Ground Italian Sausage is a versatile ingredient that elevates dishes from pasta to pizza, and more! Our foolproof recipe will teach you how to achieve perfectly caramelized sausage with a crispy exterior and a tender, flavorful interior.
We love this ground Italian sausage in our sausage pasta and our sausage and caramelized onion pizza. It is even delicious with scrambled eggs! Since it is so easy and flavorful, we are always adding it to dishes and know that you will love adding it too.
If you want to check out other tasty meats, try our crispy pancetta, flank steak, and fried spam.
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Why You'll Love This Ground Sausage Recipe
- Taste - Cooking the sausage brings out its rich flavor.
- Texture - The sausage will be crumbly with a crispy outside and tender inside.
- Time - It takes just 5 minutes to cook.
Key Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil - Olive oil is a healthy fat to cook the sausage in.
- Sausage - You can use sweet or hot Italian Sausage depending on your preference. Just know your limits. You can also use pork or chicken. We prefer a sweet Italian chicken sausage.
- Kosher salt - Season the sausage to taste.
- Herbs - Add onion, garlic, or herbs for additional flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Cook Ground Sausage
- Cook sausage - In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Then add sausage to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is just about cooked through and becomes browned and crumbly in texture, about 7-10 minutes. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Deglaze and season - If the pan is dry, deglaze the pan with a splash of water, white wine, or broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape some of the fond (the browned flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan) to incorporate into the sausage. Season to taste. (Photo 3 and 4)
- Enjoy - Use for pasta, pizza, sandwiches, eggs, and more! (Photo 5)
Pro Tips
- Break up the sausage pieces so they are similar in size and cook evenly.
- Be careful to not overcook the sausage or it will dry out.
- If using pork sausage, drain some of the fat if desired.
- If using onion or garlic, add it to the pan when you add the sausage. This will allow the aromatics to cook and infuse the sausage with more flavor.
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📖 Recipe
How to Cook Ground Italian Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz sweet or hot Italian sausage casing removed, chicken or pork
- kosher salt to taste
- onion, garlic, herbs for additional flavor, optional
Instructions
- Cook sausage - In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add sausage to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is just about cooked through and becomes browned and crumbly in texture, about 7-10 minutes.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 8 oz sweet or hot Italian sausage, kosher salt, onion, garlic, herbs
- Deglaze and season - If the pan is dry, deglaze the pan with a splash of water, white wine, or broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape some of the fond (the browned flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pan) to incorporate into the sausage. Season to taste.
- Serve - Use for pasta, pizza, sandwiches, eggs, and more.
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate leftover cooked ground sausage in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months in a freezer safe container.
- Break up the sausage pieces so they are the same size and cook evenly.
- Do not overcook the sausage or it will dry out.
- If using pork sausage, drain some of the fat if desired.
- If using onion or garlic, add it to the pan when you add the sausage. This will allow the aromatics to cook and infuse the sausage with more flavor.
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