This is a recipe for homemade Italian Sausage Meat – just the meat, not actual sausages in casings. Use it for US recipes calling for “bulk Italian sausage meat” or any recipe where sausage meat is needed, rather than squeezing meat out of sausage casings. Or make patties and meatballs and fry them up!
Homemade Italian Sausage Meat
I never thought I’d have a big bowl of raw mince as a headline photo, but here we are! 😂
I feel like there are more and more recipes these days that use sausage meat. I get why – it’s a terrific shortcut for adding loads of flavour because all the seasoning is already built in.
In the States, sausage meat is readily sold without casings in packets like beef mince, usually labelled “bulk Italian sausage”. Here in Australia – and most of the rest of the world I believe – it’s not something we commonly see, so we have to buy sausages and squeeze the meat out of the casings. Not hard, but it can be a bit tedious if you get sausages with thin casings that tear easily.
So sometimes it’s just easier and cheaper to make the sausage meat yourself. It’s dead easy – just pork mince, a handful of herbs and spices, mix – done! Ready to use in any recipe calling for sausages, or fry up sausage patties.
This is not a recipe for actual sausages!
To be clear, this recipe is just for the meat mixture inside sausage casings that is used in recipes where it is cooked like beef mince. It’s not a recipe for making actual sausages. For that, I’d be more particular about the cut of pork, fat percentage and texture of the mince to get the right juicy sausage consistency, not to mention the whole business of stuffing the meat into casings!
Ingredients in Homemade Italian Sausage Meat
Here’s what you need to make homemade Italian sausage meat. A little glug of wine (optional), fennel seeds and a pinch of red pepper flakes is what makes this Italian rather than just any generic pork sausage!
Pork mince (ground pork) – Sausages are fatty, that’s why they’re so tasty and juicy! So the higher the fat percentage, the tastier your sausage meat will be. 20 – 25% fat would be great, otherwise just standard pork mince (usually ~17% fat). Lean “heart smart” pork mince will also work fine, the meat just isn’t as juicy. 🙂
Other proteins – Turkey and chicken will work fine too, though bear in mind they are leaner and the meat is not as soft as pork. If you’re going to cook it as mince (rather than making meatballs, patties etc) and it’s in a soup or saucy (like a Sausage Ragu) then that should be fine.
Dry red wine – Anything that’s not too sweet or woody. Pinot noir, shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, whatever you’ve got lying around. For non alcoholic, just skip this.
Spices – The spice mix is a classic Italian sausage blend:
Paprika (sweet/regular, not spicy or smoked)
Onion and garlic powder – you can substitute the garlic with finely grated fresh garlic
Fennel seeds – key spice that gives Italian sausage its distinctive flavour – don’t skip it!
Red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) – can skip for non spicy
Dried basil, oregano and thyme – these are used in smaller quantities and brings a familiar Italian herb mix flavour to the sausages.
Black pepper – The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of black pepper, a good amount!
Salt – Sausages are well seasoned, which brings out the flavour of all the spices and the pork. So don’t be tempted to cut back on the salt!
How to make Homemade Italian Sausage Meat
Put everything in a bowl and mix well with your hands to combine. If time permits, refrigerate overnight to let the flavours meld, then use as called for in the recipe. To be honest, I usually skip the marinating because I’m making it for something I want to cook right now!
What to use homemade sausage meat for
So. Many. Possibilities!
Use in any recipe that calls for “bulk Italian Sausage meat” or “sausage meat removed from casings” where the meat is cooked like mince – like Creamy Tomato Orecchiette Sausage Pasta, Sausage Ragu (note: you need 700g/1.4lb of sausage meat for that one), Baked Breakfast Hash, Pork and Apple Stuffing (I am made for this!), Sausage and Egg Stuffed Potatoes. Also from DINNER, the popular Zuppa Toscana, a creamy sausage and potato soup (page 160).
