I love one dish wonders. Throw some yummy ingredients on a pan, slide it
in the oven and viola! Dinner!
We recently had chicken leg quarters and some hot Italian sausage in the
fridge, which brought on this Italian feast. It was inspired by my
mother in law. She regularly makes a delicious dish with chicken, sausage
and a lovely tomato sauce with fresh herbs, served on top of pasta or
spaghetti squash, or the spiffy new veggie noodles that are popular these
days. I did not have the fresh herbs, but definitely had the other elements.
I decided to pull out a sheet pan and fill it up with our future dinner.
Next time I will probably double the amount of cabbage, but the organic
head I got this week was tiny, so maybe not.
The star of this dish, surprisingly, was the tomato sauce. The low and slow
cooking temperature roasted the tomatoes, so they had a rich, powerful
flavor that perfectly complimented the chicken and sausage. The cabbage
absorbed the flavors of the juices and it evolved into a great side dish.
The recipe is flexible as well--the chicken and sausage ratio could vary
significantly depending on your supplies, just make sure the tomato sauce
is on top and the cabbage is below.
Italian Sheet Bake
2 cups jarred or canned diced tomatoes (about 16 ounces)
1 Tablespoon dried basil leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano Leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cabbage head, medium chop
5-6 hot Italian sausage links
4 chicken leg quarters
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Place oven rack on the second level from the top. Preheat oven to 325
degrees.
In a medium bowl (if using a stick blender) or food processor add the
tomatoes, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic and salt. Purée tomatoes
and herbs into a sauce. Set aside.
On a shallow baking sheet evenly spread the chopped cabbage. Make
a slit in one side of each sausage, arranging the links around the edge
of the pan, slit side up.
Generously season all sides of the chicken quarters with salt and
pepper. Arrange chicken in the middle of the bed of cabbage, skin side
up. Drizzle tomato sauce on chicken and sausage, spreading it to
cover the surface of all the pieces.
Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce. Place sheet in oven and bake for
one hour and 15 minutes, until sausage and chicken is fully cooked,
at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove sheet from oven and let sit for five minutes before serving.