Spicy Sausage Bake

I bought some chorizo style cooking sausages the other day which I'm fond of baking with chickpeas in the oven but, while doing an exercise video I thought I'd prep them with some vegetables for a great one pan dish when I'd finished.

The results were tasty and I thought looked quite lovely.  So this impromptu dish of using up vegetables from my fridge and making them sing with some gently spiced sausages went on my blog.  This is ultra simple food to cook and it makes one big (post work out) portion but would be equally good reheated for lunch; just slice up any leftover sausages and reheat in a microwave.

Spicy Sausage Bake - Makes 1 large portion

Ingredients

3 Chorizo style cooking sausages or other spicy sausages - use gluten free to make the dish gluten free
Half a sweet potato (orange fleshed), peeled and cut into small cubes
1/2 courgette (zucchini)
1/2 red pepper
1/2 tsp Sweet smoked paprika
A few sprigs thyme
1 tsp olive oil (see note)

Method

Chop the vegetables and put into an oven proof baking dish.  Sprinkle over the smoked paprika and thyme.  If your sausages aren't particularly fatty, add some oil (or you can add during the cooking time if you find not many juices come out of them).

Top with the sausage and prick them.  Normally I wouldn't recommend this but you actually do want the cooking juices from the sausages to mingle with the vegetables.

Bake in an oven at 200oC / 400F / Gas Mark 6 for 30 minutes or until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are soft.  If you can, give it all a stir half way through and add a tsp oil if needed (see earlier).

Serve as it is or with green vegetables if liked.

Linked up to recipe of the week.

I've linked this up to the cooking with herbs challenge for July.