15 Best Italian Sausage Recipes for Stress-Free Weeknight Meals (2024)

When it comes to versatility, Italian sausage has few equals. In the next 15 recipes, it becomes a party snack, an appetizer, a side dish, and an entrée. Fitting for a casual get-together or family dinner, this spicy ingredient can be the star or the supporting character in your meal. There's even a meatless option with potatoes and peppers that delivers all of the savoriness without the sausage itself. Whatever your preference, these Italian sausage recipes will keep you coming back for seconds.

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Fire-Roasted Tomato and Italian Sausage Grinders

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Looking for an easy appetizer for your next gathering? Upgrade store-bought Italian sausage links and canned fire-roasted tomatoes into this classic Italian sandwich. This Italian sausage recipe is also great for leftovers. As one BHG home cook shared, "I used leftover sauce (after all the sausages were gone) to add as a spaghetti sauce to pasta so it wouldn't go to waste."

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Spicy Italian Meatballs

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Not all Italian sausage recipes call for links. Serve a batch of slow cooker beef and ground sausage meatballs at your next party or tailgate. These meatballs are delicious served on their own, but also tasty over hot cooked pasta or in buns for meatball sandwiches.

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Lasagna Pasta Chip Nachos

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Looking for a creative way to serve Italian sausage and pasta sauce? Try nachos! Instead of tortilla chip layers these Italian nachos use fried lasagna noodles. Top the platter with shredded basil and crushed red pepper flakes.

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Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Braid

Make a savory version of a bread braid with this cheesy Italian sausage and roasted red pepper version. This is a great appetizer to serve at your next gathering. We've included a recipe for homemade dough but you can easily use purchased pizza dough.

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Italian Sausage and Zucchini Quiche

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Start your day with this crustless breakfast quiche. Italian sausage, zucchini, red sweet peppers and cheese add a burst of flavor to this savory egg dish. This is one of the best recipes for Italian sausage at breakfast.

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Spicy Sausage and Collard Soup

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Soup isn't just for winter months. Make this tasty soup with Italian sausage, collard greens, and beans. Serve for lunch or dinner—or freeze to eat later. This is the best Italian sausage soup recipe for customizing. Not a fan of collard greens? Try kale.

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Sausage, Potato, White Bean, and Kale Soup

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Start this easy soup recipe by caramelizing Italian sausage, then add cannellini beans, kale, and fennel to the mix. It will taste like you spent much longer than 35 minutes simmering to make this soup.

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Detroit-Style Pizza

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Italian sausage is a classic pizza topping and for good reason! Mix up pizza night with this Italian sausage recipe. Make homemade pizza with a Detroit-style crust that's thick and chewy. This recipe calls for sautéed Italian sausage and mushrooms.

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Meatless Sausage and Bell Pepper Potato Hash

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Hot Italian meatless sausage is the main ingredient in this vegan dish. Two types of potatoes, peppers, fresh spinach, and tomatoes make this a hearty dish. Bonus, it's we weeknight-ready dinner that's done in 30 minutes.

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Stuffed Artichokes with Spicy Italian Sausage and Sweet Red Pepper

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Italian sausage turns artichokes into a hearty entrée in this slow cooker recipe. Use your slow cooker to steam the artichokes until they're soft and infused with Italian herbs and spices. Serve the dish with fresh lemon wedges.

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Stuffed Manicotti

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This stuffed manicotti recipe tastes delicious thanks to a flavorful Italian sausage meat sauce. Spoon it over cheese-stuffed manicotti noodles for a classic take on the dish. Or, change up the filling and sauce options, we've included variations right in the recipe.

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Sausage, Red Onion, and Rainbow Chard Couscous

15 Best Italian Sausage Recipes for Stress-Free Weeknight Meals (12)

Looking for a lighter entrée that still showcases the flavor of spicy Italian sausage? This couscous recipe mixes Italian sausage, rainbow chard stems, and roasted vegetables for a colorful dish. A dollop of creamy herb cheese is the perfect finish.

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Baked Ziti with Sausage and Pumpkin Tomato Sauce

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Comforting baked ziti gets a twist thanks to sweet Italian sausage, fire-roasted tomatoes, and canned pumpkin. This dish is great for pumpkin and squash season. As one BHG reviewer raved, "My family loves this casserole dish! Good flavors and because we like it a bit more spice just added a pinch more of red pepper."

