Sheet Pan Bratwurst and Sweet Potatoes

Sheet pan bratwurst and potatoes is an easy dinner recipe where the meat, toppings, and side dish cook all on one pan. The brats brown and crisp while the sliced onion softens beautifully. Stone ground mustard and warm spices flavor the roasted sweet potatoes for a complementary and delicious side dish.

I have a knack for choosing bright and sunny weather days for grilling, only for that forecasted nice weather to devolve into last minute thunderstorms right before dinnertime.

That's where a good back-up plan comes in handy.

This sheet pan bratwurst dinner recipe takes the convenience to the next level and not only roasts the bratwurst in the oven, but cooks the whole meal on the same pan, too. I haven't exactly forgotten about my backyard grill, but cooking bratwurst in the oven has become my "Plan A" much of the time now, too.

Reasons to Love This Recipe

• There's no need for a grill. Roasting bratwurst in the oven produces the same browned, blistered exterior we love on grilled brats.
• It bears repeating: sheet pan bratwurst is so convenient! The bratwurst, potatoes, and onions all cook in the same amount of time.
• It's a really easy way to enjoy cozy Oktoberfest flavor. Stone ground mustard and a pinch of cinnamon round out the flavors nicely, with pretzel buns making an extra delicious touch for serving. See also Instant Pot sauerkraut for another festive side dish option.

Recipe Ingredients

• Bratwurst: This recipe timing assumes the use of raw bratwurst. If the ones you have are fully-cooked, add them partway through cooking as the sweet potatoes will require more time to roast.
• Sweet Potatoes: While russet potatoes would be fine, I love the flavor sweet potatoes bring to this dish.
• Onion: Thinly-sliced onions soften up wonderfully during the cook time and become a bratwurst topping similar to the texture of sautéed onions.
• Garlic: Four cloves, minced.
• Mustard: Stone ground mustard provides a zippy, bold mustard flavor that isn't too hot. Spicy brown mustard or a grainy Dijon are good substitutes if you need to replace it versus smooth yellow mustard.
• Olive Oil: This coats the potatoes and onion slices. Other varieties with relatively neutral flavors that are optimal for roasting at higher temperatures include canola and grapeseed oil.
• Seasoning: Salt and pepper are standard, but ground cinnamon adds a really tasty, warming note to sweet potatoes, especially when paired with stone ground mustard. It's a must in my spice blend for roasted sweet potatoes! Just a pinch is used so it doesn't take over the flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Chop sweet potatoes, slice onion, and combine in a bowl with oil, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
2. Arrange everything in an even layer on a large rimmed sheet pan (or two, if needed). Make spaces for the brats and place them evenly throughout.

3. Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes, then toss the potatoes and flip each bratwurst over. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are roasted to your liking. This should be plenty of time for the brats to become nice and roasted, but you can verify they're fully-cooked with an instant-read thermometer. The center of one should register 160°F.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Use a large pan (or two) - You'll want to use a rimmed sheet pan of at least 13-by-18 inch dimensions so you don't have to crowd the ingredients. If you don't have one quite that big, consider splitting the ingredients between two pans instead.
• Reduce dishes - To cut down on the number of dishes to wash you can toss the potatoes, onion, oil, spices, etc. directly on the sheet pan.
• Don't pierce the brats - There's no need to prick the bratwurst links with a fork, as this will cause fat and moisture to leak out. I have never had issues with them bursting.
• Bratwurst substitutions - Many brats are sold raw, but I have found fully-cooked ones before. If using those, add them partway through the sweet potato and onion roast time as they won't need quite as long to cook. If the variety of bratwurst you're using includes chicken/turkey/other poultry, cook until the internal temperature registers 165°F, not the 160°F required for pork/beef.
• Serving suggestions - Place these sheet pan bratwurst in pretzel buns (I find them in the deli section of the grocery store), and add the sliced onion and additional mustard as toppings. Serve alongside the sweet potatoes as a side dish.

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