Italian sausage, often called ‘Salsiccia’ or ‘Sasitsa’, is widely popular in North America and it mainly refers to a style of pork sausage. Fennel is the primary seasoning for making these Italian sausages.
Yet in a big country like Italy, they have a wide variety of sausages being made that are different in taste and in the way they look.
The common varieties that Italians and others consume are sweet, hot, and mild. The two (hot and mild) hold their difference by how much the hot red pepper flakes are added to the mixture of sausages, while the mild and sweet differ by the sweet basil in the mixture.
Eating sourced proteins such as sausages is the best alternative to your meaty dishes, but the plus point is that you can easily cook them in an air fryer.
Not only are they low-carb or dairy-free, but they are also diet and keto-friendly. Making air fryer Italian sausages is a quick and easy way to make any meal, served with any dish like pasta, onion, or pepper.
How do you cook Italian sausages in the air fryer?
Start the air fryer at a temperature of 370 degrees Fahrenheit, or 180 degrees Celsius. Line the sausages in the air fryer basket in a single layer and let them cook for 10–12 minutes. Flip them halfway through the process until they are cooked thoroughly.
Remove the air-fried sausages and set them aside, you can serve these with peppers of any color or the onions on the sausage rolls with mustard or ketchup on the top.
How long does it take To Cook sausages in an air fryer?
Sausages take almost 10–12 minutes approximately. They may need 1 or 2 minutes depending upon the internal temperature.
If you are a true fan of sausage, then you would know when it’s done, but to double check, take the meat thermometer and see if the temperature has reached at least 165 Fahrenheit, then it’s ready to be served.
Italian sausage takes:
- 10-12 minutes in an air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 25 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 12-16 minutes on the grill and skillet on medium heat (6 minutes on each side).
Should you boil Italian sausage before cooking?
Technically no, but it's up to you.
You can cook sausages without boiling them or from the raw texture until they are cooked through. Boiling them is a personal preference to make sure they are moist and juicy and pack extra flavor.
To uplift the sausage’s flavor, you can boil them simply in water, dunk them in the chicken broth, or just infuse them with the unmatchable flavor of the beer.
How do you know when Italian sausage is fully cooked?
To know if your beloved Italian sausage is ready to eat, insert the probe of the meat thermometer into the sausage and check if the temperature reaches 68-75 Celsius or 160-165 Fahrenheit. Boiling them before cooking can ensure the sausages are moist and thoroughly cooked.
Alternate ways to check if it’s done or not: look at the insides by cutting it in half or by examining the juices. If they are thick and not runny, then they are ready to be taken off the heat.
Should you poke holes in Italian sausages?
Poking holes is not a good choice to be made while cooking them. These holes will let all the juices drain out while fat escapes through them, resulting in a dry sausage without any flavor or moisture.
Tip:
If you are concerned that your sausages will explode midway or split in half, then cook them on medium-low heat by lightly spraying oil on them, and DO NOT poke holes at the end so that they are not dried and flaky.
What is the healthiest way to cook sausages?
For healthy cooking methods, opt for air frying, grilling, and boiling. While frying them wouldn’t drain the excess fat, the three aforementioned are the healthiest ways of cooking sausages because they won’t increase the fat content in the sausages while keeping you healthy and in good shape.
Make sure they are not burnt or overly charred, because they will have a lot of harmful substances in your body.
Does sausage need to be browned?
The light brown color of the sausages will indicate if they are cooked properly or not. If they have subtle golden-brown color, are crispy on the outside, and have pale brown insides, then they are fully cooked to perfection.
If the sausages have not turned brown yet, it means they need to be cooked for a longer period.
If they are bloody or pink in color and the juices aren’t clear, then they are uncooked. However, cayenne pepper and red paprika are added to the stuffing; they give a never-ending pink color to the sausages. So, the best way is to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.
To remove the excess grease from your brown sausages, all you have to do is rub a piece of bread over the sausage to absorb the extra fatty layer.
Should I remove the sausage casing before cooking?
Most of the time, sausage casings are edible, but in this scenario, you should check if the sausage is made with natural casings or synthetically with collagen or cellulose. Also, if they feel like a thick cover or plastic, you should remove the covering first.
These are the ways you can remove the casing from your Italian sausages:
- Freeze the sausage for 15-20 mins and make a slit from one end to another end, flip the sausage and slip that casing off the sausage.
- Simmer the sausage for 2-3 minutes in the hot water then give them a cold water bath to stop the cooking process. Pat dry it, make a shallow slit on the sausage, and peel the casing back to free your sausage.
Cut the Italian sausages diagonally into the shape of coins for extra taste and flavor.
What is the difference between Italian sausage and regular sausage?
The difference that makes Italian sausages different from others is a licorice-scented herb called fennel included in the pork stuffing. They are cured mainly in a natural way.
The stuffing can be hot, mild, or sweet based on your preferred addition of hot red pepper flakes or sweet basil in the stuffing. But the mixture of cracked fennel seeds and ground fennel makes the taste of the Italian sausage distinctive from many meaty sausages.
What do you eat with Italian sausages?
The Italian sausages are served mainly with:
- Soups or stews
- Risotto
- Pasta dishes
- Buttered noodles
- Marinara sauce
Nutrition Facts
| NUTRITION | 1 SERVING |
| Calories | 258 |
| Total fat | 20g |
| Cholesterol | 43mg |
| Sodium | 557mg |
| Potassium | 228mg |
| Carbohydrates | 3.2g |
| Protein | 14g |
| Vitamin A | 0.2% |
| Vitamin C | 0.1% |
| Iron | 1.2% |
| Calcium | 6% |
How to make air fryer Italian sausages
Ingredients:
- Italian sausages
- Water
- Meat thermometer
Directions:
- Preheat the air fryer for at least 1-3 minutes.
- Add 2-4 tablespoons of water to the base of the air fryer basket to prevent the smoke which is produced by the dripping of fat into the base.
- Line the Italian sausages into a single layer on the basket while leaving some spaces in between the sausages so they don’t get ripped.
- Cook them for 10-12 minutes flipping them halfway through cooking to make sure they are cooked even or until the internal temperatures reach the temperature of 165 Fahrenheit.
- Take out the sausages with a pair of tongs and pat dry them with paper towels or a piece of bread to remove the excess fat.
- Serve them immediately.
How to store leftover sausages?
The best part about cooking your favorite meals in big batches is that you can have them the next day with the same health benefits. If there are any sausages left, make sure they cool down, then pack them in an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to have it the next day, add the sausages to a microwave container and heat them right up for a crunchier meal.
Summary
- Italian sausages can be eaten for the lunch as the classic breakfast, for brunch, or at the dinner table as the main dish.
- It has a lot of flavors to be chosen from such as sweet, mild, or hot.
- They are low carb yet are packed with a lot of proteins and extra flavors.
- Making them in an air fryer makes life easier because they require less cleaning and provides moist, juicy, and crunchy golden brown sausage every time.
- Having them with risotto, in the pasta dish, or just with marinara sauce makes the sausages make taste buds mouth-watering.