This 5-ingredient Flag Day feast is all about keeping things simple and satisfying before the summer sun goes down. Think plump, cylindrical sausages roasted until their skins blister and char, then bathed in a quick, savory glaze that turns into glossy, umami-rich juices in the pan. It’s the kind of no-fuss, all-flavor dinner I lean on when the kids are running in and out of the backyard and I don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen. No fancy techniques, no long list of ingredients—just a few pantry staples and a hot oven doing all the work.
Serve these charred sausages right in the baking dish so everyone can spoon those rich juices over their portions. They’re wonderful piled into soft rolls with a scoop of coleslaw, or sliced over buttered rice or mashed potatoes to soak up every drop of sauce. For a lighter plate, pair with a simple green salad, sliced garden tomatoes, or grilled corn on the cob. A cold lemonade or iced tea on the side makes it feel like a proper Flag Day celebration, even on a busy weeknight.
5-Ingredient Flag Day Feast Sausage BakeServings: 4
Ingredients
8 medium pork sausages (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a dark ceramic baking dish (about 9x13 inches) on the middle rack while the oven heats so the pan gets nice and hot.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey or maple syrup, and ketchup until smooth. This will be your glossy, umami-rich glaze.
Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven and drizzle the vegetable or canola oil into the bottom, tilting the pan so it lightly coats the surface.
Lay the sausages (the cylindrical stars of this dish) in a single layer in the hot, oiled baking dish, leaving a little space between each one so they can brown well.
Return the dish to the oven and bake the sausages for 10 minutes, until they begin to firm up and lightly brown on the bottom.
Remove the pan from the oven and pour the soy-honey-ketchup mixture evenly over the sausages, turning them gently with tongs to coat all sides in the glaze.
Place the pan back in the oven and continue baking for 15–20 minutes, turning the sausages once halfway through, until they are deeply browned, charred in spots, and cooked through. The glaze will bubble, thicken, and form rich, glossy juices around the sausages.
Check that the sausages are done: they should be no longer pink in the center and reach an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) for pork. If they need more color, you can switch the oven to broil for 2–3 minutes, watching carefully so they char lightly without burning.
Let the sausages rest in the pan for 5 minutes so the juices settle, then serve them straight from the baking dish, spooning the umami-rich sauce over the top.
Variations & Tips
For picky eaters, you can swap pork sausages for mild chicken or turkey sausages and use a sweeter glaze by adding an extra tablespoon of honey or maple syrup. If your family doesn’t love soy sauce, try half soy sauce and half chicken broth to keep the flavor gentle. For a little heat, stir 1–2 teaspoons of sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes into the glaze. You can also cut the sausages into chunks before baking for easier serving to little ones; just reduce the cooking time slightly and check for doneness earlier. If you’d like some veggies in the same pan, tuck thick-sliced onions or bell peppers around the sausages before adding the glaze—just know this technically adds more ingredients beyond the core five. Food safety tips: Always keep raw sausages refrigerated until you’re ready to cook, and wash your hands, cutting boards, and utensils thoroughly after handling them. Use a meat thermometer to ensure sausages reach 160°F (71°C) for pork or 165°F (74°C) for poultry. Don’t leave cooked sausages out at room temperature for more than 2 hours; refrigerate leftovers promptly in a shallow container and reheat until steaming hot before serving.
