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    Home » Budget Recipes

    Homemade Spicy Turkey Sausage Recipe

    Published: Jan 6, 2014 · Modified: Mar 15, 2024 by Jessica Fisher

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    Avoid the high cost and dubious ingredients in commercial breakfast sausage and make these homemade turkey sausages. Make your own turkey sausage recipe with ground turkey, and easy to find spices that is cheaper and so much better than store bought!

    Plate of Homemade Spicy Turkey Sausage with Garlic and Basil

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    One of the things that my kids really enjoy with breakfast is sausage. To buy it at the store, though, causes me a few heart palpitations. If it’s not the high cost, it’s the dubious ingredients that give me pause.

    Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s really not that hard to make my own. I included a pork sausage recipe in my freezer cookbook. I love the rich flavor of pork. But ground pork is often on the pricey side.

    Ground turkey, however, lower in fat, often goes on sale for as low as $2 for a 20-ounce package. This means that with some spices (that I buy in bulk) I can make a very affordable protein that goes great with the morning meal.

    This recipe makes use of fresh basil that you can easily grow yourself in a pot. It turns out to be about 25 cents per portion. Not too shabby, eh?

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    Plate of Homemade Spicy Turkey Sausage, and a bowl of orange slice

    What do I need to make this turkey sausage recipe?

    This turkey sausage recipe is fairly minimal in the ingredients. Most of them are spices I bet you have in your own spice cabinet right now. 

    • ground turkey
    • basil
    • garlic 
    • salt
    • paprika
    • pepper
    • cayenne pepper

    How do you make turkey sausage from scratch?

    The sausage mixture comes together in just a few minutes and then bakes in the oven. You can freeze the patties, cooked or uncooked to enjoy at a later date if you like.

    Make the turkey sausage mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, basil, garlic, salt, paprika, pepper, and cayenne.

    Use wet hands!  The mixture will be stick, divide the mixture into 8 portions and pat each into a patty. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
     
    Cooking the sausage. You can bake these or you can cook these on the stoveop. To bake in the oven, bake for 25 minutes, turning once, until the patties are cooked through and starting to brown. Alternatively, you can cook the patties in a hot skillet until cooked through and browned.

    Can I freeze these homemade turkey sausages?

    These ground turkey sausage patties can be frozen, either cooked or uncooked.
     
    If freezing them uncooked, freeze them on a plastic-lined sheet until firm. Then remove from sheet and place in a ziptop freezer bag and return to the freezer immediately.
     
    Cooked and cooled ground turkey sausage patties can be stored in a ziptop freezer bag. Chill completely before freezing.
    A plate of Sausage patties

    Homemade Spicy Turkey Sausage with Garlic and Basil

    Avoid the high cost and dubious ingredients in commercial breakfast sausage and make these homemade turkey sausages.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 84kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Cost: $3

    Ingredients

    • 1.3 pounds ground turkey a 20-ounce package is fine as well
    • 1 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped) or 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper the more the spicier
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, basil, garlic, salt, paprika, pepper, and cayenne.
      1.3 pounds ground turkey, 1 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped), 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
    • With wet hands (the mixture will be sticky), divide the mixture into 8 portions and pat each into a patty. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
    • Bake for 25 minutes, turning once, until the patties are cooked through and starting to brown.
    • Alternatively, you can cook the patties in a hot skillet until cooked through and browned.
    • Patties can be frozen. If freezing them uncooked, freeze them on a plastic-lined sheet until firm. Then remove from sheet and place in a ziptop freezer bag and return to the freezer immediately. Cooked and cooled patties can be stored in a ziptop freezer bag. Chill completely before freezing.

    Notes

    Nutritional values are approximate and are based on ⅛ of the recipe. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 4 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 168IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Tell us what you think! Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Brooke

      May 04, 2022 at 6:07 am

      5 stars
      We actually use this recipe as is but make them into meatballs. So good on their own, with pasta, or red sauce!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        May 04, 2022 at 8:53 am

        Great idea!

        Reply
    2. Elise

      May 19, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      5 stars
      My boys live for sausages, but I hate giving them red meat and pre-packaged stuff full of preservatives too often. This was a lovely recipe! A nice alternative to our usual turkey burgers. I shaped them long and thin like sausages, fried them a bit in a pan before sticking in the oven, and they were a hit! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        May 19, 2020 at 6:29 pm

        Yay! Love the strategy of making them into links. Nicely done!

        Reply
    3. Dorothy

      October 14, 2015 at 4:52 am

      Oh that’s GOOD! I just made a batch for breakfast and to freeze.I left out the paprika, since I don’t have any today, and went easy on the cayenne, since my family is not fond of spice. Oh, but they’re GOOD! Next time I want to add maple syrup…

      Reply
    4. Katie

      April 30, 2015 at 7:32 am

      I am going to make this and found organic ground turkey, but it is 16oz, not 20. How would I reduce the spice amounts? Thanks!!!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 30, 2015 at 7:38 am

        I don’t think it will make a huge difference, but you could reduce them by about 1/5 if you wanted to be exact. Since it’s sausage, a little more spice shouldn’t hurt.

        And isn’t it annoying that turkey doesn’t come in consistent packaging?

        Reply
    5. stacy

      February 04, 2015 at 6:46 pm

      Is it possible to make sausage with other types of meats?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        February 10, 2015 at 6:57 am

        I’ve done this with pork, turkey, and chicken. I’m not sure it would taste very sausage-like with beef, though.

        Reply
    6. Carla

      February 01, 2014 at 4:05 pm

      I like to use sausage to be used in white gravy (biscuits & gravy), red beans & rice, and egg dishes like quiche or breakfast scramble. Since I don’t need it in patties for that (although i do plan to make some that way), how do you recommend to cook this? (I normally just squeeze the tube in the skillet and brown like ground beef).

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        February 02, 2014 at 12:57 pm

        I’d just cook it in a pan after step 2. It won’t be as greasy as typical sausage since there’s no added fat. So, if you want to cook it in some oil or add some butter, you could do that.

        Reply
    7. Becky

      January 11, 2014 at 8:05 am

      This would be a great money saver in our house…we go through so much breakfast sausage-my boys love it!! If you make them and freeze them, what is the best way to reheat them? I am a big fan of freezer cooking and would love to add these to my plan!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 11, 2014 at 8:35 am

        I prefer to let things thaw completely. After that, you can reheat them in a skillet, microwave, or in the toaster oven.

        Reply
    8. Kara

      January 06, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      Looks amazing! My husband asked for a hand grinder for Christmas to start making his own sausages. He did get a grinder but we haven’t made any sausages yet. I gasp whenever I look at the ingredients in sausage! Not to mention the price!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 11, 2014 at 5:00 pm

        Sausage ingredients are definitely scary.

        Reply
    9. Cathy

      January 06, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      We get sausage and bacon from our own pigs that my dad raises with his chickens and beef cows on his farm so we have plenty of pork sausage. I’m not a fan because we ate it a lot as kids. I think I’m going to try this, I want to like sausage, I do

      Reply
    10. Jessie

      January 06, 2014 at 11:27 am

      The patties would be super yummy in an English muffin or bagel with cheese! Maybe I should make some up for hubby (he’s always looking for a high protein breakfast).

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 11, 2014 at 5:00 pm

        Yep. You can make those ahead of time, too, and freeze them. It’s in my freezer book, made with pork sausage.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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