Do you love to cook with sausage? Cooking with sausage adds an appealing and robust flavor to any dish and is considered a global cuisine.

Different cultures and areas of the world have their own distinct version. Andouille sausage was brought to America from France and is popular with the Cajuns down in Louisiana. German Bratwursts have gained popularity in the US— serving beer and brats goes along with grilling burgers and dogs.

In my neck of the woods, its deer sausage or if you want to sound fancy, venison. Hang on a minute. I think my red neck might be showing.

Pork sausage is also a delicious and versatile sausage to cook with. You can serve it in a patty style, link or ground for casseroles. Chorizo is a Spanish-style pork sausage and can be made either spicy or sweet.

I am going to let you guess what country Italian Sausage comes from… Italian Sausage is so delicious and versatile that it can be used for all types of recipes.

Now, let’s talk about five sausage recipes to make your mouth water. The first one is using Italian Sausage. The second one calls for sausage and potatoes. The third recipe is for cooking sausage in the crock pot. Next, we have a scrumptious sausage soup recipe and last but not least, sausage casserole.

1. Italian Sausage Recipe

Fresh shaved parmesan cheese, tantalizing herbs and spices, and creamy pasta make this meal taste like a dream. This recipe is from my friend, Toni, short for Antonia, that was handed down to her from her Grandmother, Nonna Rosanella.

Nonna Rosanella moved in with Toni’s family when she got older and used to keep a candy dish in the front parlor. She would let me and Toni eat as much as we wanted whenever we wanted. I used to love going to family dinners at Toni’s house because the food was always amazing and her dad was so entertaining. He did most of the cooking and liked to sing at the top of his lungs and do everything he could to embarrass his kids.

Here is Nonna Rosanella’s Cream Italian Sausage Pasta. I have adapted this recipe to “store bought” pasta. She would probably roll over in her grave if she knew I wasn’t making the pasta from scratch. It will be our little secret.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground Italian Sausage

1-2 bags of baby spinach with the stems popped off

1 small yellow onion

2 pounds of penne pasta

2 cloves of minced or diced garlic

1 Tablespoon of seasoning salt (I use Jimmy’s General Seasoning Salt)

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

4 cups of heavy cream

2 cups of shaved parmesan

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

Boil penne pasta in a large pot of water according to the package instructions. While the pasta is boiling, add olive oil to a large skillet and cook your sausage, diced onion, garlic, seasoning salt and red pepper flakes.

After the sausage is done, drain any excess juice. Add the cream to the skillet and once it starts to simmer turn it down to low. Add the spinach to the skillet and stir until it wilts. This takes about 3 minutes.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well. Add pasta and shaved parmesan cheese to the skillet and stir everything together. Dinner is served!

2. Recipe for Sausage and Potatoes

In keeping with the skillet cooking method, here is a great recipe for Skillet Sausage and Potatoes that can be served as breakfast or as a side dish for dinner. It is easy to cook in a regular skillet over the stove top but tastes the best when using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over an open fire.

You will need ½ pound of smoked Turkey sausage, 2 yellow onions, 2 pounds of red or gold potatoes, 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of Crown National sausage seasoning (or other seasoning of your choice), 1 teaspoon of Thyme, and 1 teaspoon of cumin.

Coat skillet with oil. Slice sausage into ¼ inch chips and cut potatoes into chunks. Dice onions. Cook potatoes and onions for 10-12 minutes over medium-high stirring frequently.

Add sausage to the skillet with the potatoes and onions. Cook another 10 minutes while consistently stirring. Add in seasoning salt, thyme, and cumin seeds and stir for 1-2 more minutes.

Fried apples slices make a nice sweet compliment to this savory and spicy dish. Slice 4 to 5 apples into wedges leaving the skin on. Melt 2 table spoons of butter in the skillet. Toss apple slices in and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until heated through and until they turn a golden brown (I usually only cook 2 apples because it gets a little crowded in the skillet with more than that).

