My New Favorite 20-Minute Dinner!
We cannot get enough of this quick little sausage and veggie dinner lately. ♡
It’s quick, colorful, full of protein and fiber. And best of all, it’s loaded with flavor thanks to one superstar ingredient (you all know how much I love Old Bay seasoning!). The veggies get lightly caramelized around the edges, the chicken sausage turns golden and juicy, and a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end brightens everything up perfectly.
You can serve it up so man different ways — spooned over rice or quinoa or mashed potatoes, tucked into warm tortillas or pita wraps, piled onto toasted buns, alongside fried eggs, or simply on its own straight out of a big serving bowl. It also makes fantastic meal-prep lunches for the week.
So grab your favorite chicken sausage and let’s do some air frying!
Recipe Tips
A few quick tips to make this recipe even better:
- Cut the zucchini slightly larger. Zucchini cooks faster than the other veggies, so the larger pieces help prevent it from getting too soft.
- Shake halfway through cooking. This helps the veggies cook evenly and keeps the sausage from crisping too much on one side.
- Use fully cooked chicken sausage. This recipe is designed for pre-cooked sausage, which heats quickly and browns beautifully in the air fryer.
- Finish with fresh lemon juice. Don’t skip it! That final pop of citrus brightens everything up perfectly.
- Serve immediately for best texture. The veggies are at their absolute best when freshly air fried and slightly crisp around the edges.
Variations To Try
This recipe is endlessly flexible, so feel free to customize and make it your own!
- Swap the sausage. Use smoked sausage, turkey sausage, andouille, kielbasa, or spicy Italian sausage. Any type of sausage (chicken, pork, plant-based) should work here.
- Add potatoes. Toss in small diced baby potatoes for an even heartier dinner (they will need a head start in the air fryer).
- Add more vegetables. Toss in broccoli florets, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, or cauliflower.
- Swap the seasoning. Try Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, or smoked paprika blends instead of Old Bay.
- Add cheese. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan or crumbled feta before serving.
FAQ
Fresh vegetables work best for this recipe because they caramelize more nicely in the air fryer. Frozen vegetables tend to release more moisture and definitely won’t brown as well.
Yes! But depending on the size of your air fryer, you’ll probably need to cook it in batches to avoid overcrowding.
Definitely! Spread everything out in an even layer on a large sheet pan and bake at 425°F for about 20–25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized and the sausage is browned around the edges.
More Easy Air Fryer Dinners
Air Fryer Sausage and Veggies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into slightly larger 1¼-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 package (12 ounces) chicken sausage, sliced into thin rounds
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Season the vegetables. Add the bell peppers, onion and zucchini to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the avocado oil, then sprinkle the Old Bay seasoning and garlic powder evenly over the top. Toss until the vegetables are well coated. (Tip: Cutting the zucchini slightly larger than the peppers helps prevent it from overcooking in the air fryer.)
- Add the sausage. Slice the chicken sausage into thin rounds and add them to the bowl with the vegetables. Toss gently until everything is evenly combined.
- Air fry. Preheat the air fryer to 390°F if your model requires it. Add the sausage and vegetables to the air fryer basket in an even layer (work in batches if needed so the basket isn’t overcrowded). Cook for 9–11 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the sausage is heated through.
- Finish and serve. Transfer the sausage and vegetables to a serving dish and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top. Serve warm with extra lemon wedges if desired.
- Enjoy! Serve on its own, over rice or cauliflower rice, or tucked into warm tortillas for easy sausage and veggie tacos.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
This was easy and delicious. I added a few small potatoes that I microwaved for 2 minutes before adding to the air fryer. I used 1/2 regular Old Bay and 1/2 low sodium Old Bay.
Just made this and the whole family approved.