One-pan meals, pasta, stir-fries, and grill-ready favorites: These sausage-packed easy weeknight dinners don't skimp on flavor.

10 Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas (for When You’re Too Tired to Cook)

January 06, 2026
A skillet loaded with Melty Cheddar Chicken Sausage, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and onions sitting on a table with a package of The Sausage Project.

Weeknights are chaotic. It's just one of those death-and-taxes truths. That's why nothing brings balance to all the day-to-day juggling like a delicious mid-week dinner. But who has time to put together something balanced, layered, and tasty in the middle of the week? You do, actually!

Our fully cooked chicken links are the kitchen shortcut you need for a weeknight dinner full of flavor and zero compromise. Just open a package and you're already on your way to a a quick, easy meal thanks to these weeknight recipes. Bonus? Many of them are super adaptable, so you’ll be able to wing them with whatever you have in the fridge. That’s right: No grocery runs necessary.

A cast-iron pizza topped with Italian Herb Chicken Sausage and peppers.

Cast-Iron Pizza with Chicken Sausage and Peppers

"Thirty minutes or less" is often shorthand for "you're about to eat a mediocre delivery pizza." Not anymore, friend. If you have a cast iron pan and a pre-made dough ball, you're halfway to a weeknight pizza party. Top it with whatever you want—with a recipe this easy, you can afford to experiment.

Get the recipe here.

Hands transferring a delicious blend of potatoes, onions, peppers and Italian Herb Chicken Sausage from a bowl into a sheet pan.

Sheet Pan Veggies with Italian Herb Sausage

Unlock the power of the humble baking sheet. This easy sheet-pan dinner allows the subtly complex flavors of our Italian Herb Chicken Sausages—including roasted imported Calabrian peppers—to meld with fresh roasted veggies. Just coat your ingredients in olive oil, throw on some salt and pepper, then let the oven do the work.

Get the recipe here.

A wok pan on the stove cooking up a deliciously colorful chicken sausage stir fry with peppers, pea pods, and more.

Chicken Teriyaki Sausage Stir-Fry

Stir-fry is the pinch hitter of any mid-week dinner plan… especially if your “plan” is to realize you need to work with what you already have in the fridge. Our Classic Roasted Chicken Sausage plays beautifully with crunchy veggies, sweet teriyaki sauce, and toasty sesame in a dish that comes together in less time than it takes to cook a pot of rice.  

Get the recipe here.

A platter of fajita filling made with Classic Roasted Chicken Sausage.

Chicken Sausage Fajitas with Chipotle Aioli

Bring a little sizzle to your weekday with this deceptively simple, vibrant fajitas recipe. This one's perfect for a family-style Tex-Mex feast that will satisfy mature palates and picky eaters alike, and the optional chipotle aioli is a tasty way to heat up cold nights.

Get the recipe here.

A creamy bowl of spicy pink pasta loaded with chunks of The Sausage Project's Italian Herb Chicken Sausage.

Chef Kirk Gilbert’s spicy pink pasta made with Calabrian chili flakes and The Sausage Project Italian Herb Sausage.

Spicy Pink Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Pink pasta went from having a moment to having a permanent place at the table. This version skips the vodka and boosts the flavor thanks to the addition of real Calabrian peppers in our Italian Herb Chicken Sausage. But don’t worry: the cream and tomato bring a beautiful balance that makes this ideal for gentler palates too.

Get the recipe here.

Chicken Sausage Fried Rice 

Fried rice is perfect with fresh ingredients and leftovers alike, making it the ideal way to create a hugely satisfying meal seemingly out of thin air. With rice and juicy Classic Roasted Chicken Sausage as the foundation, all you need to do is layer in extra salt, fat, and flavor. Toss in whatever veggies (frozen or fresh) you have on hand, then tie it together with our simple sauce for a guaranteed winner.

Get the recipe here.

Sausage and Peppers Sandwich with Spicy Mustard

Few sandwiches deliver as much satisfaction as the Italian-style sausage classic—and the desire for one can hit any time. Whether you’re tailgating, grilling, or just really overcome with a late-night craving (no judgement), this super easy recipe brings the sweet heat the moment you snap into our Italian Herb Chicken Sausage.

Get the recipe here.

Sausage mac & cheese being scooped out of a dish.

Melty Cheddar Sausage Mac

A good homemade mac & cheese recipe is a secret weapon for any home chef. But a great one? That’s a thing of beauty, and getting there might just be as easy as incorporating our Melty Cheddar Chicken Sausage into the mix. Slicing the sausages into coins is sure to boost any recipe, but the one we came up with might just be your next masterpiece.

Get the recipe here.

A skillet loaded with Melty Cheddar Chicken Sausage, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and onions sitting on a table with a package of The Sausage Project.

Melty Cheddar Chicken Sausage & Potato Skillet

Everybody loves a great meat-and-potatoes dish, and this healthy take brings some serious flavor without getting complicated. Crispy potatoes. Snappy Melty Cheddar Chicken Sausage links. Juicy tomatoes. Sweet peppers. That's it. And it's perfect.  

Get the recipe here.

Spicy Kale and White Bean Soup surrounded by cheese and herbs.

Spicy Sausage, Kale & White Bean Soup

A hot, hearty bowl of soup is a thing of beauty. One that comes together in less than 30 minutes? That's a unicorn. This one-pot wonder is a weeknight workhorse that packs a serious protein punch, thanks to the dream team that is white beans and our Classic Roasted Chicken Sausage. It's a nutrient-packed soup that delivers big flavor without the fat—and might just have you going back for seconds. Or thirds.

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