lemon instead.
ChefJune
February 21, 2014
Oh Emily! Why didn't I see this last month? I could have been making it all that time. This sounds like a great recipe to double in order to have leftovers for lunches.
EmilyC
February 21, 2014
Thank you, June! It does make good leftovers. I made a big batch earlier this week and served it on night 2 with ravioli. It's definitely something you can improvise with.
kat3029
February 21, 2014
My husband and I LOVE this. That said, we did change a few things after we made it the first time. We like dishes a little saucier, so we doubled the sauce. I was out of olive oil and so used coconut oil instead. And I used harissa instead of red pepper. Still delicious! Thanks for sharing.
foxeslovelemons
January 30, 2014
This recipe has my husband's name written all over it. I'll be making it for him soon. Congrats on the CP!
savorthis
January 30, 2014
So I made this in true, harried, crazed fashion. I arrived home with NO broccoli and used kale instead. It actually crisped up nicely in places. I thought the overall flavors were great and it was simple too. I ended up serving it over some of that ready to fry up polenta (in a tube) with a bit of red sauce (jar) and thus ended up with quite a filling me that fed us for three days. Congrats on the cp!
EmilyC
January 31, 2014
"Harried, crazed fashion" -- haha, I can relate! Thanks for trying this. Great to know it works with kale too!
savorthis
January 14, 2014
A great quick meal Emily....I need more of those too! I often have aidells sausages or meatballs in the freezer for this purpose and since they are cooked you could probably just nestle them in there whole.
EmilyC
January 15, 2014
That would work well, I think, and if you left them whole I doubt they'd dry out. And of course even faster/easier! Sometimes I'm astonished at how long it's taken me to figure out what is / isn't possible to execute during the work week! : )
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