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Sausage and Zucchini Skillet

Sausage and zucchini skillet is an easy one-pan weeknight dinner with deeply browned Italian sausage and golden zucchini coins in a garlic herb pan sauce. You’ll get burst cherry tomatoes and a finishing layer of parmesan and basil served straight from the cast iron.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage (hot or mild) Sliced into 1/2-inch rounds.
Vegetables and aromatics
  • 3 zucchini Sliced into 1/2-inch rounds.
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes Halved.
  • 1 onion Diced.
  • 4 garlic Minced.
Seasonings
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 0.25 salt and black pepper To taste (use as needed during cooking).
Topping
  • 0.25 cup parmesan cheese Grated.
  • 1 fresh basil For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the sausage
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  2. Add Italian sausage rounds and cook 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned; remove and set aside.
Cook the vegetables
  1. In the same skillet, cook diced onion for 2–3 minutes until softened.
  2. Add zucchini rounds and cook 4–5 minutes until golden on the cut sides.
Build the garlic herb sauce
  1. Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant.
  2. Stir in halved cherry tomatoes and cook 2 minutes until they begin to burst.
Finish and serve
  1. Return the browned sausage to the pan, toss everything together, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
  2. Top with grated parmesan and fresh basil, then serve directly from the skillet.

Notes

Pro tip: get a true deep-brown sear on the sausage before removing it—those browned bits in the cast iron drive the flavor of the garlic herb sauce. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat in the skillet over medium heat until hot. Freezing isn’t recommended because zucchini can soften too much. For a lighter option, use mild turkey sausage instead of Italian sausage and keep the same cooking steps.