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Sausage Enchiladas

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Italian sausage and butternut squash mixture give classic enchiladas a taste of fall. To speed up the prep of this Italian sausage recipe, look for precut butternut squash at the grocery store. Substitute squash with another vegetable for a seasonal take on this entrée.

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Polenta and Sausage Pies

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Sausage pairs well with polenta (also known as corn grits). Hot Italian sausage and red sweet peppers make this an easy and flavorful dinner option. It's also a great make-ahead meal.

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15 Best Italian Sausage Recipes for Stress-Free Weeknight Meals (2024)

FAQs

What goes good with Italian sausage for dinner? ›

The best side dishes to serve with Italian Sausage are blooming onion, polenta, sweet potato fries, garlic bread, Caprese salad, cheese dip, sautéed mushrooms, roasted potatoes, mushroom risotto, sautéed spinach, stuffed mushrooms, garden salad, butternut squash, zucchini fritters, Korean corn dogs, green beans, ...

Why is Italian sausage good for you? ›

Sausages provide high levels of Vitamin B-12 and Iron, both of which are essential for healthy red blood cells and haemoglobin production. On top of this, B-12 helps you metabolise both fats and protein! Each sausage provides around a third of your RDA.

What goes with sausage for a meal? ›

Potatoes and sauerkraut are a classic combination. Green beans, cooked, steamed or in a vinaigrette or boiled cabbage and carrots can also accompany polish sausage.

What condiment goes with Italian sausage? ›

Italian sausages, I usually add some mustard and drizzle fresh lemon and if I have fresh Italian bread I'm in heaven and a nice little side salad! All the usual. Ketchup, HP, BBQ.

What is a sausage supper? ›

What is a sausage supper? A sausage supper is one or two sausages cooked in crispy batter and served with a portion of chips. When in a chip shop, if you ask for a single you would get the sausages (or whatever it was you ordered) on their own, but a supper always comes with chips.

What is a godfather sausage? ›

The Godfather

A criminally good blend of salt, pepper, fennel, anise and Italian pork sausage.

What is classic Italian sausage? ›

In Italy and parts of Europe, Italian sausage is typically made from coarsely ground pork mixed with various herbs, spices, and sometimes wine or vinegar for added flavor. The key seasonings include fennel seeds, garlic, salt.

Is Italian sausage healthier than bacon? ›

Bacon and sausage are arguably the most popular breakfast meat options. Bacon is the lower-calorie and lower-fat option of the two. A serving of sausage links contains the most protein, but the protein content of sausage patties and bacon strips is comparable.

Is Italian sausage anti inflammatory? ›

You've been hearing it for years, but we're breaking it down: The worst meats for your diet includes hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage and other meats that have undergone salting, curing, or smoking. "These meats are a five-alarm fire when it comes to inflammation," shares Kirshner in The Whole Body Cure.

Is it OK to eat sausages once a week? ›

Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He added, though that eating a small amount of processed meat occasionally, such as once or twice a month, is unlikely to significantly harm health.

What is the healthiest sausage? ›

Extra-lean chicken or kangaroo sausages tend to be the healthiest sausage option. Leaner sausages are also often lower in calories and salt. Follow these guidelines to choose healthier sausages: Less than 5g saturated fat per 100g.

What condiment goes on sausage? ›

Start with a juicy, lean Turkey Sausage, then grab the condiments you know and love: ketchup, ballpark mustard, relish and diced onions.

What kind of sauce to put on sausage? ›

Spicy ketchup (think SRIRACHA!), honey dijon, and creamy cajun horseradish sauce. You'll LOVE the flavors of these simple dipping sauces!

What toppings go well with sausage pizza? ›

Some toppings that go well with sausage include onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos. You will want to be careful with multiple toppings, because adding too many can make the pizza soggy.

What goes good on sausage links? ›

So if you ever get tired of the classics TRY THESE 5 DELICIOUS HOT LINK SAUSAGE TOPPINGS to make yourself the hero of the cookout.
  • Peppers, Onions, and Cheese. ...
  • Avocado and Beef Bacon. ...
  • Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions. ...
  • Sauerkraut and Brown Mustard. ...
  • Macaroni & Cheese with Beef Bacon Crumbs.
Aug 11, 2022

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