Homemade Italian Sausage

I’ve been making this Italian sausage for nigh on to 50 years now.  By making it yourself, you can ensure no sugar or hidden carb fillers are in your Italian sausage and you can control the salt as well!   I keep some made up in my freezer all the time.  It’s so good in recipes, with Italian food, in soups or just as a SNACK!  This recipe is Atkins Induction friendly and also suitable for Keto, Primal and Paleo lifestyles.

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INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 clove minced garlic
¾ tsp. fennel, crushed
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

VARIATION:  For HOT Italian Sausage, add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper.  I prefer the mild myself.    

Traditionally this sausage is made with veal and pork, but as veal is so pricey I just use regular 90% lean ground beef. If you have or can get veal easily, GO FOR IT, by all means! Sometimes I use all pork in this recipe.  For freezing, I like to carefully lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a sheet pan, extended longer than the pan. I prefer patty shape and set four on the plastic in pan.  Then I fold the sides over and ends up and simply accordion the four into a stack, as pictured below.  I then place these bundles into a gallon Ziploc bag and freeze.

Lined up on plastic wrap in pan

DIRECTIONS:  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with your hands or a fork.  Do not stop mixing until the garlic, parsley and spices are WELL-blended.  Shape either into 16 patties or 16 cylindrical link shapes.  If you prefer, you can stuff casings, if you have the equipment, but that’s way too much trouble for me.  😉   The patties/links will be approx. 2 oz. each. Freeze and use as needed.  For ease of defrosting, it’s essential that plastic separate each patty so you can just  pop the number you need off a stack (cutting plastic wrap if needed) and cook over medium-high heat to brown  These are great with alongside Italian dishes or sometimes I crumbled it up right into Italian casseroles.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:     Makes 16 patties, each 2 oz. patty contains:

149.3 cal, 11.88g fat, 0.29g carbs,  0.14g. fiber,  0.15g NET CARBS, 9.68g protein, 36 mg. sodium