ChezCindy: Sheet Pan Roasted Autumn Vegetables

 

Making the transition from summer to fall is easy to navigate with this recipe of Roasted Autumn Vegetables.  Actually it is a mix of fruit and vegetables.  Beautiful crisp apples, fresh cranberries, butternut squash and red onions.  All of this produce lends to a bit of sweetness when roasted, combined with an herbed olive oil.  When I tossed these vegetables onto the sheet pan, it looked like autumn.  I just had to capture a photograph.  

The roasted vegetables can be center of plate served with farro, an ancient grain with a nutty chewy texture.  Or, add Italian sausage links to the sheet pan before roasting for a delicious dinner.  

Sheet Pan Roasted Autumn Vegetables

1/2 cup olive oil

3 sprigs of fresh herbs - thyme, rosemary and/or sage

1 medium butternut squash, about 1 1/2 pounds

1 large red onion

2 firm-tart apples, such as granny smith

1/2 cup fresh cranberries*

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

4 fresh mild Italian sausages, optional

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Grill Seasoning, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  

Combine the olive oil and the fresh herbs in a small saucepan.  Place over medium heat, bringing the oil to a simmer.  Heat the oil for about 3 minutes until the herbs have wilted slightly and the oil is fragrant.  Remove from the heat, setting aside.  

Prepare the produce:  Cut the squash into 2 pieces separating the large bulbous part from the long thin portion of the squash.  Set the seeded bulb section aside for another use.  Peel the remaining squash section.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Cutting crosswise, cut each half into 1/2-inch planks - the planks will look like half-moon shape.  Remove the skin from the red onion, cutting the onion into 1/2-thick wedges.  Cut the apples, unpeeled, into quarters, remove the core from each quarter.  Cut each quarter into 1/2-inch wedges.  Place the cut vegetables/apples, plus the fresh cranberries into a large bowl.  Pour half of the oil over the vegetables and fruit.  Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt.  Toss together.  Transfer all to the sheet pan, spreading into an even layer, scraping the oil from the bowl onto the sheet pan.  Top the produce with the sprigs of herbs that were wilted with the olive oil.  Save the remaining herbed olive oil for another use.  It will be delicious with toasted ciabatta bread for bruschetta.  

If using the optional Italian sausage:  using a fork, prick each sausage several times to keep them from splitting while roasting.  Place the sausage on top of the vegetables/fruit.  Drizzle a bit of the herbed oil over the sausages.  Sprinkle the McCormick seasoning over the sausages.  

Place the sheet pan into the hot oven, roasting for 25-30 minutes until the vegetables/apples are tender and lightly browned, and if using, the sausages are cooked through (internal temperature of 160 degrees).  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a drizzle of the herbed olive oil.   Serve hot.  

* dried cranberries can be substituted for fresh.  The dried berries will need to be added to the sheet tray at the end of the roasting time, about 10 minutes remaining in the cook time.  

Recipe adapted from The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Amy Traverso