Autumn Sheet-Pan Pearl Couscous with Spicy Chicken Sausage & Goat Cheese

episode #82 of 30-minute budget meals

Hello, and happy first day of November! We went out for Halloween last night in Malibu, and even though we only stayed out until 8:30pm, we suffered with sleep. But it’s okay!

I went to Pilates this morning, and because I’m only going a couple times a month now instead of a couple times a week, it kicked my butt! But I love it. It feels great to move. I took a little walk after and got myself some sourdough loaves and a strawberry matcha, and today we are going to clean and organize our house.

Now this week’s recipe!

Sheet-pan recipes have always played in a role in this 30-minute budget meal series, but recently, they have been saving my ass, on a personal level! I’ve been trying to get in a balanced diet filled with vegetables, and I’ve found a sheet-pan meal to be the easiest way to do this right now.

This recipe takes advantage of fall produce (butternut squash and Brussels sprouts), but my tip for saving time is to buy the butternut squash pre-cut and frozen. It actually roasts really well, and you don’t have to worry about peeling and cutting the squash.

For protein, I used a spicy Italian chicken sausage, which I thought paired well with the veggies. But you could always use beef, pork, or a different flavor chicken if you’d prefer! And for the vegetarian version, might I recommend chickpeas!

I accidentally bought turmeric pearl couscous, which is why it looks yellow, but it ended up adding a nice flavor! So, if you want to, you can add 1/2 tsp turmeric into the salad for a similar flavor! Otherwise, you can skip and use regular pearl couscous.

Last note: this recipe can be eaten warm or chilled! When I first made the recipe, we ate it as a warm salad. We then refrigerated it and had the leftovers cold!

RECIPE!

Autumn Sheet-Pan Pearl Couscous with Spicy Chicken Sausage & Goat Cheese

Ingredients (serves 3-4)