Looking for a delicious and easy dinner recipe? Look no further than this hearty Sausage Tray Bake. Roasted in a sticky honey mustard sauce, it’s definitely one to add to your rotation dinners!
Sausage tray bakes are truly one of the easiest no-fuss dinners out there. One pan, minimal prep, minimal washing up AND it tastes beyond delicious! Follow me…
Honey Mustard Sausages
There aren’t many things in life that go more beautifully with pork than honey and mustard. Not only does the honey mustard sauce add a punch of flavour to the tray bake, it also makes the sausages go nice and sticky when they cook! Here’s what you’ll need for the sauce:
- Dijon Mustard – I recommend Dijon for it’s smooth texture and tangy sharp flavour.
- Honey – Make sure it’s runny honey otherwise it’ll clump together.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Balances out the sweetness of the honey and spice from the mustard. It also works nicely with the apples added to the tray bake.
- Garlic – Adds a punch of flavour.
- Olive Oil – Ensures the sauce doesn’t burn and prevents the traybake as a whole from drying out.
Can I make the sauce ahead of time?
Sure! Just tightly cover in the fridge until needed.
Process shots: add ingredients to mixing bowl and season with s&p (photo 1), whisk until evenly combined (photo 2).
The ULTIMATE Sausage Tray Bake
 Before we get into the who, what, when, why and how, let’s quickly see what you’ll need:Â
- Sausages – Invest in some good quality pork sausages, they are the star of the show after all!
- Baby Potatoes –Â Cheap and easy to prep, slice ’em in half and you’re done.
- Onion – Small white onions, quartered so they’re nice and chunky.
- Fennel –Â Love it or hate it, it goes beautifully with pork.
- Apple –Â I usually add 1 red 1 green, just for variety. But you can use any apple you fancy!
- Rosemary & Thyme –Â Always fresh, keep them whole and chuck ’em straight in!
- Honey Mustard Sauce – As discussed above.
For me, this is a marriage of ingredients that you simply can’t beat, and it’s all there to celebrate the main event – the sausages.
Pork and Fennel – Yep.
Pork and Rosemary/Thyme – Oh yes!
Pork and Apple – *drools*
Pork and Honey Mustard Sauce – NOW we’re talking!
…You get the point 🤣
Can I sub the Fennel?
Like I said, pork and fennel really is a match made in heaven. However, it definitely is an acquired taste. If you’ve never had fennel before, I usually describe the taste as quite similar to liquorice, with anise-like flavour. I personally LOVE it, but if you’re not keen or not sure you’d like it please leave it out. I’d sub a yellow pepper/capsicum instead.
What type of Sausages to use?
I usually go for a good quality Cumberland sausage, but you really can go for any variety you fancy. Make sure they’re nice and thick (no Chipolatas!) so they don’t dry out in the oven.
Process shots: add ingredients to large tray and pour over sauce (photo 1), toss to combine (photo 2), bake (photo 3), toss (photo 4), bake (photo 5), add apple and bake again (photo 6).
Serving a Sausage Tray Bake
The great thing about tray bakes is that they’re pretty much set to serve as soon as they’re out the oven! If you wanted, you could heighten any of the main flavours by adding a drizzle of honey, a dollop of dijon or even some Apple Sauce if you fancied!
Can I prep this in advance?
Sure! Prep up until the point of place in the oven, then tightly cover and pop in the fridge overnight/until needed. Add another 5-10mins on to cooking time if baking straight from the fridge.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this sausage tray bake shall we?!
How to make a Sausage Tray Bake (Full Recipe & Video)
Sticky Sausage Tray Bake in a Honey Mustard Sauce
Equipment
- Large Greaseproof Baking Tray
- Small Mixing Bowl & Whisk (for sauce)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Spatula/Turner
Ingredients
Honey Mustard Sauce
- 1/4 cup / 60g Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 cup / 60g Honey
- 2.5 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 cloves of Garlic, very finely diced
- 1/2 tsp Salt, plus more to taste when serving
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, plus more to taste when serving
Tray Bake
- 12 Pork Sausages
- 1.6lb / 750g Baby Potatoes, halved
- 4 small White Onions, quartered
- 2 Apples, sliced into thick wedges (see notes)
- 1 bulb of Fennel, sliced (see notes)
- few sprigs of fresh Rosemary and Thyme
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup dijon mustard and honey, 2.5 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 finely diced cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp black pepper. Place to one side.
- In a large sized baking tray, add all of your tray bake ingredients and combine with the sauce. Pop in the oven at 190C/375F for 15mins, or until the sausages start to brown. Take out the oven and give everything a toss to re-coat in the sauce, then pop back in the oven for another 20mins.
- Take out the oven, give everything another toss and slot in your apple wedges. Place back in the oven for another 15mins, or until the sausages are nicely browned, the sauce is sticky and the apple slices have softened slightly. Timings will differ slightly, but don't be tempted to turn up the temp as the honey will burn.
- Plate up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
Looking for more tray bake ideas? Check out my Spanish Chicken Tray Bake and Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters Tray Bake!
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Sausage Dinner Recipes
If you loved this Sausage Tray Bake recipe then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
A big fan of this recipe which has now got quite a following here in Zurich! I always credit you, Chris, obviously! Seriously lovely stuff you make!
Thanks so much for the review, Nicky! 🙂 C.
My boyfriend can’t do honey….can it be substituted with brown sugar?
Hey Miranda! I imagine it’d work in terms of flavour, but not sure you’ll get the runny texture you need to properly coat everything. You could certainly give it a go, I just can’t promise how it’ll turn out as I haven’t tested it. C.
Delicious. Wasn’t sure about fennel and apple but flavours are subtle and it really works. Husband gave this 12/10 wow
Great to hear! Thanks for the review, Tracey 🙂 C.
OH. MY. GOSH. Chris, this dish is divine. Thank you so much for sharing it. This becomes a family favorite now.
That’s awesome to hear! So glad it went down well 🙂
The honey mustard on this sausage dish really zips it up! YUM
So much yum!!
Honey and mustard sausages is one of my favourite comfort foods and we often make it in a tray bake. So yummy!
It’s the best isn’t it!?
I love everything about this, and I can’t wait to make it for dinner this week! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Jessica! Enjoy 🙂
Ahh I love fennel seeds! And I can only imagine how good it will taste with pork! Can’t wait to give this a go.
Pork and Fennel is THE best combo!
This looks so comforting and delicious! That honey mustard sauce would be wonderful on EVERYTHING!
Yup, I really do pour it over everything