I love breakfast sausage patties. But I hate MSG. And sodium nitrate. And high fructose corn syrup. And the myriad of other strange ingredients that make their way into store-bought breakfast sausage patties.

That’s why I set out to create a recipe for homemade breakfast sausage patties that would not only taste great and be made from nutrient-dense ingredients, but also that would be as convenient as store-bought breakfast sausage patties. Convenient? YES! I make several pounds at once, freeze individual breakfast sausage patties, store them, and then whip them out later to fry up with eggs for a convenient, protein-rich breakfast.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties

The Players

2 tbsp of dried sage

1 tbsp + 1 tsp of salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried marjoram

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 pinches ground cloves

1 tbsp molasses (optional)

4 lbs of ground, grass-fed beef or pastured pork (see resources)

The How-To

1. In a bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients (all the dry spices).

2. Place the ground meat in a large bowl. Add molasses and dry ingredients. Mix with hands until spices are evenly distributed. Then, make patties. (I get about 36 out of the 4 lbs of meat.)

3. Line a cookie sheet with foil or wax paper. Line up your individual patties on the paper so that they’re not touching. When the bottom layer is full, add an additional layer of wax paper or foil and keep adding patties. When all the patties are lying flat on the cookie sheet, put the cookie sheet in your freezer. When patties are fully frozen, remove from the cookie sheet and place in a large freezer bag to store for later use.

4. To cook, saute the frozen patties over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes per side. Enjoy!

How awesome is this? I love making freeze-ahead meals or menu items. It takes a LOT of the stress out of being a busy mom! And in this case, it makes a nourishing, wholesome breakfast just that much quicker to come by. I’ve used these homemade breakfast sausage patties served along side eggs, as the base for a down-home Southern gravy, and inside sourdough English muffins to make breakfast sandwiches.

My favorite collection of freeze-ahead recipes is in the book Don’t Panic! Dinner’s in the Freezer, one of my top-5 recommended cookbooks.

(photo by lollar)