Breakfast for dinner with Jimmy Dean sausage, sharp apples, and caramelized onion makes a supper that feels like a treat on a tired weeknight. The sausage renders fat that becomes your cooking medium, so nothing else is needed. Serve it with bread and greens.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 25 at the stove.

About 470 calories a serving, 17 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 33 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Slice 1 medium onion into thin rings. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring often, until deeply golden and soft, about 12 minutes; set the onion aside in a bowl.12 min
2. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, lay all 8 sausage patties flat and cook until the underside is browned and crisp, about 3 minutes, then flip and cook 3 more minutes until cooked through. Move them to a plate.6 min
3. Quarter 2 medium apples, remove the cores, and add the apple pieces to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and tender, about 8 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan; the cue is when the apples are soft and the pan is dry.8 min
4. Return the sausage patties and onion to the skillet, toss gently to combine, and warm through for 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve from the skillet or on a plate with any pan juices spooned over.1 min

Note Swap the apples for sliced pears in fall, or omit them entirely for a faster meal. Leftovers keep three days refrigerated and reheat well in a skillet over medium heat. Serve with thick bread and a green salad, or toss the whole dish with hot pasta.