Allergen-Free Breakfast Sausage

Breakfast is the hardest meal of the day for me. Practically every breakfast food has an allergen in it or is, in itself, an allergen. I struggled to come up with something that sounded appetizing that I could eat. I really love sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits–you know, the ones that come from that greasy fast-food place that rhymes with “wicdonalds”. But I couldn’t eat any part of it (Eggs? Cheese? Gluten? Pork? Nope. Nope. Nope. And nope.) Then I thought, maybe I could at least find a sausage recipe that I could make ahead and reheat in the mornings. What started as a determined search a year or so ago, finally ended in this recipe. I found it somewhere online, made a few tweaks, and it has since become a family favorite.

Sausage is a tricky food, allergenically speaking. Many (but not all) manufacturers use various forms of gluten or soy as binding or filling agents or as flavorings. And some (but not all) manufacturers will choose to disclose allergen information on their packaging. I’ve learned, from painful experience, to err on the side of caution. If it doesn’t say on the package that it’s gluten-free or soy-free or whatever, then I assume that it’s not and I don’t eat it. The only way to be really sure is to make your own.

My usual breakfast consists of a very filling protein smoothie (which has also become the vehicle for all of my various supplements and medications) and one or two of these sausage patties. If I need a little something else I will toast a gluten-free pancake from the freezer, or have a bowl of gluten-free cold cereal. But usually, this is enough to last me until lunchtime.

I like to use a combination of ground turkey and chicken in this recipe. The chicken is just a little bit fattier and adds some flavor. You could certainly use pork if you prefer that and can tolerate it. If you’re using turkey or chicken, be very careful not to overcook your sausages. They dry out quickly! I cook mine about 3 minutes on each side. If I’m eating them right away I’ll cook them a little longer, but usually I’m cooking up a big batch for the freezer. If I know they’re going to be reheated then I like to leave them a little undercooked in the middle, and then they get done all the way through when I reheat them.