Sausage patties – roll then flatten into patties and pan fry until golden, like an Italian flavoured version of these Pork Sausage Patties, or make Sausage and Egg McMuffins!
Roll into meatballs – Just switch the beef for this sausage meat in my favourite Italian Meatballs (also skip the salt else it will be too salty) or spray and bake and serve with ketchup for dipping.
Pizza – Crumble it on pizza. Think – Meat Lovers! Supreme! Make your own using this pizza dough and pizza sauce, and here’s a whole bunch of toppings to choose from.
Quiche, fritatta, mini frittatas or cheesy muffins – Fry it up in a little oil and use in any of these, to add little savoury pops of sausage meat! I’d keep the meat a little chunky ie when cooking it, don’t break it up finely. Or use it in place of bacon for Zucchini Slice!
I have to stop else this post will end up being a full-blown thesis on sausage meat. 😂
No video today, because….well. Dump everything in a bowl. Mix! 😊
Here’s to a future of never squeezing greasy sausage meat out of slimy sausage casings ever again!! – Nagi x
PS I lie. I will. Because as good as this homemade sausage meat is, the fact remains that sausages from a good butcher are juicier and fattier, and I like not knowing exactly how much fat is in there making them taste so good. 😂 But having this homemade recipe has proven very handy!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Homemade Italian Sausage Meat
Ingredients
- 500 g/ 1 lb pork mince (ground pork) – preferably 20 – 25% fat, otherwise just standard pork mince usually ~17% fat (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp dry red wine , anything not too woody or sweet, optional (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley , or 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp paprika . regular/sweet (or smoked, for smoky flavour)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (half for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (substituted 1 large garlic clove finely grated)
- 2 tsp fennel seeds , toasted and coarsely ground – sub 1 tsp fennel powder (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes / red pepper flakes , optional (for bit of warm spiciness and little red bits!)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
Instructions
- Mix everything together using your hands. If time permits, leave to marinate for 24 hours to let the flavours meld (I usually don't).
Uses and storage:
- Use per any recipe calling for "Italian sausage meat" or "bulk Italian sausage". Just cook it up like regular mince, or make patties or meatballs. See in post for many ideas!
- Keeps for however long the meat is good for, or freeze.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
The intensity with which he stares at the microwave……. because I warm his food in it, every morning and night! 😂
Though on this occasion, he was a little disappointed to see carrots emerge…until he realised they’re glazed and they’re French!
This recipe is very welcome, Nagi! I have both your sausage rolls and Zuppa Toscana (Dinner, p 160) on rotation quite often–some of each in my freezer right now. Finding good Italian sausage is hit or miss so I’ll try this next time I buy ground pork.
For anyone who hasn’t tried it, Zuppa Toscana is sinfully good, with both sausage meat and bacon!
Fantastic recipe! I cook for family members who are gluten and dairy sensitive and love scratch recipes where I know everything in the recipe. I will be making this in a big 10lb batch and freezing in one pound portions. Do you think my results would be better if mixed one pound at a time?
Perhaps adding some extra fat to the recipe would be good. Pork fat or lard. If one is able to they can grind the meat themselves. Here in the states I would use a pork shoulder or pork butt.
Wait, what, people squeeze mince out of individual sausages?! Rather than buying the 500g sausage mince (the one we use as the base meat for sausage rolls)? Well, I never knew that!
Hi Nagi,
I’ve tried doing this with ground beef and you are correct it needs fat! Mine has been very dry. I’ve thought about frying it in tallow to see if it makes a difference. I don’t eat pork any more and was excited to try it with beef . Any ideas to make this recipe successful with ground beef?
Could I make sausage rolls with this and rusk ?
