You may think that making sausage patties at home is complicated. What if it isn't? What if you could make delicious homemade sausage patties in less time than it takes you to watch an episode of your favourite network sitcom? Imagine having a sausage patty and knowing everything that's in it. Imagine that it isn't super greasy. I know that I'm building this up, but the fact is that if you can make a burger, you can make a sausage patty. After all, a sausage patty is essentially just a thin burger made of anything but beef.
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Today, we are going to make breakfast sausage patties that are fantastic on breakfast sandwiches, as a side to fried eggs and toast, or with pancakes. What's more is that they freeze very well, and as they are pre-cooked, they can be taken out of the freezer and heated in the microwave in just a few minutes.
So, if you love sausage but hate the grease, prefer to know what you are eating, and love/need breakfast on the go, you've come to the right place.
Simple Homemade Sausage Patties
What is a Sausage Patty?
As I said in the intro to this post, a sausage patty is a thin well-seasoned burger made of anything but beef. The recipe that we are focusing on today is pork-based. However, we could easily substitute the pork with ground chicken or turkey for a lighter option. The key to this is the seasoning that we will be using, which is a combination of herbs, spices, and garlic. Our goal is to create lots of flavours, without overpowering the character of the meat, without using too much salt, and with perfect balance. That is easier said than done, but we will do our best. Let's take a look.
Getting Started
Generally, when making sausage, the meat is ground fresh. However, as I assume you do not have a meat grinder at home, I think buying ground pork from the grocery store or butcher is an excellent option. (If we were making sausage links, I would not advocate for pre-ground pork for a myriad of reasons.) In total, I used 1 lb or 454 g of ground pork. This amount of pork made six decently sized sausage patties. If you are interested in working with other cuts of pork, check out my post on pork chops for more ideas.
To the ground pork, I added Kosher Salt, paprika, black pepper, white pepper, ground sage, cayenne pepper, ground clove, onion powder, fresh garlic, sugar, and cold water. (For measurements, see the recipe at the end of this post.) Other optional ingredients include ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, a ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon or more cayenne if you prefer a bit more heat. I didn't add ginger or cinnamon simply because they didn't come to mind until I was eating.
Mixing and Cooking
Once I had added all of the ingredients to the meat, I mixed it and formed six evenly sized balls. I pressed the meatballs into thin patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With all of the patties made, I put them into a 350 degrees F oven for 12 minutes. After that, the patties are fully cooked and can be cooled, wrapped and frozen, or eaten.
Making Breakfast Sandwiches
Although the sausage patties are fully cooked and ready to eat when they come out of the oven, I prefer to brown them in a hot pan before serving them. I find that this helps to develop a little more depth to their flavour. I seared two patties while cooking a couple of eggs, added a bit of cheddar cheese then put them on a gluten-free English Muffin with lettuce and mayo. What a great way to start the day!
Tips for the Best Sausage Patties
Here are a few extra things I have learned from making these over the years:
- Don't skip the cold water. It keeps the patties moist during baking and helps bind the seasoning into the meat.
- Keep the patties thin. About ¼ inch thick is ideal. Thicker patties won't cook evenly in 12 minutes and can end up dry on the outside.
- Freeze them individually. Lay the cooled patties on a parchment-lined tray, freeze until solid, then stack them in a freezer bag. This way you can grab as many as you need without them sticking together.
- Swap the meat. Ground chicken or turkey works great here. The seasoning does the heavy lifting, so the patties are flavourful no matter what protein you use.
Other Uses for Sausage Patties
Although I'm kind of billing these as breakfast sausage patties, they are incredibly versatile. Try breaking them up in a tomato sauce for pasta, using them as a ravioli filling, mixing them with cheese to stuff a chicken breast, or serving them as an alternative to regular hamburgers. They are cheap, easy to make, and delicious -- how could you go wrong?
Final Thoughts
These sausage patties have become a regular part of my meal prep routine because they are so simple and freeze beautifully. I genuinely look forward to pulling a couple out of the freezer on a busy morning -- it makes the whole day feel like it started right.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon cold water
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Mix the meat with the seasoning, and water.
- Form the meat into 6 evenly sized balls.
- Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and press the balls into it ¼ inch thick round patties one at a time.
- To get the rounded edges cup your hands around the outside of the patty and gently press the edges in towards the center.
- Bake in a 350°f oven for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and brown the patties in a hot pan with a bit of oil then serve.
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