What Is Turkey sausage and How Can I Use It?

Here's everything worth knowing about turkey sausage and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 37 recipes to cook tonight.

Key Points

Turkey sausage is leaner ground turkey seasoned like pork sausage in Italian, breakfast, and smoked styles.
With little fat, it dries out fast; brown it over medium heat and pull at 165°F (74°C).
Lean sausage shows best in saucy or baked dishes; perk up flat batches with oil and acid.
Chicken sausage subs one for one; season plain ground turkey to fake loose sausage.
Fresh sausage keeps 1 to 2 days refrigerated; cooked or smoked types last a few days opened.

What is turkey sausage?

Turkey sausage is ground turkey seasoned and cased or patted like pork sausage, sold as the leaner version of a comfort-food staple. It carries the same spices and the same shapes, just with a fraction of the fat.

That leanness is both its selling point and the thing you have to cook around.

You will find it in the same styles as pork sausage. Sweet and hot Italian links for pasta and pizza, fresh breakfast patties seasoned with sage, and smoked rope sausage like kielbasa for soups and one-pot dinners.

Cooking and Pairing

The cardinal rule with turkey sausage is do not overcook it. With so little fat to spare, it dries out faster than pork, so brown it over medium heat and pull it at 165°F (74°C). Render it slowly and it stays juicy; blast it and it tightens up.

Because it is lean, it does its best work in dishes with liquid around it. It is right at home simmered into a sauce in Brigitte Sealing's Sausage Pasta Supper, baked into a casserole like Brown Rice, Zucchini & Turkey Sausage Casserole, or folded into eggs for a Turkey Sausage Quiche.

Italian-style links pair with peppers, onions, fennel, and tomato. Breakfast patties want maple and apple against a little black pepper. A smoked turkey kielbasa loves cabbage and potatoes with a smear of mustard.

The fix when it tastes flat is fat and acid. A splash of olive oil in the pan and a squeeze of lemon or a hit of wine at the end wake up lean sausage that would otherwise read a little dull next to its pork cousin.

Substitutes

Chicken sausage is the closest swap, just as lean and seasoned the same way; use it one for one. Pork sausage works in reverse when you want more richness, though you will want to drain off the extra grease it throws.

In a pinch, plain ground turkey plus seasoning stands in for loose sausage. Per pound (450 g), mix in about 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried sage or fennel, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a serviceable breakfast or Italian blend.

Buying and Storing

Check the label for whether it is fresh or fully cooked, because they store and cook differently. Fresh raw links and patties need to be cooked through; smoked and pre-cooked types only need heating.

Read the fat content too. Some turkey sausage is made from lean breast and some from richer thigh meat, and the thigh blends taste and cook far better.

Fresh turkey sausage keeps 1 to 2 days in the fridge and freezes for 1 to 2 months. Fully cooked or smoked sausage lasts about a week unopened and 3 to 4 days once you open it. Either way, thaw it in the fridge rather than on the counter.

Types of turkey sausage

Specific kinds of turkey sausage and the recipes that use them.

Turkey italian sausage

View turkey italian sausage recipes →

Turkey kielbasa

View turkey kielbasa recipes →

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving 2 oz (56g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 88Calories from Fat 44

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 4.9g 8%

Saturated Fat ~ -5%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 29mg 10%

Sodium 519mg 22%

Total Carbohydrate 2.6g 1%

Dietary Fiber 1g 2%

Sugars 1.8

Protein 8.4g

Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 28%

Calcium 1% • Iron 30%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find turkey sausage: Turkey sausage is usually found in the deli section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Turkey sausage is a member of the Sausages and Luncheon Meats US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 火鸡香肠
British (UK) term: Turkey sausage
en français: saucisse de dinde
en español: salchicha de pavo

How much does turkey sausage weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 serving 2 oz	56 grams

Sausages and Luncheon Meats

Chorizo sausage 72 Frankfurters (hot dogs) 83 Pepperoni 88 Sausage, bulk 32 Sausage 260 Salami 57 Smoked sausage 66 Italian sausage 156 Hot italian sausages 93 Pork breakfast sausage 1

Recipes using turkey sausage

There are 43 recipes using and its varieties.

Judi's Pizza Soup

During the fall and winter I make homemade soup once a week. I’ve got dozens of delicious soup recipes, but the Pizza Soup was the favorite of our sons, Keith and Mark. It’s really easy to make. I apologize for the inexact quantities, but this is another recipe that I’ve never written down…and haven’t made it since last winter! I’ve given the basic recipe, but don’t be afraid to add other items you enjoy on your pizza…including a dash of red pepper sauce!