Four-Ingredient Breakfast Sausage for Full GAPS

This four-ingredient breakfast sausage uses one pound of fresh ground beef or turkey, sage, crushed red pepper, and sea salt. Mix the seasoning into the meat, then brown it as crumbles or shape it into patties.

Most of my weekday cooking happens in the morning before second shift. I do not have a steady bulk-prep routine right now, so a simple batch is useful when I can get it made ahead. One pan of crumbles can go into breakfast now, then the extra can be saved for another morning.

Full GAPS Ingredients

This is a Full GAPS sausage made from fresh ground beef or turkey and plain seasonings. Choose one meat for the batch. The sausage and summer squash frittata uses one cooked cup.

• 1 pound fresh ground beef or turkey, choose one
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sage, to taste
• 1 to 2 tablespoons plain crushed red pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Use single-ingredient sage and crushed red pepper. The red pepper gives the sausage a noticeable warmth. Choose the lower end of its range for a milder batch.

Equipment

Use a medium mixing bowl, measuring spoons, a skillet, a sturdy spatula, and a food thermometer. A stainless-steel skillet works well for browning the crumbles or patties.

How to Make Four-Ingredient Breakfast Sausage

1. Mix the seasoning. Put the ground beef or turkey in the mixing bowl. Add the sage, crushed red pepper, and sea salt. Mix until the seasonings are evenly spread through the meat, without packing it tightly.
2. Choose crumbles or patties. For crumbles, leave the meat loose. For patties, divide it into portions and press each one gently into a flat round.
3. Heat the skillet. Set it over medium heat. Add the sausage in a single layer. If the pan is small, cook in batches so the meat browns instead of steaming.
4. Cook the crumbles. Break the meat apart with the spatula as it browns. Keep turning the pieces so they cook evenly. The crumbles are ready when no raw pink remains and the pieces are browned through.
5. Cook patties, if using them. Leave space between patties. Turn them when the underside is browned and releases from the skillet. Cook the second side through. Ground beef should reach 160°F and ground turkey 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. See the USDA FSIS safe-temperature chart.

The sage smells warm and savory as the meat browns. Crushed red pepper becomes more noticeable as you chew. If you are making crumbles for a frittata, break them small enough to spread through the eggs rather than leaving large clumps.

Serving and Storage

Use one cup of cooked, crumbled sausage in the Sausage and Yellow Squash Frittata for Full GAPS, where the browned crumbles are mixed with eggs and shredded squash. You can also serve the patties with eggs. If you want a pork version with a different seasoning blend, see Homemade Sage Pork Sausage.

Refrigerate cooked sausage in a covered container and use it within three to four days, or freeze for two to three months. Cool leftovers promptly. For another quick breakfast, try the separate Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Meat Should I Use?

Use fresh ground beef or turkey, whichever you prefer. Keep the sage, crushed red pepper, and sea salt amounts the same.

How spicy is the sausage?

Crushed red pepper is the strongest flavor here. Use one tablespoon for gentler heat or two for a hotter batch. Sage should still be easy to smell once the meat is mixed.

Should I make patties or crumbles?

Both use the same four-ingredient mixture. Crumbles are easy to portion into the frittata, while patties can be served on their own. Keep either shape loose enough to cook through evenly.

Can I make the sausage ahead?

Yes. Cook the batch, cool it, then refrigerate or freeze it in portions. For the frittata, measure one cup of cooked crumbles.

Plan Breakfast for the Week

The planned Weekly Kitchen Rhythm Planner will help you keep batch cooking and everyday meals in the same weekly plan. It will be listed in the Courses section of the WFLI Shop.