Oven-Baked Brats with potatoes, onions, cabbage, and a mustard maple glaze is a simple sheet pan meal that is perfect for a quick dinner filled with incredible flavor!
This flavorful sheet pan meal features traditional flavors of Oktoberfest--brats, cabbage, potatoes, and mustard. It is an easy, all-in-one family meal that is great to enjoy year-round!
There was the adorable little village, Helen, in the foothill mountains in Georgia that my family visited several times a year. As a family, we loved the hiking trails, but we also very much enjoyed stopping off to enjoy the classic German food.
There was this little restaurant that served glazed bratwurst with braised cabbage, and that delicious dish is what inspired this sheet pan meal.
Bratwurst, baby potatoes, onions, and cabbage are roasted together with a maple mustard vinaigrette. The cabbage and potatoes are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Everything is a bit caramelized from the maple in the dressing. This dish is sweet and savory and absolutely delicious.
This simple recipe is the perfect way to bring German flavors weeknight cuisine.
Notes on Ingredients
- Bratwursts: Use Turkey, Chicken, or Pork Brats. I highly recommend purchasing raw brats so that you can first infuse them with flavor by par-boiling in beer.
- Beer: If you opt to par-boil your brats before roasting, I recommend selecting a German lager, such as Sam Adams Oktoberfest for the most flavor. If you are opposed to using beer, you can par-boil in apple cider or chicken stock which also imparts delicious flavor.
- Cabbage: Purple or green cabbage both work equally well in this recipe.
- Potatoes: Use any potatoes you like--red potatoes, baby potatoes, russet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes. If not using a baby variety, be sure to dice your potatoes into 2-inch chunks.
How to Bake Brats in Oven
Boil Bratwurst (Optional Step)
It is completely optional, yet encouraged, to par-boil the brats in beef before roasting. I first boiled my Bratwurst in beer to give the sausage more flavor. You can skip this step if you want, but it is a great trick to infuse the bratwurst with a delicious hoppy flavor.
Prepare Mustard Glaze
This glaze is made by simply whisking together maple syrup, mustard, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper together. It is a simple combination that really makes this dish sing with flavor.
Toss Together
To a large, rimmed sheet pan, add the potatoes, brats, cabbage, and onions. Drizzle the glaze over everything and toss to evenly coat. Spread out evenly on the sheet pan for even roasting.
Roast
Pop the pan into the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender and the cabbage is slightly soft.
Recipe Notes
- This is the perfect one-pan meal for Octoberfest.
- If you want this dish to remain Gluten-Free, do NOT boil your bratwurst in beer prior to roasting and be sure your brats are labeled gluten-free.
- If you don't have new potatoes, use red potatoes or even russet potatoes, cut into fourths.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is best to reheat in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes to keep everything nice and crispy when serving leftovers.
More Quick Family Meals
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Homemade Beef Stroganoff
- Potato Soup
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- One-Pot Macaroni and Cheese,
- Skillet Pork Tenderloin with Cabbage
- Creamy Cajun Pasta.
Baked Brats with Potatoes and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 6 links Bratwurst Sausages
- 1 can beer optional
- 2 pounds baby new potatoes
- 1 head of cabbage cored and cut into 8 wedges
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Pierce brats with a fork several times. Place in pan and cover with beer. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove brats from pan and pat.
- Mix together the maple, mustard, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper together.
- Place potatoes, cabbage, onions, and brats on a sheet pan. Drizzle with mustard dressing and toss to coat. Spread out in even layer.
- Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until cabbage is browned and potatoes are cooked through.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- If you want this dish to remain Gluten-Free, do NOT boil your bratwurst in beer prior to roasting.
- If you opt to par-boil your brats before roasting, I recommend selecting a German lager, such as Sam Adams Oktoberfest for the most flavor. If you are opposed to using beer, you can par-boil in apple cider or chicken stock which also imparts delicious flavor.
- You can use any type of Bratwurst you like--Turkey, Chicken, Beef, or Pork.
- If you don't have new potatoes, use red potatoes or even russet potatoes, cut into fourths.
Nutrition
Dawn
This recipe was a mixed bag for me.
Cons first: I used half the recommended potatoes and cabbage and still could barely fit everything on my full-sized baking sheet.
If I make this again I'll toss everything with the glaze in a big bowl instead of directly on the pan, because when I followed the instructions as written a lot of that glaze ended up just baking onto the pan instead of coating the food, even after I mixed it all together by hand because the pan was too full to risk tossing. Using a bowl means washing an extra dish, but you would get a lot more glaze on your veggies rather than the pan.
Either way, it is absolutely necessary to line the pan with foil or parchment. I try to avoid that when I can since it creates so much waste if you do it regularly, but after a full day of soaking/scrubbing/soaking some more there's still carbonized maple-mustard char stubbornly stuck on my baking sheet.
I'm also not sure whether the parboiling step was worthwhile. It definitely imparted some extra flavor to the sausages and made me feel confident they were fully cooked by the time the veggies were done. But on the other hand, it made the whole house smell strongly of beer, added prep time, cost around twice as much as broth or cider would have, and left me with an extra dish to wash vs just letting the brats cook in the oven and checking them with a thermometer before serving.
With all that said, the flavors all worked well together, especially where everything caramelized together, and I enjoyed the meal. The procedure just needs a bit of optimization.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing your feedback Dawn! I love tossing on the sheet pan, but I can see it takes some patience and a bowl may have been better.
ChadK
Absolutely delicious! We happened to get brats, potatoes and cabbage from our CSA this week. This recipe worked perfectly.
Kristen Chidsey
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed!
Annis
I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds like something we'd like so I am looking forward to making it. Since there now are gluten free beers, I plan to do Step One. Our favorite GF beer is Redbridge.
Kristen Chidsey
That is a great point to use gluten free beer Annis! Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
tommycord
I haven't the recipe yet, but it sounds good and I will give it a try. But first you must explain step 4 to me -- How does one "toss" a sheet pan?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tommy! It means to toss together the potatoes, cabbage, sausage, and brats with mustard dressing and then spread out on sheet pan. I hope you enjoy!
Virginia Brown
Sounds SO yummy! Now to find some turkey or beef brats! ;o)
Kristen Chidsey
I have found turkey and chicken brats at ALDI and my local Harris Teeter/Kroger store. 🙂
Desiree
We made this tonight with delicata squash, sweet potato, red cabbage, chickpeas, and sausage made with red wine and cheese. It was phenomenal. Many thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh my goodness Desiree--I have to try that sausage!!! So glad you enjoyed it <3
Denise Wright
This looks great! I love that you can make in one pan.... always a plus to me. My hubby loves brats too ...then again who doesn't. 😉
Kristen Chidsey
One pan is always a winner!!
Liz
My husband would have been with yours---they would have found a bar somewhere to eat brats and watch football! I'm loving this delicious dish---a wonderful way to eat brats when it's too cold to grill!
Kristen Chidsey
LOL! Yes, they would have enjoyed a beer, a brat and football for sure!
Caroline
What a fun idea - I like the sound of your mustardy dressing as well. Yum!
Kristen Chidsey
The dressing adds so much flavor Caroline!