How to Sauté Smoked Sausage with Fresh Vegetables

Ever looked at something in the grocery store and wondered, “How do you even cook that?” or “How is this thing eaten?” That’s what I asked myself when I first encountered smoked sausage, and that was here in the United States. We did not have this kind of sausage where I grew up. Fast forward, after attending several barbecues, I learned some ways to make these sausages, one of them being how to sauté smoked sausage with fresh vegetables.

Keto meal idea

A Polish friend introduced me to Polish sausage and how to barbecue it, and a Mexican friend taught me how to add sausage to black beans. Yum! Out of curiosity and my own explorations later, I decided to try this sausage with fresh vegetables. The result was super delicious, so I decided to keep using that new recipe in addition to what my wonderful friends had taught me. I have learned since then that it is actually quite a popular recipe out there, and a great keto meal idea. Take a look at how I make the dish, and I hope you love it too.

Ingredients for smoked sausage with fresh vegetables

• Smoked sausage – 1
• Zucchini – 2 small
• Yellow squash – 1 medium
• Bell peppers – ½ @ green and red
• Onion – 1 small
• Cooking oil – 1tbsp
• Ground black pepper ½ tsp
• Salt to taste

Steps for smoked sausage with fresh vegetables

• Wash the vegetables and cut them into medium and roughly equal cubes.
• Rinse the sausage and dub it dry.
• Cut the sausage into medium-sized pieces that are not too thin or too thick.
• Place a large skillet on medium heat.
• Add cooking oil to the skillet.
• Add sausage to the skillet and spread to ensure that each piece is touching the skillet surface. Turn every 10 seconds so both sides can cook and brown evenly. If your skillet is small, consider cooking the sausage in two batches.
• Turn the heat up to high. Then, add all the vegetables to the skillet. Sauté for about one minute.
• Sprinkle salt and black pepper.
• Sauté for 3 more minutes or until you achieve your desired level of doneness. Note that if you overcook the dish, the vegetables will lose their crunchiness and become mushy.
• Take off the heat and serve (see serving suggestions, additional cooking tips, and ideas on substituting ingredients below the recipe card).

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Serving Suggestions for Smoked Sausage with Fresh Vegetables

You can enjoy this healthy and delicious dish as a meal on its own especially if you are looking to have a low-carb meal. Also, you can serve it with white rice, pasta, or buttered bread among other options. For more ideas on how to prepare fresh vegetables and make them much more enjoyable, check out these three recipes.

• Sautéed kale
• Sautéed cabbage with carrots and bell peppers
• Sautéed kale with eggplant and carrots

Additional Cooking and Storage Tips

• You could consider chopping your vegetables into much smaller cubes than those shown in the recipe if you like. Should you choose to do so, cut the sausage into smaller cubes as well for consistency. Slice the sausage in half all through, then in quarters, and cut into equal cubes. Do the same with the zucchini and the squash.
• The sausage pieces will brown and begin to darken quite quickly, so keep the heat on medium or less and turn them over frequently. Add the vegetables as soon as the sausage has browned enough.

• Store any leftover food in the fridge in an airtight container.
• Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. If using the stove, place the food on a skillet and sauté until hot enough but do not overcook it.

Ideas on Substituting Ingredients for Smoked Sausage

• You can use the Polish Sausage (Polska Kielbasa) in place of smoked sausage if that’s what is available to you. The results would be the same as the two types of sausage only differ in flavorings. Both have individual (turkey only, pork only, beef only, etc.,) flavors as well as combined (beef, pork, and turkey) options. So, pick whichever flavor you like for this recipe.
• You can use just one type of bell peppers listed in the recipe and double the amount (say if you do not have both available). You can also substitute with yellow, orange, or any other color of sweet peppers.
• Similarly, you can use just the green zucchini or the yellow squash alone and double the amount. The dish would be just as good. I like to mix colors though whenever I can because with that comes a nuance of flavors too.
• You can also substitute the red onion with the yellow ones. The crunchiness of the yellow onions will make them a great addition to the recipe.  
• Finally, you can substitute all the vegetables used in this recipe with those available to you. Just ensure that their texture is close to that of the ones used in this recipe (a vegetable that mushes up when cooked, for example, may not be a great idea for this recipe).