Italian Sausage Recipe
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This homemade Italian sausage recipe not only enables you to maintain full control over the quality of your sausage, it also tastes WAY better than store-bought! It’s super easy to make and you can double our triple the recipe and freeze it so you always have sausage on hand!
Ground sausage is something a vast variety of recipes call for; everything from soups and stews to pizza, calzones, meatballs, pastas, finger foods, hors d’oeuvres….it’s a staple ingredient and one you can make yourself so easily. Not only that, this homemade Italian sausage recipe tastes at least a hundred times better than any store-bought stuff! Additionally, since you have full control over what goes in it – and what doesn’t – you can trust this sausage will be the highest quality.
Why Make Your Own Ground Sausage?
You have FULL control over what is in it. And what is not. If you’re grinding your own meat you also have direct control over the quality of the meat itself as well as the ratio of muscle meat to fat. And then of course there are the seasonings: Most store-bought sausage contains things like corn syrup, MSG and that ever cryptic ingredient “flavorings” which could mean practically anything.
Making your own sausage is an empowering way of maintaining control over what you consume. And it tastes a whole lot better, too!
Pre-Ground Pork vs. Grinding It Yourself
You can use either. The easiest option is to buy quality ground pork and simply add the seasonings. If you prefer to have full control over the quality of meat and the muscle-to-fat ratio you can grind your own.
I use and recommend the STX International Turbo Force Electric Meat Grinder. It comes with a 3-year warranty, great reviews, and is all around the best value for the money. If you’re making occasional small amounts the KitchenAid Meat Grinder Attachment is another option.
Can I Substitute Other Ground Meats?
Absolutely! You can use chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, or game. This homemade sausage recipe is terrific with any of them.
Can I Freeze Italian Sausage?
Of course! For convenience you can double or triple the quantity and then freeze it in 1/4 pound, 1/2 pound or whatever amount packages so you can simply grab what you need when you need it. No need to make a trip to the store.
Ways to Use Italian Sausage
The sky’s the limit in terms the number of ways you can use your homemade Italian sausage. Here are just a few ideas:
- Sausage Patties and Sausage Links (use hog casings for large sausage and sheep casings for small sausages)
- Meatballs
- Pizza, Calzones, Stromboli and Quesadillas
- Sausage Gravy
- Lasagna (here and here)
- Spaghetti Sauce and Bolognese
- Quiche
- Stuffed Peppers, Stuffed Zucchini or other squash
- Homemade Sausage McMuffins
- Chili (try my Instant Pot Chili)
- Sausage Cornbread
- Soups & Stews (try my Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup, Black Eyed Pea Soup, Tortellini Minestrone Soup and Italian Wedding Soup)
- Breakfast Casseroles, Frittatas, and Breakfast Burritos
- Sausage Rolls
- Sausage & Egg Grits
- Cabbage Rolls
Italian Sausage Recipe
Let’s get started!
If you’re doing it yourself, grind the meat. Otherwise use ground pork or meat of choice from the store/butcher.
Place the ground meat in a bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Use your hands or a stand mixer paddle attachment to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Wrap and chill for at least 6 hours before using, preferably overnight for best flavor.
The sausage will keep in the fridge for 3 days or can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months.
Use in any recipe that calls for ground sausage.
Enjoy!
For more homemade charcuterie recipes try my:
- Homemade Bacon
- Porchetta
- Gravlax
- Canadian Bacon
- Breakfast Sausage
- Mexican Chorizo
- British Bangers
- Smoked Cheddar Sausages
- Pork Rillettes
- Smoked Ham
- German Bratwurst
- Capicola
- Smoked Ham Hocks
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Italian Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound freshly ground well-marbled pork butt*
- OR pre-packaged ground pork*
- *can substitute ground chicken, turkey or meat of choice
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon red wine
- 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt (start with less and fry a little of the sausage mixture and taste to decide if you want to add more)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black peppercorns (toast in a dry skillet for a minute or two until fragrant for maximum flavor)
- 1 teaspoon coarsely cracked fennel seeds (toast in a dry skillet for a minute or two until fragrant for maximum flavor)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit if you want a mild sausage)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried ground sage
Instructions
- Place the ground meat in a bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Use your hands or a stand mixer paddle attachment to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Wrap and chill for at least 6 hours before using, preferably overnight for best flavor.The sausage will keep in the fridge for 3 days or can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Makes 1 pound of ground sausage.
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Made this recipe let it sit overnight and fried it up and I wasn’t impressed. All I could taste is the wine. Will look for another recipe.
In a whole pound of meat seasoned with a ton of spices “ALL” you could taste was a single tablespoon of wine?? LOL, sounds like the Princess and the Pea, Scott. Either that or you’re using some seriously “off” wine.
Just made this recipe for the first time and it was extremely easy! I eyeballed the ingredients and am now going to wait at least 6 hours. I’ll use it in a zuppa toscana recipe. The meat smells amazing so it’s hard to wait, but I know that patience is a virtue.
Fantastic, Fukuryu, thanks for the feedback and enjoy that zuppa toscana!
Very good recipe, but VERY salty. Next time I will only do half the amount. I did not realize it said to let it rest 6 hours so I didn’t do that but it was still very good.
Love this recipe, excellent authentic taste. Hint for those who think it is too salty, for anything like this (stuffing, sausage meat etc.) take a teaspoonful and fry a mini pattie to check seasoning, before adjusting if necessary. Also remember that salt will leach out into your sauce if you are simmering this in e.g. a tomato sauce for your pasta.
I have made sausage for most of my 68 years and I always like to try something new. I tried this recipe and found it to use more spices than is desirable. I understand that taste is in the mouth that eats it; however, I would reduce the seasoning to 1/2 or even 1/3 of the amount suggested. The garlic overpowers some of the lesser spices such as sage, etc.
I USED THIS IN A CHICKEN DISH WHERE YOU STUFF CHICKEN WITH TALIAN SAUSAGE AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA AND THEN WRAP IN PROSCIUTTO AND MAKE A PORCHINI MUSHROOM SAUCE, I HAD THE DISH AT A RESTAURANT SO HAD NO RECIPE SO JUST WINGED IT AND IT WAS AMAZING
I didn’t have enough pork to make a pound so I added 2 strips of bacon and a hot dog. Otherwise, I pretty much stuck to the recipe, except not as much salt. We are going to have some of it on pizza tonight.
I used very lean turkey and didn’t want to add animal fat and didn’t want dry meat. I added 1/2c oatmeal soaked with 1/2c of broth/water, 1 T corn starch and 2 pinches of baking soda, and 1-2 T of grape seed oil/olive oil.