Our Family Dinner Recipe Contest Winner Is a 30-Minute Sensation

After over 20 years of publishing quality recipes, Simply Recipes editors decided it was high time to feature a recipe by you, our readers. We all share a love and need for quick weeknight dinners that satisfy, so we put out the call for your tried-and-true, go-to recipes. We were delighted to get hundreds of submissions, and it was incredibly hard to choose one winner.

After testing and testing again, I present to you the 2024 winner of the Simply Recipes Family Dinner Recipe Contest: this totally delicious kielbasa, potato, and broccoli skillet dinner recipe submitted by Jessica Greathouse of South Charleston, West Virginia.

Jessica shared that this 30-minute, one-pan recipe comes courtesy of her mother. “My mom called this one-pan dish ‘scraping the sides of the refrigerator’ for our large brood. She would throw in whatever she had left at the end of a long week.” As one of five kids, Jessica's mother had a lot of mouths to feed. Her cooking helped shape Jessica into the home cook she is today.

"You can always find me in the kitchen whipping up a new recipe from a food blog or cookbook or a tried-and-true family favorite. I love to cook for people, and it is truly my catharsis," said Jessica. The crew here at Simply Recipes can certainly relate.

A Weeknight Winner

All of the Simply Recipes editors gushed over this recipe. Myo Quinn, associate editorial director, proclaimed that her family (including the kids) loved this recipe. “They asked for it again the next night.”

After testing it a couple of times, I can confirm it is more than the sum of its parts. It calls for just four ingredients plus oil and salt and black pepper, making for a very easy shopping trip. The browned onions add so much flavor, with everything cooking perfectly in a single skillet. Minimal prep, minimal clean-up, minimal stress. It’s a real winner.

Tips for Making This Skillet Dinner

• You’ll need a skillet that is at least 10 inches wide. Cast iron works best since it’s naturally nonstick and deep. If you have a bigger skillet (11 or 12 inches), use it.
• Use any kielbasa-type sausage you like. I tested with regular kielbasa as well as turkey kielbasa and it was great both times.
• Don’t stir too much. The dish gets much of its flavor and texture from contact with the skillet for minutes at a time.
• Jessica likes to serve with Parmesan cheese for sprinkling. It’s not necessary, but it is delicious. I recommend also having hot sauce on hand.

Prepare the vegetables:

Cut the potatoes into quarters and then slice 1/4-inch thick. Peel and halve the onion, then slice it into half moons. Transfer both to a plate or bowl and set aside. Cut the kielbasa into 1/4-inch slices. Trim off the dry end of the broccoli stem, then slice the broccoli into small florets.

Cook the potatoes and onion:

Heat the butter and oil in a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced potatoes and onions, turning every 4 minutes or so until the potatoes are nearly fork tender and some have crispy bits, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the sausage and broccoli:

Add the sliced kielbasa and broccoli to the skillet along with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine, then cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender and the kielbasa is browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Toss occasionally as it cooks, every 4 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.

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