Italian Turkey Sausage Sandwich

When I was a little, I traveled to Colorado every summer to visit my Aunt and Uncle.  I can still remember my Uncle Dick standing in the kitchen making his incredible Italian sausage sandwiches.  We would gobble them up almost as fast as he could make them!  This is my healthier, flipped version in honor of my Uncle.

I wasn't sure what the results would be using herbs and spices for normal Italian sausage in ground turkey instead of pork.  I was thrilled with the results!  It beats the store brand in flavor and nutrition.   I definitely plan on freezing some for future recipes!

I compared an average Italian sausage sandwich to my flipped Italian turkey sausage version and here's what I discovered:

Instead of 700 calories, mine has 298 calories.  Instead of 42g of fat, mine has 5g of fat.  Instead of 46g of carbs, mine has 25g of carbs.  Are you ready for this?  Instead of 2230mg of sodium, mine has 636mg of sodium!!

Many of you are familiar with the type of bread I used just by looking at the picture.  So, you have an idea of the size of this easy to make sandwich.  It's more like a Quarter pound burger made with Italian sausage!

Of course, you can't call a sandwich "Italian" without real Provolone cheese.  Click on the recipe and take at look at the special ingredient I used.  Enjoy!


Servings: 4  Serving size: 1  Calories: 298  Fat: 5g  Carbs: 25g  Fiber: 6g  Protein: 35g  Sugar: 6g  Sodium: 626mg                           Old Points: 5    Points+: 7

Ingredients:   

• 1 lb of 99% fat free ground Turkey
• 1 1/2 tsp Fennel Seed, toasted 
• 1 tsp ground Sage
• 1/2 tsp ground Thyme
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup Chicken Stock (usually with canned broth in grocery store) 
• 1 small Green Pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup Onion, sliced into thin strips
• 4 slices of Provolone cheese ( I used Sargento ultra thin)
• 4 sandwich thin buns, toasted (I used Orowheat Multi-grain 100 calorie)
• 1/2 cup Marinara sauce (I used Prego Light Smart)

Directions:  (24 Hours In Advance)

1. In a large bowl, lightly mix turkey, **fennel seed, sage, thyme, salt, garlic and chicken stock until blended (I use my hands).  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.  

**To toast fennel seed: Lightly spray a small fry pan with cooking spray. Preheat pan over medium heat. Add fennel seeds.  Stir continuously until fennel seeds are light golden brown.  Watch carefully...they toast fast!  Pour over cold ground turkey to stop the cooking process.