Cranberry breakfast sausage dipped in maple syrup* makes for the perfect Christmas morning breakfast.
We all love sausage patties with a hearty breakfast, but once you add fresh cranberries to the mix, it brings it to a whole new level! I have to admit I was a little scared to try them at first. I am not one to waste food. Perhaps that comes from being raised in a very large family; you just don’t waste food. So trying something like adding fresh cranberries to our usual sausage patties was a little daring. Would the kids eat them?! I am happy to say that they did and everyone in our house loves them!!
*Skip the maple syrup if you want to keep them Whole30-compliant
We have a new favorite way to make our breakfasts a little more special
Cranberries are a great way to keep that holiday ‘feel’ alive. This Christmas morning we are going to have Cranberry Sausage Patties with our Crispy Grain-Free Waffles and fresh scrambled eggs.
Let’s talk about why we make our own sausage patties
Sure, grabbing the pre-made sausage patties and links from the meat department is super easy. Like really, really easy. Buuuut…easy isn’t always the best option. Even though you’re busy and running short on time, easy is still.not.a.good.option. Carving out the time to be in the kitchen just a little longer has long-term effects. In a good way!! The next time you’re walking past those super easy pre-packaged sausage patties, take a minute and flip it over and read the ingredient list. Hmmm…not really very appealing anymore is it? Let’s ditch the corn syrup, BHA, dextrose (and more!). We don’t need those in our breakfast sausages.
Find a good quality ground sausage and ground turkey and make your own!
So simple, trust me! Here are a couple of different ways to do it. In a big bowl add your ground sausage and ground turkey, spices and gently softened cranberries. Mix it all together to bring those spices to each bite of sausage patties.
Option 1: (quick) scoop out a small handful of mixture and press between your hands to form a nice round, flat patty. Cook them in a large skillet on the stove (a good cast iron skillet works great here!) for about 5-7 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the middle.
Option 2: (quicker) scoop out a tablespoon size of mixture and roll them into balls and line them up in a 9×13 baking dish. Cook the meatball sized sausages in the oven at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.
Option 3: (quickest) take the entire batch of mixture and place it in a 9×13 baking dish. Press it evenly into the dish. Bake in the oven at 350°F degrees for 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. When fully cooked through, remove from oven and cut into squares.
I’ll be making our Christmas Morning Cranberry Breakfast Sausage the “quickest” way, as I’ll have them prepared the night before. The morning of, I’ll just have to pop them into the oven for about half an hour before we want to eat a hot and healthy Christmas breakfast!
Cranberry Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb ground breakfast sausage of choice
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp coarse ground pepper
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground fennel seeds, lightly crushed (may sub 4 drops Fennel Essential Oil)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries (may sub 1/2 cup dried cranberries)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, place 1 cup fresh cranberries and enough water to cover them. Bring to a soft boil for about 5 minutes or until slightly soft. Drain and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl add ground sausage and turkey and all spices. Mix until all spices are well incorporated. Gently fold in cranberries.
- Place a medium skillet over medium heat (a cast iron skillet works great for this!). Scoop out a small handful of mixture (about ¼ cup) and press between your hands to form a nice round, flat patty. Place them in the hot skillet. Cook for 7-10 minutes, turn them over and cook for another 7-10 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
- Serve hot with a small side of maple syrup for dipping (omit syrup for Whole30)
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Notes
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 2 patties
- Calories: 228
- Fat: 16g
- Sodium: 618mg
- Carbohydrate: 3g
- (Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 1g)
- Protein: 20g
Dietary
What’s your favorite meal to serve Christmas morning? Share in the comments below!
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