Turkey Breakfast Sausage (Easy, Healthy, High-Protein)
Turkey Breakfast Sausage is lean, healthy, and packed with protein, loaded with flavorful herbs, and easy to pan fry or bake. Store it in the freezer for a quick-to-reheat breakfast option on busy mornings!
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You're going to love today's new, wholesome, high-protein breakfast option: Turkey Breakfast Sausage!
I'm so excited about this recipe! The first reason is because it can be made ahead of time for convenience. I like to prep a batch when I have a few extra minutes over the weekend.
This Turkey Breakfast Sausage recipe can also be refrigerated for a few days, or frozen for a few months. This means you can make a double batch to save time down the road!
And whether you store it in the fridge or freezer, it only takes a minute or two to quickly reheat as many patties as you want, any morning of the week.
Need a pop of protein on a busy morning? Turkey Breakfast Sausage is the answer! 🙂
Ingredients
This Turkey Breakfast Sausage recipe relies on a variety of herbs and spices for layers of savory flavor.
- Ground turkey. I recommend using 93% lean ground turkey in this recipe so that your Turkey Breakfast Sausage doesn’t dry out too much. If you use extra lean (99%) ground turkey, you’ll want to mix 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil into your sausage mixture to add extra moisture.
- Dried herbs. Specifically, sage, basil, rosemary, and marjoram.
- Spices. Namely garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
- Salt. To make all of the other flavors pop! I prefer using fine sea salt.
- Pure maple syrup. You can omit the maple syrup if you wish, but I recommend adding it because just a bit balances the salt and herbs without making the sausage sweet.
- Olive oil. For cooking the Turkey Breakfast Sausage, if you choose to cook it in a pan.
How to Make Turkey Breakfast Sausage
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
The beauty of this Turkey Breakfast Sausage recipe is that you can opt to cook it in a pan or bake it in the oven!
- In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, marjoram, red pepper, and black pepper.
- Place the ground turkey in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the mixture of herbs and spices and drizzle the maple syrup over the top. Combine the ingredients (using your hands or a large spoon) until all of the seasonings are incorporated and well-distributed.
- Form the mixture into 16 balls and flatten them into 3-inch patties. (To ensure that my meatballs are similarly sized, I first smooth down the ground turkey mixture evenly into the bowl. I use a butter knife to cut the mixture into fourths, like a pie. Then I cut each fourth into fourths, to give me 16 total “slivers.” I scoop out each sliver with a spoon and roll it into a ball.)
- Heat a large, deep pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, swirl to coat, and arrange a few patties so that they aren’t touching. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side until they're nicely browned on the underside.
- Flip and cook each patty on its second side for another 3 to 5 minutes or until browned, with an internal temperature that measures 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Repeat until all patties are cooked.
- Transfer the Turkey Breakfast Sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and serve warm.
If you prefer to bake this Turkey Breakfast Sausage in the oven instead of cooking it on the stove, see below!
Baking Instructions
I usually bake my Turkey Breakfast Sausage rather than cooking it in a pan. I find this method to be easier and less messy. I don't have to stand at the stove and there's no splattered oil to clean up when the patties are done.
The only caveat is that baked sausage patties won't attain the same dark, crunchy surfaces that pan-fried patties get. So if exterior browning is important to you, go ahead and cook your Turkey Breakfast Sausage on the stove!
TO BAKE TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Arrange raw patties on lined sheet pan with a little space in between them. (I like to wrap my pan with foil for easy clean-up and then lay a sheet of parchment paper on top.)
3. Bake for 10 minutes and flip. Insert an instant-read thermometer in the center of one of the patties.
4. Return the pan to the oven and cook for around 5 minutes longer, or until the temperature hits 165°F.
5. If desired, move the pan to the top rack and broil an extra minute or so, watching closely the whole time.
Storage + Reheating
REFRIGERATING: Cooked Turkey Breakfast Sausage patties may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat in the microwave, place one or two patties on a plate, cover, and heat for 30 seconds or until hot.
