Sausage and Potato Skillet

This easy Sausage and Potato Skillet has been a longtime family favorite meal!  Smoked sausage or Kielbasa, frozen potatoes O’Brien and broccoli topped with cheese makes a delicious one-skillet meal that is so EASY and also great for meal prep!  Even our kids will eat this easy sausage skillet!

This post was created by a partnership with the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sausage, Potatoes, Peppers & Onions Skillet

Allison Zabel of Omaha, Nebraska shared this easy meal idea with us.  Her mom has made this Sausage and Potato Skillet for years.  Allison continues to make it on a regular basis.  She loves it because there’s not a whole lot of prepping, it’s Whole 30 approved, and it’s good to eat all year round.  Allison likes to make it ahead of time to take lunch to work.

We’re not the only family in the midwest that loves eating sausage and potatoes for dinner.  Since we’re always on the hunt for easy sausage recipe when everything can be made in one pan we were excited to give it a try.  Only four ingredients are required, but I like to amp up the flavor with some minced garlic and salt and pepper.  My kids can be picky eaters and they both eat this recipe which makes me happy!

While we typically make this for an evening meal I have eaten leftovers for breakfast.  This is the type of recipe where it’s easy to hide the broccoli in the other ingredients so that vegetables are easier to eat.  It’s a well-rounded meal with protein, vegetables, and starch!

Meet Allison of the Pig Improvement Company

Allison Zabel became interested in working with pigs in college.  Her sister came across a job with a large pig farm and shared those job opportunities with Allison when she was a student at Iowa State.

Although she grew up with a family knowlege in the farrier business and has experience being around a cattle feedlot, Allison fell in love with working with pigs.  She believes they are easier to understand and learn to work with than cattle, goats, sheep or chickens.  Watching their ears to get a sense of where they might go is one of the tips that she shares about working with pigs.

Allison began working in the barns.  Then she spent a little time in the office because there’s a lot of paperwork and record-keeping to do at the farm.  She currently works in customer service at PIC, the Pig Improvement Company.

PIC works with pig farmers to raise better breeding stock for other pig farmers.  When the maternal and paternal genetics are improved that means pigs can grow faster, have more muscle or whatever quality customers are looking for.  So Allison works with people that improve genetics on several tiers of the pig’s family tree.  Grandparent genetics are slightly different than maternal and paternal.  And somebody has to keep this all straight.  So it makes sense that Allison has a lot to do in her customer service role.

The PIC sales team sells the animals.  The customer service team works out the details like when will the pigs be moved where, how many loads, who will help load and receive the pigs, etc.  The details are endless.

Allison shared that she has worked in retail and foodservice and she just enjoys working with her farmer customers the most!  She also enjoys the challenges of working with pigs because she understands them.  Pigs aren’t like a box of shoes that you can drop off on someone’s porch and they can retrieve the box and open it when desired, so customer service is much more hands-on and makes every day different.

How to Make Kielbasa Sausage and Potato Skillet

1. Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces
2. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet
3. Brown sausage and set aside
4. Add more oil if needed, cook potatoes and broccoli until done
5. Season vegetables with salt and pepper if desired
6. Return sausage to the skillet and sprinkle with cheese
7. Serve warm

Tips for Making Smoked Sausage and Vegetable Skillet

• Different skillets cook very differently, so watch the food more than the time listed on this recipe
• A bag of frozen broccoli or fresh broccoli can be equally substituted
• Kielbasa and smoked sausage can be easily substituted
• If making for meal prep do not add cheese, put cheese in a separate container and sprinkle on top after the meal has been re-heated
• Browning sausage adds more flavor, because brown is a flavor, not just a color
• Browning sausage is not required if time doesn’t allow
• Read the package, but most smoked sausage is precooked, so once the vegetables are cooked and the sausage is warm the meal is ready
• Makes a great freezer meal once cooled

Other Easy Sausage Recipes

• Old Fashioned Sausage, Potatoes & Green Beans in the Instant Pot
• Easy Instant Pot Sausage, Sweet Potatoes, and Green Beans
• One Pan Vegetables and Sausage
• Sausage Link, Broccoli and Rice Crock Pot Casserole
• Fiesta Sausage Dip
• Farmhouse Egg & Sausage Bake
• Easy Egg and Sausage Casserole
• Everything Bagel and Sausage Casserole
• Best Pizza Meatloaf
• Sausage Bubble Up Casserole

Printable Recipe for Sausage and Potato Skillet

Shared on Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday