Lean Italian Sausage
Quick and easy turkey sausage recipe. I make eight thin patties and use them to make sausage/egg/muffin sandwiches that I freeze and use later.
Quick and easy turkey sausage recipe. I make eight thin patties and use them to make sausage/egg/muffin sandwiches that I freeze and use later.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 pound ground turkey breast
- 1/2 medium onion minced
- 1 medium garlic clove minced
- 1/2 small bay leaf crushed
- 1 pinch dried thyme
- 1/4 cup dry red wine or defatted chicken broth
- Carbohydrate 1.21349378525498 g
- Cholesterol 70.30681735 mg
- Fat 1.86889486988543 g
- Fiber 0.352449815124202 g
- Protein 26.7396597511763 g
- Saturated Fat 0.579783061929465 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (128g)
- Sodium 81.7376144935079 mg
- Sugar 0.861043970130782 g
- Trans Fat 0.434565008997684 g
- Calories 140 calories
Step-by-step
- Place all ingredients, except wine (broth), in large glass or ceramic bowl.
- Mix thoroughly; add wine (broth).
- Mix well but do not overmix.
- Use sausage immediately or freeze into 8 oz portions.
- Keeps up to 6 months
Treating ground turkey breast like beef chuck results in a tough, rubbery paste rather than a tender patty. Overworking the lean meat breaks down the proteins prematurely, destroying the loose crumbly texture necessary for a good sausage. Mixing must be approached with a light touch and chilled ingredients to preserve internal fat distribution. Fat keeps the lean poultry moist during cooking, so maintaining those tiny pockets of moisture prevents the meat from drying out instantly in a hot skillet.
Crush the fennel seeds lightly in a mortar and pestle before adding them to release their essential oils without turning them into bitter powder. Combine the spices, minced aromatics, and ground turkey in a glass or ceramic bowl using clawed fingers rather than a heavy wooden spoon, stopping the moment the red wine or broth is absorbed. Dividing the mixture into eight equal portions before freezing guarantees even thawing rates and prevents hot spots during reheating.
Substitutions alter the final moisture balance significantly. Swapping red wine for defatted chicken broth changes the acidity level, which affects how salt cures the meat proteins during the resting window.
