Twenty Five Delicious and Healthy Sausage Recipes

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Twenty Five Delicious and Healthy Sausage Recipes that are quick, easy, and will make you rethink using sausage to make a healthy dinner.

These tasty and healthy sausage recipes are the perfect solution for an easy weeknight dinner. They are quick, packed with veggies, and versatile.

I often get asked if there are things that I always have on hand for quick and healthy dinners. This is a terribly hard question for me to answer since my pantry and freezer are often overflowing with ingredients.

After much thought, I realized that my favorite ingredients to have in the freezer are lean chicken and turkey sausage. Not only does sausage cook quickly and have tons of flavor, but it's also surprisingly versatile. Seriously, it can be used in so many dishes from soups to stews and pasta.

Not quite sure how to shop for sausages or how to use them, not to worry we’ll give you all the details. Plus with under 200 calories (sometimes as little as 100 calories per link depending on the brand) per serving, it's an ingredient that can work with almost any diet.

Why We Love Cooking with Sausages

Here are just a few reasons why we like to cook with sausages.

  • Versatile: Sausages can work as an ingredient in almost any diet and they can be used in many different ways.
  • Inexpensive: Less expensive than pure ground beef, chicken, or turkey and they are quite filling.
  • Freeze well: Sausages will keep well in the freezer for up to 4 months so stock up the next time they are on sale.
  • Easy: You can eat sausages as they are or add them to dishes, season them, fry them, bake them, or grill them, the options are endless.
  • Low in calories: Some sausages contain less than 200 calories (sometimes as little as 100 calories per link depending on the brand) per serving.
  • Flavorful: Pump up the flavor of any dish made with ground turkey or ground chicken by substituting sausage. Sausages add a ton of flavor that can take a bland recipe to a whole new place.

Looking for recipe ideas for only chicken sausage? Don't miss these healthy chicken sausage recipes plus our favorite brands, cooking techniques, side dishes, and more.

Healthy Sausage Recipes

Slow Cooker Sausage and Gnocchi Soup is the perfect way to kick off the fall season. Made with chicken sausage, gnocchi, and tons of flavorful veggies, this delicious slow cooker soup guarantees to have you begging for more.

One Pan Sausage and Acorn Squash with tender acorn squash, savory savory chicken sausage, bell peppers, onions, and Italian seasoning is a quick and easy 6 ingredient recipe that is cooked on just one sheet pan.

Homemade turkey breakfast sausage made with ground turkey, spices, and a touch of maple syrup. Healthy, unprocessed, and more delicious than store-bought.

Sausage Lentil Soup made with dried lentils, sausage, and lots of veggies is a hearty, healthy meal that's ready in less than 60 minutes.

Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Sausage is a low carb dish that's filling and packed with flavor from a homemade basil pesto and lean turkey sausage. Topped with melted cheese, this dish is one you will make again and again.

Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Pasta made with only five ingredients is a healthy weeknight dinner that is quick and easy to prepare. This simple pasta dish is loaded with garlic, turkey sausage, broccoli, and Parmesan cheese and still only has 360 calories per serving.

These 20-minute Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Noodles with Sausage are the perfect low-carb and keto-friendly pasta dinner. Every bite is full of flavor, packed with protein and veggies, and I promise that no one will miss the pasta.

Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs

244 CAL 6 HOURS, 20 MIN
Slow cooker Italian meatballs served with pasta, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.

Few things are more delicious and comforting than meatballs simmered low and slow in tomato sauce with hints of Parmesan, parsley, and sausage studded throughout

Types of Sausages

Not quite sure what sausages are all about, here’s the low down on the types of sausages you can buy.

There are over 200 different kinds of sausages available in the US that can be broken down by type of meat like pork, veal, chicken, turkey, or beef.

The meat can be fresh, cooked, or smoked. Most often the meat is flavored with herbs, seasonings, salt, and pepper and they can also contain breadcrumbs or other grains to help bind them.

The most popular types of sausages are:

  • Chicken Sausage: Made with dark chicken meat and seasoned with various herbs. For a complete lowdown on different chicken sausages read this Today article.
    • Calories: Approximately 140-160 calories depending on the brand.
    • Fat: Approximately 7-10 grams depending on the brand.
  • Turkey Sausage: Made with turkey breast and thigh as well as seasonings.
    • Calories: Approximately 140-160 calories depending on the brand.
    • Fat: Approximately 7-10 grams depending on the brand.
  • Pork Sausage: Made with the meat from the shoulder, belly, or thigh of the pig.
    • Calories: Approximately 290-455 depending on the brand.
    • Fat: Approximately 23-38 grams depending on the brand.

The Best Healthy Sausage Brands

There are so many different brands of sausage out here. These are some of the healthiest and best-tasting options.

  1. Applegate Farms makes natural and organic breakfast and dinner sausages that are antibiotic free and naturally raised. T
  2. Alfresco makes all-natural fully cooked dinner sausage and breakfast sausage with no artificial ingredients.
  3. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods both make a low-fat chicken sausages in many flavors.
  4. Costco sells a few different healthy sausage brands including Sabatino's, Aidell's, and AmyLu.

The Best Recipes for Cooking with Chicken and Turkey Sausage

Sausages are so versatile and can be used in many different ways but here are a few options.

Tips for Cooking with Sausage

Follow these tips and tricks to choose the best sausage option for the meal you are preparing

Choose Raw, Ground, or Cooked Link Sausage

You can buy ground sausage or link sausage so choose the type that works best with your recipe. Ground sausage would work well in recipes that call for ground beef or chicken.

  • Ground sausage: It is usually easier to find lean ground turkey sausage in either a sweet or spicy Italian flavor. I have found it difficult to find lean ground chicken sausage, but sometimes it's available in more specialty stores.
  • Link sausage: There are way more options for links. I can find about 8 different flavors of lean chicken sausage in my local store and another 3 to 4 flavors of lean turkey sausage.
  • Raw versus cooked: Some brands can be bought fully cooked while some are raw so make sure to read the label carefully.

Honestly, they are all pretty interchangeable, just make sure to pay attention to the calorie counts if you are watching your diet.

Choose the Best Sausage Flavor

Choose something that complements the other flavors in the dish.

  • Spinach and feta sausages are delicious with Italian-flavored dishes and spicy.
  • Jalapeno sausages work great with Asian dishes.
  • Italian sausages go well in pasta, casseroles, or soups.

Make your own sausage with any ground meat

If you decide to make your own sausage you can do so by buying ground meat, seasonings, and sausage casings. If you want to make Italian sausages you can use this Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common questions about cooking with healthy sausage options.

Sausage is meat that is made from either ground pork, beef, or poultry that has been mixed with spices and herbs as well as some sort of binder and placed inside a casing.

Sausages can be part of a healthy diet as they are a good source of protein as well as other nutrients which depend on the type of sausage you are eating. Just be mindful of the additives, sugar, or salt content so read the ingredient labels carefully.

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On Twenty Five Delicious and Healthy Sausage Recipes
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Anamarie
January 16, 2019 - 12:41
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Great article