...and throw it in a pan...

Two successful nights in a row of Just Cooking. You know, no recipe, just take what's on hand and  throw it in a pan!

Last night it was a pot, actually. I had 5 or 6 broccoli stalks - I'd been saving them. Just the stalks, mind you, except for the tiny bit of leftover over-cooked florets from last night. The leftovers were still in the same pot they'd been cooked in; I'd already decided to make broccoli soup, so why dirty another pot when I had just cooked broccoli?

We've talked about broccoli soup before - last time it was a healthy version made with leftover cooked brown rice, here. This time, not quite so healthy. See it here. Soup's the best way to use up those stalks.

Tonight, though, it was a pan - a square baking pan. The new potatoes and orange bell peppers in the crisper that were begging to be used were an inspired accompaniment to some frozen lamb sausage on hand. The weather is still on the cool side up here, so while this may sound a bit heavy to you readers down South, it was just the ticket here. And, you got it, I just threw it in the pan.

Bonus! My onion was already chopped, in a baggie, left over from something I made a few days ago. And the PEPPERS! They were so sweet and delicious - seriously, the best I've ever tasted, slow-roasted this way. I can't show you what this meal looked like when it came out of the oven, but I can show you what it looked like about 10 minutes later.

DINE-IN 5-MINUTE-PREP SAUSAGE DINNER (Vegetarians see note below)

Preheat oven to 375F
Spray a baking pan w/ olive oil spray.

Toss in chunks of red, orange or yellow bell pepper.
Add new potatoes, cut to more or less the size of the smallest ones.
Sprinkle heavily with chopped onion.
I did add a few dabs of butter for flavor later, when I tested the potatoes for doneness, so you may as well put it in now.
Salt and pepper well.

Top with links of your favorite sausage - lamb, Italian, smokies, South African, even a smoked sausage such kielbasa or Polish would work.

Cover with foil. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Note: Lamb, potatoes and bell peppers are classics in the Mediterranean region, so consider a little Greek yogurt on the side, or a little feta tossed in. Thyme, oregano or rosemary would all work as add-ins. Vegetarians could make this using meatless sausages, of course, or just use eggplant or mushrooms as meat substitutes with some extra olive oil drizzled on.