This might be just the dinner you need after all the indulging during the holidays. Imagine Italian chicken sausage, roasted caramelized fennel, roasted cauliflower, fresh spinach and olive oil coming together to orchestrate, flavor, texture and still be so good for you.

After eleven years of blogging, and 1200 recipes, I know what you’ll be looking for. You love easy, tasty, healthy dinner ideas.

In this collaboration, I chose the pre-cooked Al Fresco Italian chicken sausage and made an absolutely delicious dinner in twenty minutes.

I’ll tell you why easy big fat healthy dinners are important to Spinach Tiger. In addition to running this site, I have a keto home bakery, which has become quite successful.

I need food I can grab and make quickly that is good for me. This is the kind of dinner I thrive on.

Al Fresco Chicken Italian Sausage is Pre-Cooked

This  Chicken Sausage is pre-cooked, which means you can easily slice across and place on sheet pan or in the air fryer. No double cooking necessary, which is an amazing convenience. It’s lower in calories. Perfect for a quick, healthy, delicious mid-week meal!

I chose the Italian chicken sausage that already has red peppers in it, and it pairs nicely with the fennel. Everything in this sheet pan will be perfect in about twenty minutes. During the last two minutes, I throw the spinach over it evenly, and it cooks down. Then you simply toss it all together and pass the parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.

I added a heaping teaspoon of red chili peppers, and we loved that extra bit of heat. Serve that on the side if kids are eating this dish.

This dinner can be prepared two ways:  Sheet Pan or Air Fryer or Air Fryer. I made this twice using both methods and it was so delicious both ways that we fought over the last bite.

This is one of the few sheet pan dishes where everything can be roasted at once.

That’s not always the case, but it’s been trendy and I know people want the easiest cooking option.

Al Fresco Italian Chicken Sausage is Perfect for an Air Fryer Recipe

However, I am a fan of the air fryer for some dishes. This is also one of those dishes that can be placed in the air fryer and made in ten minutes. My air fryer is a smaller version, and I did it in two batches, thus twenty minutes, but it’s passive cooking and the clean up is so easy.

I made this twice in one week to make sure I was certain of both cooking methods and there were no complaints. We loved this dish. It hits all of our notes for healthy, hearty, flavor, texture, and big fat healthy yum.

Ways to play around with Italian Chicken Sausage Dish

How do I replace the fennel? 

Fennel is one of my favorite crunchy veggies that is often made as a salad with a citrus. I love it braised or roasted, as it has a slight licorice note adds much to a sausage dish.

You can use celery, sliced thinly across. You can also add in more cauliflower if fennel is not your thing.

How do I replace the spinach? 

First of all use fresh spinach and only add it in at the end. You can replace with kale or swiss chard if you want a different green.

Melt Mozzarella Cheese

Sometimes kids will grab onto cheesy casseroles easier, and you could always top with mozzarella and stick under the broiler for a few minutes.

Add in Rice or Pasta

Add a starch in the form of pasta or rice, especially if you are serving kids.

Make Pita Tacos

I like to get creative in the kitchen. Warm up some tacos and stuff with Al Fresco Sausage and Cauliflower for a twist.

More Low Carb Recipes Where You Could Use Al Fresco Italian Chicken Sausage 

The good news in making these recipes is that the sausage is already pre-cooked. A quick browning is all you need to do.

Low Carb Three Cheese Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Casserole 

Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Sausage and Mushrooms

Sausage Cabbage Soup

Sausage Frittata with Ricotta and Spinach

Print

Italian Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

Chicken Sausage, Fennel, Cauliflower, Spinach made in air fryer or sheet pan. (Low Carb)

Course dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword air fryer,, caulfilower, chicken sausage,, sheet pan,

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 package Al Fresco Italian Chicken Sausage 4 links
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 bulb fennel thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil may use less
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes optional
• 2 tablespoons pecorino romano cheese or parmesan

Instructions

• Slice sausage across into 1/4 inch discs.
• Cut core out of cauliflower. Cut cauliflower into small pieces.
• Cut off tops and end of fennel bulb. Slice Fennel into strips
• Slice onion into thin strips.
• Toss the vegetables with olive oil, just enough to glisten.

Sheet Pan Method

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Spread vegetables and sausage evenly on sheet pan.
• Roast for 20 minutes, turning over at ten minutes.
• Add handfuls of spinach over the ingredients in pan.
• Bake for another three minutes until the spinach in wilted.
• Serve with Pecorino Romano and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Air Fryer Method

• You can mix all meat and vegetables together, except for the spinach.
• Roast in two batches for ten minutes each, until sausage looks browned.
• Toss fresh spinach into the ingredients. It will wilt naturally.
• Serve with Pecorino Romano and crushed red pepper flakes.

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