Breakfast sausage is one of those things that has always given me the heebie jeebies. It just has such a weird smell, such questionable ingredients, such an unappealing shape. But for some reason my family loves them, and they’re one of the few things I buy occasionally, but refuse to eat.
But then I got on a freezer meal and food prep kick, and thought, why not make my own? Friends, homemade breakfast sausage is a revelation!
Not unlike making cookies, you mix all the ingredients together, roll it out fairly thin, then use a round cookie cutter to cut it into patties. Easy peasy! I froze them individually on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, then popped them all in a freezer bag for easy cooking as needed.
Rather than re-rolling the meat multiple times, after cutting my circles I just fried up the extra meat mixture and we ate it on the side and also mixed some into scrambled eggs. I might even make more this way next time as it would also be great mixed into a hash with potatoes, eggs, peppers and onion.
I love knowing what’s in my food. These are so easy to mass produce, and cook from frozen in 10-15 minutes, satisfying Carl’s love of meat at breakfast, even on his waffles.
Next time you’re at the store and planning breakfast, grab some ground pork instead of pre-made breakfast sausages and see if you can ever go back.
- 3 lbs fresh ground pork
- ⅓ cup minced or pureed onion
- 3 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp salt
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently with your hands, breaking up pork and working spices through. Do not overmix.
- Dump meat onto a long piece of plastic wrap, then top with another piece of plastic wrap or a piece of waxed paper. With a rolling pin, roll meat out to ¼" thickness. Remove top layer of wrap and cut out patties with a round cookie cutter in your preferred size (the patties will shrink slightly when cooked - I used a 3" cutter for 18 fairly small patties).
- TO COOK IMMEDIATELY: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add patties, 4-6 at a time, and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown with no pink remaining in the centre. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining patties.
- TO FREEZE: Transfer uncooked patties to a large cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Freeze for about 2 hours, until solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag and freeze until needed. (if you're like me, set a timer when you put them in the freezer the first time or you'll forget about getting them into that freezer bag :))
- COOK FROM FROZEN: Follow regular cooking instructions, but cook for 6-7 minutes per side.
Mmmm. I think I can smell them and taste them just from reading the ingredients! Definitely going to try these very soon.
Dad will love these :) Homemade sausage rolls are also delicious :)