I’ve been making homemade turkey sausage for several years, which is especially nice to have on hand for Pancake Sausage Muffins, Easy Breakfast Casseroles and Cheesy Turkey Sausage Stromboli. Everytime I make the sausage though, I have to empty out half of my spice cabinet. It’s not difficult, but I knew it would save time to prep the seasonings for this sausage ahead of time, just like I prep Taco Seasoning, Ranch Dressing Mix, Italian Dressing Mix and Onion Soup Mix.
I just hadn’t found the time to figure it all out.
But guess what? One of my readers, Karen, figured it out for me. So excited was I to see her email, I high-fived everyone in the house and together, we sang a song of celebration in four part harmony. (Just kidding, but I did send Karen a virtual hug.) She has saved me a lot of time and thought – and she took a picture too. This will for sure be going into our upcoming free Gifts in a Jar eBook, and I’m posting it here as well, because this is one time-saving idea I’d like everyone to have!
Homemade Turkey Sausage Spice Mix
2 cups dried minced onions
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons basil
4 teaspoons thyme
4 teaspoons sage
4 teaspoons sea salt
Mix altogether and store in pint-sized jar. Shake to mix.
To Make Homemade Turkey Sausage
1 pound ground turkey
¼ cup turkey sausage spice mix
1 egg
Mix all together. Chill for at least one hour to blend flavors. Form into patties. Saute. These freeze well for later use. OR sauté mixture into a crumbled mixture for Pancake Sausage Muffins or other recipes which include cooked sausage.
What ideas are you working on for our Gifts in a Jar eBook? Remember, I’ll need your ideas, thorough directions and pictures by Thursday, November 10. Read all the details here and get busy on those ideas!!!
Do you think this mix could turn ground pork, bear, etc. into “sausage” too? I’d like that rather than getting it from the store or butcher with all their extra-not-good-for you stuff. :)
Yes, I’ve done this successfully with venison before, I don’t know why it wouldn’t work with other meats too!
I do something kind of like this. I don’t like to make a big batch of those kind of mixes because I feel the right amount of spices doesn’t get into the 1/4 of a cup you pull out. By the time you get to the end the light stuff has settled on the bottom and the flavor is off. When I need a mix and I’ve run out I pull out all the spices I need and I pull out little containers, however many I want to make. I then take my spices and put all I need in each container. I then transfer the mix into little ziplock bags from Hobby Lobby and I’ve got 10 mixes done. Sometimes I run out and I don’t have time to do a lot of them but I always make two each time. It works like a charm and I have the exact amount of spice in each mix.
Great idea!
Does the cayenne pepper make it at all spicy? I am wimpy when it comes to anything remotely spicy. If it does, I’ll just leave it out. Thanks!
It does make it a tiny bit spicy, so you can leave it out if you want and still have a flavorful sausage!
KariAnn – I am the same way. I cannot stand anything with any spicy-ness at all. So I omit the cayenne from this recipe and it is still wonderful. I’ve also substituted Italian Seasoning for some of the items and the fam liked that. My husband hates Thyme so I usually put in very little of that. So, everytime I make the ground turkey, it takes a little different, depending on what I did with the spices. It is very easy to play around with the spices in this recipe and omit or add whatever you like. Great recipe – Thanks Laura for saving us from pork sausage!
All I can say is…YAY!!!! This is my most favorite sausage recipe but it took so long to get all the spices together. THANK YOU!!
Thankyou Laura, I was just thinking today about mixing some sausage spices up in a jar and having it on hand. Now I have a new recipe to try.
Do you have a place where you can order spices in bulk? Thank you! Can not wait to try this out!!
Yes, you’ll find specific information on this page with links sharing where I buy my bulk spices: https://heavenlyhomemakers.com/our-whole-foods-pantry-freezers-and-refrigerator
have you used this seasoning mix to make homemade beef sausage? or do you do something different?
I’ve used this mix for turkey and venison, but not beef. But, since it worked so well for the other meats, I’m sure it would work great in beef too!
Do you use ground sage? I saw there are a couple of different kinds of sage and am not sure which one to use. Thanks!
Yes, the kind I use is ground.
I plan to can apple pie filling (in pretty jars) and give it out to my neighbors this Christmas along with a good pie crust recipe. I may also add the turkey sausage seasoning (cause it’s just so yummy!). I also make my taco and burrito seasoning in bulk and that is something that could be put in jars for gifts as well. Another thing I am thinking of is putting a lightweight silk scarf in a jar along with a decorative clip from Lilla Rose. I think a printed scarf would look pretty in a jar and would definitely be unexpected!
I just made this a used it to brown and freeze 3 lbs of turkey sausage to have on hand for recipes. It tastes really good.
How do I go about using my frozen sausage? Do I need to cook it again? Thanks I’m excited to try it! Sounds yummy
If it’s cooked already, you just need to rewarm it either on the stovetop or in the oven.
THANK YOU for posting the jar recipe! I have been wracking my brain on how to make the turkey sausage seasoning in bulk for months!
Now I just need to get some mason jars….
I love this recipe. I have used it several times and just keep making more to fill up my sausage mix jar. I just noticed after making it this last time, however that it doesn’t call for any garlic! I thought that was a staple in sausage. I wondered if you add that and it just didn’t get included in this recipe or if you prefer it without. I went ahead and added 1 T. of dried garlic to the mix. I’m anxious to try it now with the garlic. I also added black pepper. Thank you again!
Yes! However, did the black pepper get omitted in this version?
Oops, looks like I need to add that in. :)