Turn any type of ground meat into a delicious Italian Sausage with my perfect blend of spices and seasonings.
Use Italian sausage in spaghetti sauce, lasagna, or any dish to spice things up!
A few weeks ago my husband and I butchered our first elk together. We turned a bunch of the ground elk meat into hamburger, breakfast sausage and also Italian sausage. I spent days working out the best combination of seasonings and spices for that bold flavor and classic sausage taste.
Easy Italian Sausage Seasoning
I finally nailed down the perfect recipe, so I needed to document it here so I can use it in the future over and over again.
Ingredients Needed
While I tested the recipe multiple times using ground elk, I also tested it with other types of ground meat like ground pork, chicken, turkey and even beef. They all worked surprisingly well, so feel free to swap out the meat with what you have on hand.
- Kosher Salt – used to bring out the flavor of the meat
- Parsley – use dried parsley
- Paprika – sweet paprika adds color and flavor to the sausage
- Fennel Seeds – to get the most iconic flavor out of the sausage you NEED to crush the seeds. I use my pestle and mortar, but crushing them with a rolling pin would work too.
- Crushed Rosemary – I also crush this in my pestle and mortar to break them down because I don’t like whole rosemary in the finished sausage.
- Ground Thyme – I use ground thyme for the same reason as crushing the rosemary and fennel, to bring out flavor without the extra bits of herbs to get stuck in your teeth.
- Garlic Powder – for obvious reasons
- Pepper – both black and red pepper for added spice levels
- MSG – this is an optional ingredient that helps give the sausage a nice umami flavor. You do not need to use it, but it does help with flavor in the more gamey meat like elk and deer.
- Water – for binding all the seasonings with the meat
- Ground Meat – you can use pork, beef, chicken, turkey, elk, deer, etc.
How To Make Italian Sausage with Ground Meat
Let me show you how easy it is to turn plain ground meat into spiced Italian sausage.
Start by combining all the seasonings with the ground meat – in this case, pork, along with a small amount of water.
Use clean hands (I like to wear disposable kitchen gloves) to really get in there and mix everything together.
You can also use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer to combine the seasonings and meat together.
How To Store Sausage
Once your Italian sausage is mixed together, you can use it right away in a recipe, or you can store it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freeze the raw sausage for 3 to 5 months.
Why Make Homemade Italian Sausage?
If you’ve ever wondered what’s actually in Italian Sausage, now you don’t have to wonder any more. Making sausage at home gives you the ability to control the spices and sodium levels to your dietary needs.
Looking for a HOT Italian Sausage recipe? Add more crushed red pepper and a dash or two of cayenne pepper to really spice things up.
What Gives sausage it’s signature flavor?
Fennel Seeds pack a sweet and almost liquorice flavor that gives sausage it’s iconic “sausage” taste.
PRO TIP: Make sure to crush the fennel seeds (use a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin) prior to adding them to the meat to bring out the most flavor!
How To Use Italian Sausage in a Recipe
I have so many recipes that use Italian sausage on my website, so it’s a total game changer to be able to make my own sausage any time I need without having to run to the store.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to use Italian Sausage
- Creamy Italian Sausage Soup with Kale – perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner filled with beans and veggies.
- Slow Cooker Baked Ziti – a true comfort dinner that’s easily prepared in the slow cooker!
- Creamy Tortellini Sausage Skillet – an easy one pan dish that comes together with just a handful of ingredients.
- One Pot Sausage Pasta with Broccoli – my family loves this simple dinner and I love how easy it is to make.
Can you believe it’s that easy to make your very own spiced Italian Sausage at home?
I can’t wait for you to give it a try!
Italian Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz ground meat, *pork, chicken, beef, turkey, elk, deer, see notes
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed to release flavors
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, **see notes
- ½ tsp Thyme, dried, crushed or ground
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp rosemary, crushed to release flavors
- ½ tsp MSG, optional
- ⅛ cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and use clean hands to mix everything together.
- Store raw meat in the fridge for up to 2 days, or use right away in recipe.
Notes
- Mild Italian sausage: Reduce the amount of red pepper to 1/2 tsp.
- HOT Italian sausage: Increase the red pepper to 1 1/2 tsp and add a couple dashes of cayenne pepper.
