Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage

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From pastas to stuffed peppers, this homemade spicy Italian sausage is going to jazz up all your favorite dishes. Team up your protein of choice with some spices and seasonings to quickly whip up this homemade ground sausage.

Just like my fire roasted tomatoes, this is one essential that you'll find yourself making from scratch- again and again, never going back to the packaged version.

Over the last couple of months, I have been focusing a lot on experimenting with essential recipes, and scratch-making them in my kitchen. My oven dried tomatoes turned out so delicious, they can easily give the store-bought ones a run for their money, and I'm not bragging, but my crispy Italian breadcrumbs turned out to be the perfect topping for a simple pasta dish.

So this time, I went all-out, and decided to try something more substantial. And I'm so glad I did.

Quick Look: Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage

🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes.
⏲️ Cook time: 10 minutes.
👪 Servings: 4.
📋 Main ingredients: Chicken mince, fennel seeds, garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning.
♨️ Cooking method: Mix → season → shape or crumble → cook.
⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
🥣 Serving ideas: Use in pasta, pizza, sandwiches, lasagna, stuffed peppers, soups, or serve with homemade cheese tortellini and a simple garlic lemon butter pasta sauce.

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Quick Look: Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage
What's So Great About the Recipe?
Recipe Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
How to Make Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage
💭Top Tip
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
How to Use Homemade Italian Sausage
Troubleshooting & FAQs
More Essential Recipes
Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage

What's So Great About the Recipe?

This Italian sausage tastes way better than the store-bought one you're relying on.
Since you're making it from scratch, you'll have more control on the taste, and there are no yucky fillers and preservatives in the picture.
Team it up with some tomato Passata and you've got yourself a delightfully delicious spaghetti sauce!

Recipe Ingredients

Ground chicken: Because I'm making chicken sausage. You can use turkey or lamb mince too.

Seasonings: I used some garlic powder, onion flakes (for that texture), paprika, ground fennel and some red pepper flakes for that kick of heat. Sometimes, when I have some of my Air Fryer dehydrated bell peppers leftover, I sneak them in too!

Dried herbs: Just the classics- dried rosemary, thyme and parsley. You can also use oregano or basil if you have them at hand. Sometimes, I just add my mixed herb seasoning.

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

I used garlic powder here, but if you want a more garlicky flavor, you can use fresh garlic too.
I love adding a sprinkle of my garlic parsley salt to season the sausage for that extra umami depth.

How to Make Homemade Spicy Italian Sausage

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Step 2: Mix well to ensure you get a uniform mixture. Set it aside for a few minutes.

Step 3: Heat oil in a pan and sauté the spiced chicken mince on medium heat until cooked through.

Step 4: Take it off heat, garnish with chopped fresh parsley or red pepper flakes and serve.

💭Top Tip

Refrigerate the spiced meat mixture for a few hours to allow the flavors to deepen.

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe

The key to get that perfect golden brown color and texture is to avoid disturbing the meat too much while it is in the pan. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and let it brown up before you stir it.
For best results, use a cast iron skillet or a stainless steel pan. More browning = more flavor.
Start with a good quality olive oil or an infused oil (like habanero oil or rosemary infused oil) for additional flavor.
Choose the fat percentage depending on your personal preference. Usually 80:20 is a good ratio to stick to.

How to Use Homemade Italian Sausage

This ground Italian sausage is perfect to add to your pasta sauces, or use as a topping for your homemade pizzas.

I personally love making patties using it, and also to stuff into peppers. Whenever I make them, I team them up with my marinated tomatoes or a nice cherry tomato confit, some crusty bread and my spicy Italian dipping oil.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

How can I make sweet Italian sausage?

Don't want a spicy sausage? Skip the red pepper flakes and add some sugar to sweeten the mixture.

How do I store leftover spicy Italian sausage?

You can store your leftover (cooked) Italian sausage in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container. To reheat it, simply pop it back on a pan with a splash of water, and cook it on medium heat until warm.

Can I freeze spicy Italian sausage?

You can also freeze it if you want to- just make sure you use a good freezer bag or freezer-safe container to prevent freezer burn, and allow the sausage to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before you reheat it.

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If you tried this homemade spicy Italian sausage or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!