Sausages cooked this way make excellent grinders, subs or po’boys!!
I was pleased with how delicious these oven-baked Italian sausages turned out! As you can see in the photo, the sausages were brown and juicy. I am never again going to bother browning sausages in a skillet again! No matter how hard I tried, even with a splatter guard, I’d always end up with grease splattered all over my kitchen.
To cook sausages in the oven, simply place sausages on a broiler pan and pierce each one a few times with a sharp knife. Bake at 400 (F) for 30 minutes. (It sure beats making a big mess!)
++ Line the bottom of the broiler pan with foil for an easy clean up.
++ If you don’t own a broiler pan, line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top. 
Place broiler pan containing sausages in a preheated 400(F) degree oven for 30 minutes. ++ Don’t forget to ‘prick’ the sausages at least on one side so the fat can drain out.
You can turn the sausages once, but it’s not necessary. I turned them the first time I tried this, the day before Christmas, but yesterday I forgot simply because I was on my computer .. checking on ‘My Yellow Farmhouse’.
++ If you do turn the sausages, you might want to cook them a bit longer – until both sides are nicely browned and crisped, but its not necessary.
I prepared a spaghetti sauce last night with some of the oven baked Italian sausages (I used both sweet and hot), plus the ‘Baby Bella Mushrooms with Balsamic and Sage’. I’m keeping some of the sauce for myself and sharing some with one of my neighbors. She’s Italian-American – I hope she likes it!!
How to Prepare ‘Baby Bella Mushrooms with Balsamic and Sage’
I think you’ll like the earthy flavor the dried sage adds to this dish. And a bit of balsamic adds a whole other level of flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Tbs. butter
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 (16 oz.) package sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 2 Tbs. good-quality balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 – 3/4 tsp. dried sage
- 1 Tbs. roughly chopped Italian parsley
- freshly ground pepper
++ See if you can find a package of good-sized Baby Bella Mushrooms. The ones I found were large and meaty, a bit like Portabella mushrooms. In fact, Portabella mushrooms would be wonderful prepared this way!
Put 1 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet. Allow butter and olive oil to heat a bit before adding 16 oz. sliced Baby Bella (or Portabella) mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms begin to soften.
Add 2 Tbs. good-quality balsamic vinegar and 1/2 – 3/4 tsp. dried sage, 1 Tbs. roughly chopped Italian parsley and some freshly ground pepper.
Continue to cook just a few minutes more, stirring often, until mushrooms are fully cooked. That’s it!!
++ Don’t make the mistake of over-cooking mushrooms. If juice starts pouring out of the mushrooms, you’ve cooked them too long.
A terrific hogie, sub or po’boy can be made with a combination of sweet and hot Italian sausage and these mushrooms. Or, the sausages and mushrooms could be added to a big pot of spaghetti sauce, as I did last night. (I’m planning to serve ‘Baby Bella Mushrooms with Balsamic and Sage’ as a side for a nice, fat steak or a juicy chicken breast.) Enjoy!
myyellowfarmhouse.com 
Too cold to barbecue? NEVER!!! My grill is just outside my kitchen door and I use it year-round. Even so, however, I use my oven almost exclusively to roast sausages. They don’t require as much frequent attention like they do on the grill. Your method sure does look good, Cecile, and love those mushrooms. Just the other day, I was thinking that I should make some sausage and along comes your recipe. Better thaw out some pork, eh?
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You know, you’re not the first one to say they grill all year long. I’d better ‘get with the program’!! ; o )
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I clean my stove stop at least twice a day. When will somebody ever invent a splatter free cook top? I would buy it straightaway. The sausages look delicious. Next time I shall use your recipe instead. How is the New Year so far? Mine is busy, but nice all the same. Imagine what the world would be like if we were all idle. Have a wonderful week!
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I clean my stove top almost every time I cook.. I guess I’m a messy cook. — No – I KNOW I’m a messy cook! Glad to hear your new year has started well – mine has too! I often wonder about people who say they’re bored – there’s always something to do, something to read, a new recipe to try or a movie/documentary to watch on my Roku or rented from Netflix. I don’t watch much ‘regular’ TV much anymore… although I still have my DirecTV account. I’ve promised myself I’ll post a lot more this year… of course, I’ve also promised myself I’ll exercise.. time will tell on both!! ; o )
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That’s a great idea Cecile. Anything fired on top of the stove makes such a mess. I do my bacon in the oven now too. They really look great!
But seriously? It’s never too cold to grill outside here in New England – you just have to move fast from the grill to the back door.
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I’ve always done my sausages the Australian way, slowly, unpricked and on the barbecue as chef Maggie Beer (from Australia) tells us too. She says if we prick Australian sausages, all the flavour goes in the pan. When my husband heard that, he told me not to prick. (sometimes I do when he’s not looking)
I agree with Mimi – if you make something and you and the family like it, you should share it. I could live on those mushrooms!
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Hi Maureen. I certainly consider ‘Aussies’ THE barbecue experts, so if a chef from Australia says ‘not to prick’ – that’s certainly good advice!! ; o )
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Hi Mimi – thanks so much for taking the time to comment. You know what, I thought of you as I was working on posting this because you’re a wonderful chef and I wondered if these ‘recipes’ were worth posting because they’re hardly recipes at all. But you made a very good point about Italian cuisine, as well as other cuisines. I think most cultures, and Cajun comes to mind with dishes like jambalaya, cooked with whatever they had on hand and whatever was fresh, including things like leftover bread and tomatoes for bread salad, for example. This post is doing pretty well, which just proves your point!! My year is going very well and I hope you’re having a wonderful beginning of 2016 as well !! ; o )
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No such thing as too easy of a recipe! It’s still a recipe, and this sounds lovely! Remember that the Italians especially make the most simplistic of food, with the fewest ingredients, and it’s probably the most popular cuisine! HOpe you’re having a good year so far!
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Having lived in an apartment with no outdoor cooking facilities I agree that oven baked sausages are wonderful. Roasting seems to be a gentler treatment that benefits the flavors & texture.
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I think you just answered my question as to why the texture of the sausages was so different from grilling – and I liked it!! Thanks for taking the time to comment!!! ; o )
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Thanks ‘A’ !! I ‘stuffed my face’ last night with the spaghetti sauce with the sausage and Baby Bella mushrooms and a few slices of crusty bread! ; o )
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Looks delicious.
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