3. Crockpot Sausage Recipe

Are you hungry, yet? Well, if you aren’t hungry now, you will be after you hear about this crockpot sausage recipe! This is a meal that can be served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but we like to use it as an all-day breakfast on a lazy Saturday.

Chilling on the couch in your pjs, napping, or watching movies add to ambiance of this laidback event. This is a two-part recipe because the best way to make this is with homemade biscuits.

Crockpot Sawmill Gravy and Biscuits

Ingredients List:

1 pound of pork sausage

1.5 cup of chicken broth

1.5 cups of all-purpose flour

3 cups of whole milk

1 Tablespoon of Jimmy’s Seasoning Salt (or other seasoning salt of your choice)

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits *see next recipe for Y-Dear’s Buttermilk Biscuits

Directions:

Brown sausage in a skillet. Transfer the sausage to the crockpot. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and milk and chicken broth. Pour over the sausage in the crock pot.

Sprinkle with seasoning salt, cover, and cook on low for 4 hours.

Y-Dear’s Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of buttermilk

2 Tablespoons of cooking oil

½ tsp baking soda

Self-rising flour

Directions:

Put on an apron. (Yes, just do it if you have one. If you are going to the “trouble” of making homemade biscuits, you might as well act the part. You can add a dust of flour to your face for the full effect.)

Combine the buttermilk, cooking oil and ½ tsp of soda in a large bowl. Make a “well”. Pour the buttermilk mixture in and stir slowly, gradually stirring in flour from the sides until it forms a all of dough.

Knead slightly (excess kneading will make biscuits tough). Pinch off a small amount of dough and roll it into a ball in the palm of your hand to form it into a biscuit.

Place in a greased pan and bake at 475F until brown which is about 10 minutes. This makes 8 biscuits.

Pour sawmill gravy over fresh buttermilk biscuits and serve. You can also sprinkle with crumbled bacon and cheese or homemade jelly if you have a sweet tooth. Another breakfast food that goes great with this is scrambled eggs.

Go ahead and make a mess! The rule in our house is that whoever does the cooking doesn’t have to clean up! Feel free to adopt this rule for your family, too.

4. Recipe for Soup with Sausage

Sausage and Wild Rice Soup is so hearty it can be served on its own or with green beans and warm rolls for a larger meal. To make this creamy soup, start with this simple ingredient’s list.

Ingredients:

½ cup of wild rice

1 pound of Italian Sausage or Turkey Sausage already cooked

1 can of condensed chicken broth (10 ounces more or less)

1 cup of water

¼ cup of chopped onions

¼ cup of shredded carrots

1 small bay leaf

½ tsp of basil

¼ cup of snipped parsley

1 small pack of sliced mushrooms

2 cups of light cream

1 Tablespoon of All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon of Jimmy’s General Seasoning Salt (or other seasoning of your choice)

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, combine rice, chicken broth, water, onion, carrot, bay leaf, carrot and basil. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add mushrooms and parsley. Stir the cream into the flour and add the mixture to the soup. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Season to taste with the seasoning salt.

5. Recipe for Sausage Casserole

Whenever we have a holiday potluck breakfast at work, I ALWAYS sign up to bring this breakfast sausage casserole. It is easy to make and easy to transport. You can make this the night before and pop it in the oven the next morning. I usually double the recipe if I am taking it to a potluck.

Ingredients:

8 slices of bread, crusts trimmed off

4 eggs

½ lb. of grated cheddar cheese

1 pound of sausage cooked and crumbled

2 cups of milk

1 tsp of ground mustard

1 tsp of Jimmy’s Seasoning Salt (or other seasoning of your choice)

Directions:

Grease an 8”X12” baking dish (or similar size). Place the bread as a liner in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese and then with sausage. Mix together eggs, milk, mustard, AND Jimmy’s Seasoning Salt.

Pour over sausage and cheese. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes or until the eggs are set. This recipe serves 6-8.