ITALIAN SAUSAGE SEASONING

MAKES 1/3 cup

Sausage shouldn’t be complicated: It’s essentially meat made magical with spices. But too many store-bought brands include sugar and other mystery ingredients. This sugar-free blend works well with ground pork, beef, turkey, and chicken and produces flavorful, worry-free sausage flavor that guarantees you won’t need to rely on store bought.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs (I like Penzeys.)
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons coarse (granulated) garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, crush the dried parsley and Italian herbs with your fingers or a fork to release their flavor.
2. Add the black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, salt, red pepper flakes, and fennel seed. Mix with a fork and transfer to an airtight container for storage.