Heart-healthy sausage burgers
Lean pork and spices formed into homemade burger patties make this a savory, guilt-free backyard treat.
Fire up the grill and enjoy these tasty heart-healthy Italian sausage burgers at your next cookout.
The words sausage and heart-healthy aren’t typically found in the same sentence, but these quick-to-make burgers allow you to enjoy the flavors you love in a healthy way. A homemade spice mixture is added to lean ground pork, creating a full-flavored sausage patty with significantly less sodium and saturated fat than processed store-bought sausage.
No grill? No problem. Toss formed patties on a sheet pan and broil on the highest rack in your oven, flipping once, until fully cooked.
Ingredients
| 1 lb lean ground pork |
| 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns |
| Optional – 4 slices provolone cheese, Dijon mustard |
Spice Mixture
| 1 teaspoon ground fennel |
| 1 teaspoon dried basil |
| 1 teaspoon garlic powder |
| 2 teaspoons fresh Italian parsley |
| ½ teaspoon onion powder |
| ½ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika |
| ¼ -1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, depending on desired heat level |
| ¼ teaspoon dried oregano |
| Several grinds of cracked black pepper |
Peppers & Onions Mixture
| 1 small onion |
| 1 medium red pepper |
| 1 medium green pepper |
| 2 teaspoons fresh Italian parsley |
| ½ teaspoon dried basil |
| 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar |
| 1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste, no salt added |
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine all spice mixture ingredients. Place ground pork in a large bowl and sprinkle with the spices. Mix well and form seasoned pork into 4, 4 oz patties. Refrigerate until ready to grill.
- De-seed peppers and slice peppers and onions into uniform pieces. In a large sauté pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté sliced onion for 3 minutes before adding sliced peppers. Sauté another 6 minutes and then add dried basil, red wine vinegar, and tomato paste. Stir well, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers are tender, approximately 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat grill to medium high. Grill patties for 4-6 minutes per side until cooked through. Finished burger cooking temperature should be a minimum of 160°. If desired, add a thin slice of provolone cheese during the last minute of cooking.
- Lightly toast insides of buns on the grill and if using, coat with a thin smear of Dijon mustard. Serve burgers hot, topped with onions and pepper mixture.
Serves 4.
Nutrition
Nutrition for 4 oz burger with peppers and onions (refer to packaging for bun nutrition):
| Calories | 232 | Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g | Monounsaturated Fat | 1 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0 g | Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 70 mg | Sodium | 65 mg |
| Potassium | 164 mg | Total Carbohydrate | 7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g | Sugars | 3 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
