Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage
A little savory, a little sweet, and a little spicy – these homemade sausage patties are a healthier alternative to the store-bought version and so much more flavorful.
If you’ve never made your own breakfast sausage this recipe is a great starting point because it’s just so easy. Mixing together ground turkey and some seasonings is as complicated as it gets. These sausage patties are packed with protein and much leaner that store-bought sausage patties because they feature ground turkey.
You will likely notice a few different options when purchasing ground turkey. Extra lean ground turkey breast, also labeled as 99% lean / 1% fat, is the leanest option and contains only breast meat. Lean ground turkey (93% lean / 7% fat) and ground turkey (85% lean / 15% fat) contain a mix of light and dark turkey meat. To keep today’s sausage patties as lean as possible, I recommend using lean ground turkey (93% lean / 7% fat) or extra lean ground turkey breast (99% lean / 1% fat).
When reading the ingredient list on ground turkey packaging, you might notice “rosemary extract.” Let me explain why. Rosemary extract is being used as a natural preservative to prevent spoilage and lengthen the shelf life of a variety of foods, including ground turkey. As consumers look for cleaner food labels, food companies are using fewer unfamiliar and artificial ingredients. For many people, seeing rosemary extract on a food package is preferable to seeing additives like butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) or butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). If you’re wondering if the ground turkey will taste like rosemary, it won’t. Developers have created extracts that do not impart a rosemary flavor.
Enjoy these breakfast sausage patties alongside scrambled eggs or tucked into a breakfast sandwich. You can also cook the sausage mixture into crumbles and use it in omelets, breakfast burritos, or egg casseroles.
To your health,
Darlene
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HOMEMADE TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 2 patties
Prep: 10 minutes
Ready: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean ground turkey (93% lean / 7% fat) or extra lean ground turkey breast
1/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado oil or canola oil)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, dried cherries, oil, brown sugar, garlic, sage, fennel seed, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper.
Divide turkey sausage mixture into 12 equal portions (about 1 1/2 ounces turkey mixture per patty) and form into patties.
Place patties in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook patties about 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads at least 165 degrees F.
Cooking Tip: Placing the turkey sausage mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes will make forming the patties a bit easier.
Nutrition Information per Serving
172 Calories, 6 g Total fat, 1 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 40 mg Cholesterol, 195 mg Sodium, 12 g Total carbohydrate, 0 g Dietary fiber, 10 g Total sugars, 9 g Added sugars, 18 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 12 mg (0%) Calcium, 1 mg (6%) Iron, 239 mg (6%) Potassium
© 2025 RECIPES MADE HEALTHY BY DARLENE ZIMMERMAN, MS, RD LLC
