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!
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