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Sausage and Zucchini Skillet

Sausage and zucchini skillet is a fast one-pan weeknight dinner with deeply browned Italian sausage, golden zucchini coins, and cherry tomatoes that burst into a garlicky herb sauce. Cook everything in a cast iron skillet for a rich, caramelized flavor and a glossy finish.
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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: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage Hot or mild; sliced into 1/2-inch rounds.
Zucchini
  • 3 zucchini Medium; sliced into 1/2-inch rounds.
Cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes Halved.
Onion
  • 1 onion Small; diced.
Garlic
  • 4 garlic Cloves; minced.
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
  • 1 salt To taste.
  • 1 black pepper To taste.
Parmesan cheese
  • 0.25 cup parmesan cheese Grated.
Fresh basil
  • 1 fresh basil For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 Cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown sausage
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage rounds and cook 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned, then remove and set aside.
Cook vegetables
  1. In the same skillet, cook diced onion for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add zucchini coins 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 to the skillet, cooking for 30 seconds while fragrant and slightly sizzling. Stir in halved cherry tomatoes and cook 2 minutes until they begin to burst.
Combine and finish
  1. Return the browned sausage to the pan and toss everything together to coat in the pan sauce. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, top with grated parmesan and fresh basil, and serve directly from the skillet.

Notes

Pro tip: don’t move the sausage too often while browning—leave it undisturbed long enough to develop deep caramelized color in the cast iron. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Freezing is not recommended for the best zucchini texture. For a dairy-light option, use a smaller amount of parmesan or substitute a plant-based parmesan style topping.