Sweet and Slim Italian Sausage

Have you ever read the label on a package of sausage? What about turkey sausage? You may be shocked to read how much fat is contained in many sausages you find in grocery stores or have ordered from restaurant menus. And my problem is that I love it. This is one of those recipes that I developed for myself years ago because I craved sausage. You’ll notice that I use actual ground pork in this recipe. With only about 3.5 grams of fat for 4 ounces, there’s no reason not to use it. I flavor the pork with the seasonings used in traditional sweet Italian sausage and create a similar texture by adding moisture with the combo of bread crumbs and egg substitute. I wouldn’t trade this for the world. True, it contains more salt than I’d like, but I did cut as much as I could without sacrificing that authentic taste. In the end, it has even 44 fewer calories and 7 fewer grams of fat than the leanest chicken or turkey sausage found in my local grocery store, and way less than that as compared to real pork sausage.

Ingredients

Olive oil spray (must use real olive oil not Pam)
1 pound extra-lean ground pork or pork tenderloin, ground
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon egg substitute
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon plain dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Lightly mist a small nonstick baking sheet with spray.

3. Mix the pork, egg substitute, bread crumbs, fennel seeds, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Divide into 8 equal amounts (about a heaping 1/4 cup each). Shape each into a log about 4 inches long and 1-1/2 inches thick. Place the logs side by side, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet. Mist them lightly with spray. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until no longer pink inside. Serve immediately.

4. Can be made in 30 minutes or less / No more than 20 minutes hands-on prep time

MAKES 8 LINKS; 8 SERVINGS

Each link has: 96 calories, 14 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, You save: 184 calories, 22 g fat, 7 g saturated fat

Traditional serving (1 link): 280 calories, 12 g protein, 3 g carbohydrates, 24 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 980 mg sodium