Wait until Jaffle figures out how to push the pads on the microwave. When my dog saw his food coming out of there, he started randomly pushing the buttons with his nose & paws throughout the day thinking that something delectable would pop out for him.
your a bloody great cook and thanks for your ideas love them thankyou graham
Hi dear Nagi, i think the picture introducing this post is very artistic, something Andy Warrol style. I love it
If you don not mind may I write about italian spices? In every foreign post for Italian recipes, authors/bloggers put a lot of herbs picante, sweet, herbaceous and so on . I mean put together oregan, thimo, celery garlic, onion pepper, basil and so on watered with red wine. And anyway the terrible hot paprika which is not Italian!
Anyway if you put basil you can put a bit (an idea I’d say) of peperoncino which is more delicate than paprika. If you use timo you can put together celery and nothing else.
A lot of taste, parfums are not Italian cuisine: we privilege the best of meat and cereals in their taste. Cover the basic food with a crazy mix is – for any Italian- simply disgusting.
Take for example “nduya”, a picante cream of Calabria. Nduya has only peperoncino, salt and red wine and nothing else.
In the pasta sauce with fresh tomato we use basil with garlic and never with onions and sometim an idea of peperoncino. If the tomato sauce is based on onion , we use nothing else than oil and, in the table, parmesan.
Italian taste privilege the basic taste of food, a bit enhanced by some herb.
Anna Maria, I loved reading this. Thank you for taking the time to write it!
love it
Nagi,
Thank you for this recipe. I have searched for a few months for a good recipe for Italian sausage. Tried a couple but the ratios were never quite right. I’m so happy you gave us your recipe. I’ll be making it soon and I know it will be delicious. I really enjoy your recipes and very much appreciate you sharing. You are awesome and love hearing about Jaffle.
Sue T
Could I use lamb or beef mince instead? Cos I don’t eat pork products 😬
Thank you 😊
Hi Nagi – we love your recipes, so keep them coming!
Just one comment about fennel in this one – whilst in Australia and North America “Italian sausage” is mostly described as a pork sausage flavoured with fennel seed to be Italian, the reality inside Italy is quite different. “Salsiccia” is a broad category of fresh pork sausage with ingredients defined by regional traditions which often do not include fennel.
Glad to hear it because I don’t care for fennel! I always feel like there’s something wrong with me! But the truth is, our taste buds are just very subjective.
There’s nothing wrong with you! I don’t like bananas 🤢 We all just have different tastes! Life would be boring if we all liked the same things 🙂
Only one word for your latest recipe Nagi- YUM
Quick and easy too which makes it so much easier.
As to Jaffle, love seeing him enjoying his French carrots 💓
Thank you Nagi. It’s like you’re in my head. Hugs for Jaffle. He’s such a cutie.
I am in Austrslìa and bugger me I hate squeezing Italian sausages to make sausage and spinach pie (using warrigal greens and tarragon from my patch). So your recipe for Italian sausage meat is very welcome. Even better, if you created a recipe for Italian sausage and spinach pie, I would be a super fan.
Thank you, Nagi. I always avoid making recipes with Italian sausage because I can’t be bothered with squeezing it out of casings. I’m going to make this in bulk and keep portions regularly stocked in my freezer. I don’t remember the last time I was so excited to see a recipe to make that doesn’t involve an actual meal to eat at the end of it 😃
Great recipe Nagi-I’ve used something similar as a topping for pizza-sausage and potato! A must! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe, Nagi. I have been doing something similar for years & am sure your version will be much better. Now, could your expert taste buds replicate American breakfast link sausages? Ple-e-ease xx
Here are my breakfast sausage patties!! https://node-overlook.live/homemade-pork-sausage-patties/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Brilliant! Thank you Nagi! As others have said, I too, find it hard to source Italian sausages in the country and I also like to monitor fat, salt, etc. so I am definitely giving this a go. Would be lovely for sausage rolls. Going shopping tomorrow. Pork mince is on the list.
Hi Kerry! I’d have to alter my sausage roll recipe to use this mixture because it’s got a LOT of flavour in it 🙂 Stay tuned! – N x