FREEZING: Turkey Breakfast Sausage patties may be frozen for up to 3 months.
Arrange cooked patties in a single layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour or until solid.
Transfer the frozen patties to a freezer-thickness zip-top baggie or a freezer-safe container (the patties won’t stick together since you flash froze them first).
To reheat a cooked patty from frozen, microwave at 50% power for 1 to 1 ½ minutes or until hot.
Perfectly Cooked Turkey Breakfast Sausage
You don't want your Turkey Breakfast Sausage to be undercooked or overcooked. So I always recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure that your patties have reached the USDA recommended internal temperature of 165°F.
This way, you'll be sure that the patties are safe to eat without overcooking them, which can cause them to dry out.
So who's ready to add another ready-to-eat, high-protein breakfast option to your busy morning arsenal?
This Turkey Breakfast Sausage recipe is easy to make, absolutely delicious, and guaranteed to power you through your morning.
Hope you love it! 🙂
More High-Protein Breakfast Ideas
- Classic Breakfast Sausage
- No-Bake Protein Bars
- Homemade High-Protein Granola
- Frittata Muffins
- Ground Beef + Egg Breakfast Casserole
Turkey Breakfast Sausage (Easy, Healthy, High-Protein)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Olive oil, for cooking
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, marjoram, red pepper, and black pepper. Place the ground turkey in a large bowl, sprinkle with the mixture of herbs and spices, and drizzle the maple syrup over the top. Use your hands or a large spoon to combine the ingredients until all of the seasonings are well-distributed and incorporated. Form the mixture into 16 balls and then flatten into 3-inch patties.
- Heat a large, deep pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, swirl to coat, and arrange a few patties so that they aren’t touching. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, until nicely browned on the underside. Flip and cook each patty on its second side for another 3 to 5 minutes or until browned with an internal temperature of 165°F. Repeat until all patties are cooked.
- Transfer the Turkey Breakfast Sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and serve warm.
Notes
- I recommend using 93% lean ground turkey in this recipe so that the Turkey Breakfast Sausage doesn’t dry out too much. If you use extra lean (99%) ground turkey, you’ll want to mix 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil into your sausage mixture to add extra moisture.
- You may omit the maple syrup if you wish, but I recommend leaving it in as it balances the salt and herbs without making the sausage sweet.
- To form 16 meatballs, I smooth down the ground turkey mixture evenly into the bowl. I use a butter knife to cut the mixture into fourths, like a pie. Then I cut each fourth into fourths, to give me 16 total “slivers.” I scoop out each sliver with a spoon and roll it into a ball.
- I use a meat thermometer to ensure that my patties have reached the USDA recommended internal temperature of 165°F. This way, I know they’re safe to eat without overcooking them, which can cause them to dry out.
- STORAGE: Cooked Turkey Breakfast Sausage patties may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds or until hot.
- FREEZING: Cooked Turkey Breakfast Sausage patties may be frozen for up to 3 months. Arrange in a single layer on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour or until solid. Transfer frozen patties to a freezer-thickness zip-top baggie or a freezer-safe container (the patties won’t stick together since you flash froze them first). To reheat a patty from frozen, microwave at 50% power for 1 to 1 ½ minutes or until hot.
- OPTIONAL BAKING INSTRUCTIONS: I often bake my Turkey Breakfast Sausage instead of pan frying it, because baking means no added oil and less of a splattering mess. However, if you go this route, just keep in mind that they patties won’t have crunchy brown exteriors. (1.) Preheat oven to 400°F. (2.) Arrange raw patties on lined pan with a little space in between them. (3.) Bake for 10 minutes and flip. Insert an instant-read thermometer in the center of one of the patties. (4.) Return to the oven and cook for around 5 minutes longer, or until the temperature hits 165°F. (5.) If desired, move the pan to the top rack and broil an extra 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely the whole time.
