Simply Filling Spicy Italian Sausage

#FlashbackFriday with one of my goto sausage recipes. Another fun fact, I have a feeling under the new Weight Watchers 2018 Freestyle Plan, this will be zero Smartpoints (if using 99% lean turkey…need to check 95% lean pork). I’ll  be back on Sunday AM with all my thoughts on the new plan.

Happy Friday eve all! There are two things in my opinion that make a delicious red, spaghetti sauce ~ a spicy, Italian Sausage and Red Wine.  The Spicy Sausage you can totally make Simply Filling Style, while the Red Wine…not so much, but, that’s totally what indulgences are for, right?!

I promise making your own sausage is super easy.  It’s like you are just creating mini hamburgers with a kick.  Take your favorite ground meat (turkey, chicken, pork, etc.), add some garlic, onion and then, spice it up with your favorite seasons for a 100% healthy, clean and delicious sausage.

I originally created this pork for my pasta sauces, but, it is totally delicious straight up as mini patties and I dream of making Big, Spicy Cheeseburgers with it one day.

SPICY PORK ITALIAN SAUSAGE (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.25 lbs. lean ground pork, turkey or chicken
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, minced
• 1 tsp. ground fennel
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, about 2 sprigs
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the pork through the black pepper in a large mixing bowl.  Use a large spoon or your hands to mix all the ingredients through the pork.  Use in all your favorite pasta dishes, make cheesy, spicy sausage burgers or form into 16 meatballs and make sausage patties for breakfast or snack.

2.  If you are making the sausage patties, spray a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat.  Flatten 8 of the meatballs forming them into patties and add them to the skillet.

3.  Cook the sausage patties for 4-5 minutes or until browned, flip and repeat browning the other side for another 4-5 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through.

4.  Serve at once, storing any extra in an air tight container or wrapping in saran wrap to freeze individually for another time.

Makes 16 sausage patties, 1 Smartpoint each, 1 points+ each, 100% Simply Filling

Nutritional information per patty calculated at caloriecount.com

STEP – BY – STEP:

My local grocery store carries this 95% lean ground pork.  If your market does not carry it, grab a pork loin and ask the grocery store butcher to grind it for you.

You can also use ground turkey or chicken if you prefer.

Funny fact about me ~ I hate having my hands smell like garlic, but, I love eating anything with garlic.  Any chance I get to use my food processor and let it do the chopping for me, I take it.

I whirled the onion, garlic and parsley together until it was minced.

Ok, the other weird thing about me ~ I do not like big fennel seeds in sausage, but, the fennel flavor is really what gives you that sausage-y taste.

The solution…..Ground Fennel Seed!  A little goes a long way.

Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl using a wooden spoon or your hands mixing the ingredients through the pork.

Form into patties as noted above or use it in your delicious spaghetti sauce like I did when I made Lasagna with Spicy Pork Italian Sausage.

Looking for more Homemade Sausage Ideas?  Here are links to three other recipes I’ve made up that are fantastic.

• Ginger, Pear and Turkey Sausage, 2 points+
• Sun Dried Tomato, Basil Turkey Sausage, 2 points+
• Turkey Apple Sausage, 1-2 points+

I am currently working on trying to get rid of the Flu that we post caught last week.  I will catch up with you all this weekend or early next week with another recipe and hopefully back with my dailies with 2 weeks of Simply Start then too!

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Are you a sausage or bacon person?

I can’t pick ever….I’ll love them both!

Night all!