Dump raw Italian pork sausages in the glass baking dish and 4 other simple staples to get a meal so incredible your holiday weekend guests will be beg

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a 9×13-inch glass baking dish on the counter so it’s ready to go; no need to grease it heavily since the sausages will release some fat.

Thinly slice the onion from root to tip into half-moons. Scatter the sliced onion evenly over the bottom of the glass baking dish; this creates a flavorful bed that will soften and sweeten as it cooks in the sauce.

Arrange the raw Italian pork sausages in a single layer on top of the onions. It’s fine if they touch or fit snugly; they’ll shrink slightly as they bake.

In a medium bowl or measuring jug, stir together the marinara sauce, olive oil, and dried Italian seasoning until the oil is incorporated into the sauce. Taste the sauce and add a small pinch of salt and pepper if it seems bland, keeping in mind the sausages themselves are seasoned.

Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the sausages and onions in the glass baking dish, making sure every sausage has at least a light coating of sauce. Use the back of a spoon to nudge the sauce into the corners and around the sausages so nothing dries out.

Cover the glass baking dish tightly with foil. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake, covered, for 25 minutes. This covered time helps the sausages cook through gently while the onions begin to soften in the steamy environment.

After 25 minutes, carefully remove the foil (watch out for hot steam). Use tongs to gently turn each sausage over so they’re coated in sauce on all sides. Spoon a bit of sauce over any exposed onion.

Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 20–25 minutes, or until the sausages are browned on top, the sauce is bubbling, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a sausage registers at least 160°F (71°C). If you like a deeper color, you can move the dish to the upper third of the oven for the last 5 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the sausages rest in the hot sauce for 5–10 minutes before serving. This short rest helps the juices redistribute and keeps the sausages moist when you slice into them.

Serve the sausages whole or thickly sliced, spooning plenty of the onion-studded red sauce from the glass baking dish over each portion.

Variations & Tips