One Skillet: Italian Sausage & Harvest Vegetable Stew
One-skillet Italian sausage stew with potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes. Hot sausage pinched into small meatballs simmers with harvest vegetables, rosemary, and thyme for a rustic weeknight dinner.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
60 minThis one-skillet Italian sausage stew is built on a clever trick: instead of slicing the sausages into rounds, you slit the casings and pinch the meat into rough little meatballs. They brown up with craggy edges that catch all the rosemary and thyme, and they hold together beautifully through the long simmer.
Carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes go in after the sausage and onions have picked up some serious color. The tomatoes break down as everything cooks, creating a thick, stew-like sauce without adding any broth. One skillet, no extra pots, no draining.
Fresh rosemary and thyme are doing the real work here. Dried herbs will do in a pinch, but fresh ones bloom in the hot oil alongside the garlic and release oils that perfume every bite of those tender vegetables.
Pro Tips
- Pinch the sausage meat into uneven, rough pieces. Irregular shapes brown better and have more interesting texture than uniform balls.
- If using canned tomatoes instead of fresh, drain them well so the stew doesn’t get watery.
- Cut potatoes and carrots into similar-sized chunks so they cook at the same rate.
- Check the liquid halfway through. If it looks dry, add a splash of boiling water, not cold, so you don’t kill the simmer.
Variations
- Sweet sausage version: Use mild Italian sausage and add a pinch of red pepper flakes for adjustable heat.
- Fall harvest: Toss in cubed butternut squash alongside the potatoes for a sweeter, seasonal spin.
- Greens: Stir in a big handful of kale or spinach in the last 5 minutes for extra color and nutrition.
Ingredients
Directions
Ripe tomatoes may be replaced with 3 14-oz cans of tomatoes - drained and chopped.
Slit sausages skins lengthwise with a knife tip. Remove sausage meat and “pinch” into small meatballs.
Over medium heat in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed Add sausage and onions; cook for 10 minutes or until nicely browned, stirring frequently as you prepare carrots and potatoes.
Stir in garlic, rosemary and thyme. Add carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Let mixture come to a slow boil. Stir, adjust heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes or until vegetables are very tender, stirring once or twice. Check the liquid occasionally and, if necessary, add up to ¼ cup boiling water.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each portion with chopped parsley, if desired
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