High protein and flavorful, Homemade Italian Turkey Sausage has been a staple of my meal prep for quite some time. I'm finally sharing my recipe with you!
Whether you use this for ground sausage or sausage patties, this gluten free breakfast option will become an easy go-to!
Quick Look: Italian Turkey Sausage
⏲️Ready In: 20 Minutes
🍽Servings: 8
🥗Nutrition: 183 Calories / 22g Protein
🥘Main Ingredients: Ground turkey, Parsley, Thyme, Minced garlic, Minced onion, Fennel seeds, Salt, Pepper, Paprika
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Grain free, Dairy free, Nut free
⭐Why You'll Love It: This homemade Italian seasoning has become a backbone of my breakfast meal prep! Turkey sausage makes a high protein breakfast option to keep you full.
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Unsatisfied with the flavor or price of lean storebought sausage, I decided to make my own Italian sausage seasoning to mix with ground turkey and boost my breakfast with high protein sausage.
Between a serving of Italian turkey sausage and Cottage Cheese Overnight Oatmeal or Cottage Cheese Baked Oats, I make sure my day starts with a hearty, protein-packed meal!
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Key Ingredients
Ground turkey: I use a 90% lean ground turkey that I buy in bulk. For this recipe, though, I've adjusted the quantities to work with 1 pound of meat. Feel free to double or triple!
Fennel seed: An absolute must for that quintessential sausage flavor! I wouldn't leave it out. You should be able to find it in the spice aisle at your local grocery store or buy it online.
Minced dried onion/garlic: These might also be labeled as dehydrated garlic or onion flakes. Using minced dried onion and garlic is my preference for this spice blend, but if you are in a pinch you can use ⅓ the amound of garlic and onion powder (so 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ⅓ teaspoon onion powder).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Italian Turkey Sausage
Step 1: Add all the spices in a medium bowl, mixing to combine.
Step 2: Mix the spices into the ground turkey just until incorporated throughout.
Step 3: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned turkey and cook, breaking up into large pieces with a spatula as you go, until completely browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
Step 4: Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Top Tips from Chelsea
Mix the spice blend into the meat before cooking. Don't try to add the spices while you cook the meat; the sausage won't have as much flavor throughout. I point this out because my husband consistently skips this to try and save dishes. But when I make the turkey sausage, he exclaims "Wow, it's so flavorful. What did you do differently?" This is it.
Avoid overmixing. Only mix the spices into the ground turkey enough to incorporate it throughout. Overmixing can lead to tough meat, especially for lean turkey.
Italian Turkey Sausage FAQs
Yes! You can mix up a whole batch of seasoned ground turkey and freeze portions before cooking if you'd like. Uncooked seasoned turkey should keep for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Otherwise, you can store already cooked sausage in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can definitely use this Italian sausage seasoning for ground chicken or ground pork!
Note that ground pork has higher fat content so won't make quite as high protein of a breakfast. But this spice blend should work well with any ground meat.
Yes, feel free to make sausage patties. I suggest making patties thinner than you think; they will plump up as they cook and you want to make sure they cook throughout.
Serving suggestions
Typically, I make a batch of this Italian Turkey Sausage for meal prep and reheat a portion every morning to eat with Cottage Cheese Baked Oats!
However, you can use this ground turkey sausage for other recipes, such as:
- Dairy Free Sausage Gravy over Breakfast Potatoes
- Breakfast casseroles like Sausage, Egg, & Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Breakfast hashes and skillets
- Use to prepare sausage patties that can be frozen and cooked as needed
Did you try this Homemade Italian Turkey Sausage recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
Print📖 Recipe
Homemade Italian Turkey Sausage
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
High protein Homemade Italian Turkey Sausage is a breakfast meal prep staple of mine! I like sausage that packs a punch, so feel free to start with less seasoning and add more to taste.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed (whole)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Instructions
- Make Italian seasoning. Combine the parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, fennel seed, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic, and onion in a medium bowl, stirring until combined.
- Season turkey. Add the Italian seasoning to the ground turkey and stir just to incorporate. Avoid over-mixing as that can lead to tough meat.
- Cook sausage. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned turkey and cook, breaking up into 1- to 2" pieces with a spatula as you go, for 12-15 minutes or until the turkey has cooked through. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Don't have ground turkey? You can substitute ground chicken or even ground pork (although pork will have much less protein per serving).
- You can freeze both uncooked raw seasoned turkey and cooked turkey sausage. Raw turkey should keep in a freezer-safe container for up to 4 months; cooked turkey should keep for up to 3 months.
- If you'd like, you can make patties instead of browning the ground turkey as-is. Make 8-10 patties, thinner than you think, and press down as you cook them to help thin them out and ensure they cook evenly.
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