One-Pan Zucchini and Chicken Sausage Skillet
When you’re too tired to think, this is dinner in one pan.
This is the dinner to make when you want something warm, savory, and low-effort without waiting around. It’s a genuine zucchini-and-sausage skillet built for a tired night: one pan, a short ingredient list, and dinner on the table fast. The zucchini stays tender but not mushy, the chicken sausage adds enough flavor to keep you from reaching for a complicated sauce, and the tomatoes give the whole thing a quick, cozy finish. It’s not fancy, and that’s the point. You’ll get a real meal with minimal chopping, minimal cleanup, and no recipe decisions left to make by the time you start cooking.
Ingredients
- 12 oz chicken sausage — cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2 unit zucchini — cut into half-moons
- 1 unit yellow onion — thinly sliced
- 2 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes — halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes — optional
- 2 tbsp water — or broth
- 2 tbsp fresh basil — torn, optional
Method
- 1 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage and cook, stirring once or twice, until browned in spots, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- 2 Add the onion and zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and the zucchini starts to brown, about 4 minutes.
- 3 Stir in the garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes if using. Cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- 4 Add the cherry tomatoes and water. Stir and cook until the tomatoes soften and the zucchini is tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
- 5 Taste and adjust salt or pepper. Top with basil if you like, then serve right away.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Replace the chicken sausage with drained chickpeas or white beans and add an extra pinch of oregano for a meat-free skillet.
- Faster swap — Use pre-sliced zucchini and pre-cooked onion from the produce section, or swap in a bag of frozen zucchini blend to cut the prep even more.
- Easy substitutions — Swap cherry tomatoes for 1 cup of diced canned tomatoes, and use yellow squash instead of one zucchini if that’s what you have.
Notes
If your skillet is crowded, the zucchini will steam more than brown, but the flavor will still be good. For a fuller meal, serve over microwave rice, couscous, or crusty bread. Use a fully cooked chicken sausage so the dish stays fast.
Equipment that helps
- Large skillet — Gives the sausage and vegetables enough space to brown instead of steaming.
- Wooden spoon or spatula — Makes it easy to stir without breaking the zucchini into pieces.
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