How To Make Homemade Italian Sausage With Pork

PIN IT

Italian sausage is a great protein to have stocked in your freezer for easy meals like pasta, stuffed peppers or a hearty italian sausage soup! With just a few spices and some ground meat, you can easily make this delicious protein in your own kitchen. 

Benefits of Making Italian Sausage at Home

There are many benefits of making your own italian sausage. If you order pork in bulk from a local farmer, this is a great way to utilize the ground pork. It’s also an easy way to prepare your fridge or freezer for an easy meal.

Making your own italian sausage allows you to use simple ingredients and serve your family a sausage without the filler ingredients and unneeded preservatives that normally get added to ones that are sold in conventional grocery stores. 

Storing Homemade Italian Sausage

There are a few different ways you can store homemade italian sausage. How you choose to store your sausage will greatly depend on when you’re going to be consuming it. If you’re going to be cooking the sausage within a day or two, you can store the raw meat in the refrigerator. For longer term storage, I recommend storing in the freezer.

If you want to have your sausage prepared for a hosting event a few days ahead of time, you can pre-cook (if desired) and then store in the refrigerator. When you want this sausage prepared to make easy meals, you can pre-cook (if desired) and then store in the freezer.

If you choose to store homemade italian sausage in the freezer, I recommend portioning your bulk sausage into the amount that you will be using for a meal. This will allow you to easily use just the amount you need instead of thawing a bulk amount just to remove a smaller portion. 

Looking for more kitchen inspiration? You might also enjoy this Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette or this Bone Marrow Tomato Soup!

Ingredient Substitutions

Since this italian sausage only has a few ingredients, there aren’t many substitutions that can be made. One of the main items that you can make a substitution would be the meat. 

If you don’t have ground pork or don’t want to eat any pork products, you can swap for ground beef or ground lamb. Ground lamb will likely have a closer resemblance to pork. This is generally because lamb usually has a higher fat content that is similar to pork. If you use beef, the final product will likely have a different experience due to the difference in fat content.

As always, you can leave out or change the amount of the spices listed in this recipe. Just be aware that you will likely have a different flavor in your final product than what was intended in this recipe.

Storing Italian Sausage in the Freezer

Italian sausage is a great item to keep store in your freezer! By making a bulk amount of italian sausage and freezing, you can easily thaw and make a quick and delicious meal. If you make and store extra in the freezer, it’s best to use your sausage within 6 months to 1 year. 

When preparing your sausage for the freezer, I suggest using a vacuum sealer or ziploc freezer bags. If you use ziploc freezer bags, be sure to squeeze out all the air you possibly can. This will help reduce the chance of freezer burn.

Ingredients and Tools

PIN IT

1 Lb Ground Pork

1 tsp Sea Salt – I like to use Redmond Real Salt for the minerals

¼ tsp Ground Clove

1 tsp Black Pepper

½ tsp Whole Fennel seeds

Medium sized mixing bowl

A large spoon

Measuring spoons

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. 
2. Mix all ingredients with a large spoon just until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. If shaping, shape the ground beef into your desired shape.
4. Cook in your desired pan and serve immediately or cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. 

PIN IT

Homemade Italian Sausage FAQ: 

What Are The Benefits of Making Italian Sausage at Home?

There are many benefits of making your own italian sausage. If you order pork in bulk from a local farmer, this is a great way to utilize the ground pork. It’s also an easy way to prepare your fridge or freezer for an easy meal.

Making your own italian sausage allows you to use simple ingredients and serve your family a sausage without the filler ingredients and unneeded preservatives that normally get added to ones that are sold in conventional grocery stores. 

How Do I Store Homemade Italian Sausage?

There are a few different ways you can store homemade italian sausage. The way you choose to store your sausage will greatly depend on when you’re going to be consuming it. If you’re going to be cooking the sausage within a day or two, you can store the raw meat in the refrigerator. For longer term storage, I recommend storing in the freezer.

If you want to have your sausage prepared for a hosting event a few days ahead of time, you can pre-cook (if desired) and then store in the refrigerator. When you want this sausage prepared to make easy meals, you can pre-cook (if desired) and then store in the freezer.

If you choose to store homemade italian sausage in the freezer, I recommend portioning your bulk sausage into the amount that you will be using for a meal. This will allow you to easily use just the amount you need instead of thawing a bulk amount just to remove a smaller portion. 

What Ingredient Substitutions Can Be Made to This Recipe?

Since this italian sausage only has a few ingredients, there aren’t many substitutions that can be made. One of the main items that you can make a substitution with would be the meat. 

If you don’t have ground pork or don’t want to eat any pork products, you can swap for ground beef or ground lamb. Ground lamb will likely have a closer resemblance to pork. This is generally because lamb usually has a higher fat content that is similar to pork. If you use beef, the final product will likely have a different experience due to the difference in fat content.

As always, you can leave out or change the amount of the spices listed in this recipe. Just be aware that you will likely have a different flavor in your final product than what was intended in this recipe.

How Do I Store Italian Sausage in the Freezer?

Italian sausage is a great item to keep store in your freezer! By making a bulk amount of italian sausage and freezing, you can easily thaw and make a quick and delicious meal. If you make and store extra in the freezer, it’s best to use your sausage within 6 months to 1 year. 

When preparing your sausage for the freezer, I suggest using a vacuum sealer or ziploc freezer bags. If you use ziploc freezer bags, be sure to squeeze out all the air you possibly can. This will help reduce the chance of freezer burn.

Did you try this? Share your creations in the comments or by tagging @MissysHomestead on Instagram.