Homemade Breakfast Sausage
by Chungah
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Nothing beats homemade! These sausage patties are so so easy to make and they’re also freezer-friendly. Win-win!
Featured Comment
Not sure if it’s the New Year, or if it’s the quarantine-lockdown-stay-at-home-order, but I’ve been making a lot of things from scratch late. We’re talking pizza dough, rosemary bread, sourdough biscuits, pasta and hamburger buns. Now I can add sausage patties to the growing list! And believe me when I tell you that it is so hard to beat homemade.
why i love this recipe
- Short ingredient list. We have a very short ingredient list here. And if you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, dried herbs (pantry staples) can easily be substituted instead.
- So much better than store-bought. With complete control over the ingredients (and fully customizing to suit your personal preference), homemade breakfast sausage is far superior than store-bought, tasting so much better (and fresher!).
- Freezer-friendly. These sausage patties freeze oh-so-beautifully (before or after cooking) up to 1 month, giving you 100% breakfast insurance down the road.
- Versatile and flexible. This can easily be made mild, spicy or sweet, or added to breakfast casseroles, omelettes or breakfast sandwiches. You can also swap out the ground pork for ground turkey or ground chicken as a leaner option.
how to make the easiest homemade breakfast sausage
- Combine all the herbs for the spice mixture
- Mix together the rest of the ingredients – ground pork, bacon, maple syrup and spice mixture – working carefully not to overwork the mixture
- Shape the patties and freeze, if needed, for later use
- Cook in a hot cast iron skillet, about 2-3 minutes per side
- Serve with eggs, in a breakfast casserole or in a biscuit sandwich – there’s no wrong way to serve sausage patties
tips and tricks for success
- Mix gently. Avoid overworking the pork mixture as it can lead to tough, crumbly sausage patties.
- Add bacon. The fat from the bacon is key here, adding smoky + salty flavors, and will ensure that the sausage patties are juicy and moist throughout the cooking process.
- Make it leaner. Use ground turkey or ground chicken as a leaner option.
- Mix it up. Use a different spice blend, swapping out the fennel for rosemary or oregano, or substituting brown sugar for maple syrup.
Freezing and Storing Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Storage
Leftover sausage patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the microwave (30-35 seconds, covered with a paper towel), stovetop (over medium high heat, turning often, until heated through) or oven (350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes).
Freeze before cooking
Place the uncooked sausage patties between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper to prevent sticking, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the patties to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as directed, adding 1-2 minutes additional cook time as needed. Do not thaw.
Freeze after cooking
Let the sausage patties cool completely. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the patties to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month. To reheat, cook over medium high heat, turning often, until browned and cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Do not thaw.
what to serve with homemade breakfast sausage
tools for this recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Homemade Breakfast Sausage: frequently asked questions
The fat from the bacon will help prevent the sausage patties from falling apart and drying out, adding smoky, salty goodness and keeping the sausage juicy, moist and so flavorful.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Yes! Breakfast sausage freezes very well, and can keep up to 1 month in the freezer.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground pork
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, optional
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the spice mixture
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pork, bacon, maple syrup and spice mixture; be careful not to overmix.
- To shape the patties, scoop out 1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) of pork mixture and flatten to create 2 1/2- to 3-inch wide patties, forming about 16 patties.*
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add sausage patties and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.
For the spice mixture
- In a small bowl, combine sage, thyme, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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This looks fantastic! Is the diced bacon cooked or uncooked when mixed with the sausage?
Can I substitute ground sausage for ground pork?
You’re making sausage patties. Why would you use ground sausage?
I don’t really understand your logic used for this question. If the recipe is for homemade breakfast sausage, why would you want to use sausage to make it? That would pretty much make her recipe useless if you were to use sausage to make sausage. Ground pork is just plain pork ground by itself with no salt spices or seasonings added. When you add your spices and herbs, as per the recipe, this is what transforms the pork into sausage. If your starting with sausage, I’d say just cook that and eat it, lol. Then when that’s all gone, go to the market and buy you some real ground pork, or grind your own, and then follow this recipe to make you some DELICIOUS breakfast sausage.
God question. I was wondering that too.
Recipe indicates uncooked bacon.