The weather is cooling off, and all my favorite root vegetables are coming off the garden, which makes it the perfect time for this cozy sheet pan dinner! The beauty of this recipe is that it’s cheap, versatile, and will satisfy even your teenagers’ endless appetites (ask me how I know!).

The recipe works great with any of your favorite root veggies: potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, parsnip… Pick a few of your favorites, mix and match, and enjoy!

Recipe

Serves 6 (even if they’re teenagers!)

4-5 small-medium russet potatoes (peeled or cleaned, your choice), diced

4 medium-large sweet potatoes, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2-3 beets, peeled and diced

3 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 lb Polish kielbasa

1/2-1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ancho chile powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two large rimmed sheet pans.

Chop root veggies and spread evenly between the pans. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle spices evenly.

Slice kielbasa and lay atop vegetables, divided between pans.

Bake approximately 1 hour, until vegetables are cooked through and beginning to crisp, stirring once or twice to coat evenly with oil and seasonings.

Notes

As I mentioned, this recipe is versatile enough to use any of your favorite fall vegetables (or try adding squash, apples, pears, or other seasonal produce!).

To minimize the work of chopping all these things, look for frozen chopped options, or canned. My local grocery store usually has diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions. Canned beets are easy to find, too, and just as tasty roasted as fresh beets.

If you have celiac disease, look for kielbasa that is gluten free (for example, our local Aldi has a GF version). This recipe uses kielbasa both for flavor and cost savings, but you can always substitute with chicken, Italian sausage, or another type of meat.

For a vegetarian/vegan option, simply omit the sausage. The roasted veggies are delicious on their own!

Because this recipe uses olive oil and no butter or other ingredients, it’s naturally dairy-free!

I use ancho chile in this recipe, but regular chili powder is also wonderful! The ancho adds a warmth that compliments the cinnamon, but it’s delicious with any kind of chili. If your family likes a little more kick, feel free to increase the amount. If you want more warmth, increase the cinnamon. For a little more depth of flavor, increase the cumin. This recipe would also be good with a bit of garlic–I just happen to have a family of garlic-haters!

Enjoy!