Sweet Italian Sausage Patty Recipe From Scratch
This sweet Italian sausage patty recipe uses simple seasonings to create rich, savory sausage patties that are easy to make right in your own kitchen. Serve them straight from the skillet or keep a batch in the freezer for quick homemade meals during the week.
Summer sandwiches don’t get better than this
Store bought sausage has become more and more disappointing over the years. The flavor is weaker and the seasoning is often inconsistent. I’ve started making it in my own kitchen so that I know that the sausage I bring to the table is going to be top notch.
The sweet Italian sausage recipe I’m sharing in this post is one of my favorite varieties. I most often shape it into patties, because they work perfectly for sandwiches and quick skillet meals during the summer months. But this same mixture can just as easily be rolled into links, or browned loose for pasta sauce, soups, and casseroles.
If you enjoy making homemade sausage from scratch, try my homemade fennel sausage, hot Italian sausage from scratch, and Irish style breakfast sausage recipes too. And if you are looking for ways to use this sausage in your kitchen, it makes a great breakfast grilled cheese with sausage and egg, classic sausage pepper soup, and Italian sausage party dip.
Recipe ingredients
- Ground pork: Choose ground pork with enough fat content to keep the sausage juicy and tender as it cooks. Pork that is too lean will give the patties a drier texture and a less traditional sausage flavor.
- Spices: This recipe depends heavily on the seasoning blend for it’s signature flavor, so the quality of the spices make a noticeable difference. Fresh, well-kept spices will give the sausage a fuller and more balanced flavor than spices that have been sitting in the cabinet for too long.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make sweet Italian sausage patties
Step 1: Add the ground pork and all of the spices to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater blade attachment. Starting with everything cold helps the sausage mixture stay firm and mix more evenly without becoming greasy.
Step 2: Mix the sausage on low speed for 5 minutes. The mixture should become slightly sticky and hold together more tightly as the proteins begin to develop. This mixing step is important because it helps create the traditional texture associated with homemade sausage instead of loose seasoned ground pork.
Step 3: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the sausage mixture for at least 8 hours. This resting time allows the spices to fully work into the meat so the flavor becomes more balanced and developed throughout the sausage.
Step 4: Divide the sausage into 4 equal portions and shape them into patties. Press them as thin as possible because sausage patties naturally tighten and shrink slightly as they cook in the skillet.
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Step 5: Place the patties into a skillet over medium heat. As soon as each patty is in the skillet, gently flatten it with your fingertips to maintain a consistently even patty as it cooks.
Step 6: Cook the patties for 2–3 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for 2–3 minutes on the second side. The patties should be cooked through with no pink remaining in the center.
Step 7: Remove the sausage patties from the skillet and serve immediately or cool completely to freeze for later use.
Step 8: If freezing, lay patties in a single layer on a silicone-lined baking sheet, freeze until firm, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Freezing them individually first keeps the patties from sticking together later.
Top tips
- Use a stand mixer when possible: Mixing with the beater blade helps develop the tighter texture traditionally associated with sausage patties. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can still make the recipe by hand by mixing thoroughly until the sausage becomes slightly sticky and well combined.
- Keep the sausage mixture cold: A cold sausage mixture is easier to shape into thin, even patties and holds it’s texture better while cooking.
- Wet your hands lightly with cold water: This helps prevent the sausage mixture from sticking to your fingers while shaping the patties.
- Use a heavy skillet: Heavier skillets maintain more even heat and help the sausage cook more consistently across the surface, cast iron is ideal.
- Avoid overcrowding the skillet: Leaving space between the patties helps the sausage brown properly instead of trapping excess moisture.
- Cook a small test patty first: This gives you the chance to adjust the seasoning level before cooking the full batch.
- Freeze the patties in a single layer first: Freezing them individually before stacking keeps the patties from sticking together in storage.
Other recipes you’ll love
If you loved this homemade sausage recipe, give these other great recipes a try too!
Baked Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Recipe
Hot Honey Chicken Thighs
Almond Crusted Chicken Recipe
Sweet Italian Sausage Patties
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the ground pork and spices to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater blade attachment.
- Mix on low speed for 5 minutes until the sausage mixture is well combined and slightly sticky.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
- Divide the sausage into 4 equal portions and shape into thin patties.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and place the patties into the skillet. Gently flatten with your fingertips if desired to maintain an even shape.
- Cook for 2–3 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook another 2–3 minutes on the second side until fully cooked through.
- Remove from the skillet and serve.
- To freeze, allow the patties to cool completely. Place in a single layer on a silicone-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm before transferring to a freezer-safe container.
Notes
- Mix thoroughly: Proper mixing helps develop the traditional sausage texture and keeps the seasoning evenly distributed throughout the patties.
- Chill before shaping: Refrigerating the sausage mixture gives the seasoning time to develop and makes the patties easier to shape.
- Shape the patties thin: Sausage patties tighten slightly as they cook, so thinner patties help maintain the right finished thickness.
- Cook over medium heat: Medium heat allows the sausage to cook through evenly without overcooking the outside too quickly.
- Freeze individually: Freezing the patties individually before stacking prevents them from sticking together during storage.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
