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Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner

September 5, 2024

This recipe ticks all the boxes—a little meaty, some dark leafy greens, and some starchy goodness. An easy one-pan sausage, kale and potato skillet that pleases everyone, from cook to clean-up crew.

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Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner with onion

A Simple, Satisfying Skillet Recipe

And just like that, summer is in the rearview mirror. We’re back to long days that begin just a little earlier—or maybe a lot earlier—than we’d like them to, back to trying to cram in a family dinner that’s a little more than a total afterthought even though we feel like there’s no time. When you don’t have much bandwidth—to cook, clean or even think very hard—this kale, sausage and potato skillet recipe will have your back.

ingredients laid out for Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner with onion lemon, oil garlic

Three Ingredients (Plus a Few More).

With three main ingredients—chicken sausage, kale, and red potatoes—there’s no fussing over a big shopping list, or worry that you forgot one of the key ingredients last time you went to the store. If your cupboard is bare, the ingredients for this easy chicken sausage and kale skillet supper could be gathered in a five minute pit stop, meaning that making this quick skillet dinner is still faster than take out. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Olive oil (vegetable oil works, too)
  • One head of garlic
  • An onion
  • Dried thyme
  • Chicken sausage
  • Boiled red potatoes
  • One bunch of kale
  • A lemon
baby potatoes in a cast iron skillet
baby red potatoes in a cast iron skillet with   herbs.
chicken sausage potatoes in a cast iron skillet
chicken sausage, potatoes and onions in a cast iron skillet

How to Cook Potatoes in a Skillet

The secret to perfectly cooked skillet red potatoes—brown and crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside—is to boil them first! You can make this quick and easy one-skillet dinner even faster by boiling the potatoes ahead of time—it’s an ideal meal prep day task.

Here’s how to make the best skillet potatoes:

  • Cut the red potatoes into uniform pieces before you boil them, so that they cook quickly and evenly.
  • Salt the water you boil them in! That way the potatoes are already pre-seasoned before they even hit the skillet.
  • When you’re ready to fry the potatoes in the skillet, let the oil get hot before you add the red potatoes to the pan.
  • Add the potatoes to the warm oil and resist the urge to stir them! Instead, let them fry in the hot oil for a while before you move them around in the pan. This allows them to develop a nice brown, crispy crust. Once you see some good browning, begin to stir them occasionally so that all sides of the potato pieces have a chance to get crispy.
Sautéed kale in a cast iron skillet
Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner with onion

This Kale, Sausage and Potato Skillet Is All of the Things—but Most of All EASY.

Loaded with curly kale, and fragrant with onion and garlic, our one-pan sausage and potato skillet recipe is both hearty and healthy. Best of all? It’s easy, too. This skillet dinner is born out of an intuitive kind of cooking, where you could almost imagine that there is no recipe—heat and ingredients and time team up, and meal just sort of flows. It doesn’t demand much of you—not many ingredients, not much time. Just simple simple simple. It’s as easy as:

  1. Brown the potatoes.
  2. Add the chicken sausage to the crispy potatoes.
  3. Next comes the onion! By now, the savory smells should have summoned your family to the kitchen. Maybe they’re even setting the table.
  4. When the onion is softened and becoming irresistibly golden, turn the heat down and stir in the garlic and kale.
  5. When the kale is wilted, dinner is served!
Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner with onion
Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner with onion

Tools You’ll Need:

  • This chicken sausage and potato skillet dinner is all about—you guessed it—the skillet! Cast iron is classic, and this one is our fave.
  • A good sharp knife is your BFF.
  • And let’s not forget the joys of a really good stir spoon.
Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner with onion

Other One-Pan Dinner Recipes We Love:

Put that skillet to work!

Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner with onion

One-Pan, No Fuss, Everyone’s Happy.

We hope that our sausage, kale and potato skillet recipe was a hit in your home. Snap a photo of your finished chicken sausage skillet dinner, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

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Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  10 min
  • Cook Time:  40 min
  • Calories:  212

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 24 ounces red potatoes, cut in half and boiled in salted water until fork tender
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 6 fully cooked chicken sausage links, 1" sliced
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch curly kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced, optional

Method

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large 15-inch skillet over medium-high heat . Add potatoes (cut side down) and cook without stirring until they begin to turn golden brown. Stir and continue cooking until all sides are crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in a few batches. Season potatoes with salt, pepper and thyme.
  2. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the chicken sausage to the potatoes. Cook until all sides of the sausage are crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Once crispy, add onions and cook until just tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, stirring until fragrant, about one minute. Add the kale. Stir often and cooking until the kale is wilted, about 3 minutes.
  4. Squeeze a lemon over the top of the dish and serve.

*If the kale overcrowds the pan, remove the potato sausage mixture and sauté the kale by itself before adding everything back to the skillet.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 212
  • Protein 8 g
  • Carbohydrates 26 g
  • Total Fat 10 g
  • Dietary Fiber 4 g
  • Cholesterol 18 mg
  • sodium 139 mg
  • Total Sugars 2 g

Sausage, Kale and Potato Skillet Dinner

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Aggie

    How long do you boil the potatoes for?

    It will take about 10-15 minutes. Check them at 10, you want to stop cooking them when they are tender to poke with a fork. Hope you enjoy Aggie!

  • Dana

    Could you also add cabbage and when would you add it? I saw a reel or story where you had cabbage but cannot find specifics

    You will probably need to add it with the potatoes. Hope you enjoy Dana!

  • Lucy

    Would spinach work instead of kale? My husband requested no kale. (I would love it with kale). Or do you have another suggestion to substitute kale?

    Spinach will work fine it will probably wilt much quicker.

  • Claire

    Do you know if I can substitute russet potatoes for the red potatoes? I have a ton of russets right now and I'm looking for a main dish recipe to use them in!

    That should work fine! Hope you enjoy Claire.

  • JEARY116

    is the susage pre-cooked or raw

    Pre cooked. Hope you enjoy!

  • Rachel

    This was good and super easy. I think it really needs to lemon. I also had some goat cheese that I added at the end.

    Thanks Rachel, glad you enjoyed it!

  • Resa

    This is on rotation here at our home. Love how easy this is to prepare using kitchen staples. I bring out all the mustards to enjoy dipping.

    Thank you!

    Thanks Resa, we are so happy you loved it!

  • Amber

    Excellent flavor! I subbed a few ingredients instead using smoked sausage, half an onion and Italian seasoning- came out so dang good!

    Thank you Amber, we are so happy you love it!

  • Eric

    Have made this several times. It is fantastic. In the last batch, I doubled the kale and onions, because it seemed like it could use more kale and the onion just didn't look like enough. The bunch of kale from my farmers market might be a little on the small side. Next time, I'll triple the kale. This is one of those meals I find myself thinking about for a while after eating. I used to get Aidell's chicken & pineapple sausage from Costco, but they stopped carrying it. But they have a pork sausage with pineapple that tastes almost the same and is very delicious in this.

    Thanks Eric, we are so glad you love this one!

  • Nina

    This recipe was delicious! I made it with corn and brussel sprouts. I was dubious at first but it turned out really tasty!

    YAY! Glad you loved it Nina!