Great Guilt-Free Supermarket Sausages

Posted Wed, Feb 20, 2008, 10:24 am PST

If you love breakfast sausages but hate fat and calories, you know the pseudosausage world is rough. Veggie, soy, chicken, turkey, whatever--most are bland, spongy, and generally icky. We know: We taste-tested a dozen different kinds and wouldn't buy most again. Ever. But three made the cut! Very tasty and way healthier than the real deal, which averages about 8 grams of fat (3 saturated) per ounce. Not per patty or link, per ounce. Ouch. Which makes these three winners even more tempting. Happy brunch!

Grand prize: Jimmy Dean D-lights Turkey Sausage
Tester talk: "Each bite was satisfying." "I never wanted this one to end."
This baby comes already assembled, breakfast-sandwich style, complete with a whole-grain muffin, egg white, and cheese. It tastes sooo good, and even though the patty is small, the sandwich is filling. Plus, the bread cooks up nice and fluffy in the microwave. It has more sodium and saturated fat than we'd like, but it's a major improvement over a sausage and egg McMuffin, which is just 0.7 oz. bigger but has almost four times the fat--27g (10 sat)--plus 920mg sodium and 450 calories. Whew.

The nutrition stats for a 5-ounce sandwich: 260 cals, 7g fat(3.5g sat), 840mg sodium, 18g protein

Runner-up: Trader Joe's Sweet Bell Pepper & Onion Chicken Sausage
Tester talk: "Hearty enough for lunch, too." "Try it on a bun, with mustard."
TJ's chicken sausage mixture tastes different from pork sausage, but good different because it's full of flavor, not grease. One hefty all-natural link is enough to satisfy anyone with a good-sized appetite on Sunday morning. Boiled, broiled, or lightly sautéed in a non-stick skillet and plopped on a bun or sliced into pasta sauce, it makes a great lunch or dinner as well.

The nutrition stats for a 3.2-ounce sausage: 160 cals, 8g fat (2g sat), 600mg sodium, 19g protein

3rd place: MorningStar Farms Sausage Links
Tester talk: "Got a craving for scrambled eggs and sausage? Definitely consider this!"
These veggie links are too crumbly to mistake for real sausage, but they have a mildly spicy flavor with a hint of sweetness that's yummy--and flavor is what it's all about. Your taste buds won't remotely realize that the links are made mainly of textured vegetable protein, egg whites, and corn oil.

The nutrition stats for a 2-link serving (1.6 oz.): 80 cals, 3g fat (0.5g sat), 300mg sodium, 9g protein

What's the payoff for walking right past the "real" sausage? Avoiding saturated fats--the kind pork sausage is packed with--and trans fats can make your RealAge more than 4 years younger.

26 Comments

1. Posted by bunny on Wed, Feb 20, 2008, 7:19 pm PST

i MUCH prefer the morningstar farms sausage patties to the links- they're awesome in biscuits and gravy. also- if you're a fan of chorizo, try the soyrizo- you won't be able to tell the difference.
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2. Posted by terry r on Wed, Feb 20, 2008, 7:28 pm PST

we like Honeysuckle White breakfast link and 1lb. roll sausage and their Sweet Italian sausage is very good grilled or to add in a pasta dish.
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3. Posted by D. on Thu, Feb 21, 2008, 2:25 am PST

Boca makes an italian link sausage that is just AWESOME. I prepare it, then saute the pieces with onions, peppers, tomatoes...an incredible sausage hero sandwich...they've got the spices DOWN.. YAYYYY!! :)
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4. Posted by futurerichguy on Thu, Feb 21, 2008, 12:58 pm PST

All the Jimmi Dean breakfast sandwiches are awesome!! The low-fat option is alright, but dang the biscuit sandwiches are just too tempting:)
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5. Posted by Jack Z on Thu, Feb 21, 2008, 1:17 pm PST

sausages are good
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6. Posted by j m on Thu, Feb 21, 2008, 6:10 pm PST

Ditto what "bunny" said. The title of the article, however, was misleading. The claim being made was "guilt-free," but the only one listed that fit that title was the Morning Star Farms product. To most people, guilt-free means cruelty-free, i.e. no animals were killed to make this product. The first two contain dead animals.
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7. Posted by Jamus2u on Fri, Feb 22, 2008, 8:04 am PST

I order smoked turkey sausage from Cracker Barrel Restaurant. Anyone tried these. They are DEVINE. Hope I'm not being fooled by Cracker Barrel.
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8. Posted by girly girl on Fri, Feb 22, 2008, 11:29 am PST

GO VEGETARIAN! please
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9. Posted by Michelle on Fri, Feb 22, 2008, 11:46 am PST

The term guilt-free to most people means a healthier choice (Lower fat/calories/sodium etc.). It has NOTHING to do with being animal free.
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10. Posted by jacqui c on Sat, Feb 23, 2008, 6:27 am PST

I thought the article was very informing for the general consumer. Whether you eat meat or are a vegetarain is strictly a personal choice and was not the intention of this article.
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11. Posted by frisky07 on Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 4:59 am PST

Fresh venison(deer) sausage is GREAT I know hunters who give me quite a bit ,then I freeze it... I don't care about its calorie/fat content Deer is naturally a lower fat meat . Its free of chemicals,its not overly processed and its freshly processed. It tastes great. Buffalo is also very good ,but VERY high in fat. Thats an occasional treat. I usually eat chicken- I marinate it 24 hours before cooking in different marinades: Soy sauce, Jamaican jerk ,Hawaiian, Spicy , Pepper /Lemon, etc. I also eat pork chops and sometimes beef...Love fish also:especially fresh caught : tuna from Hawaii,lake trout,shark,catfish,Alaskan salmon.etc. NEVER buy any farm raised fish: the fish are stressed,swim in tanks of their fecal matter and they taste like excrement.
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12. Posted by sleepy on Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 5:38 am PST

Amy's chicken & maple sausages are GREAT http://www.sausagesbyamy.com/ I get them at whole foods. They even have little links, great for breakfast.
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13. Posted by mshatti2002 on Thu, Feb 28, 2008, 9:39 am PST

I love all three, you wouldn't be bored with the taste. I also would like to add Hillshire Farm's Smoked TURKEY Sausage. They are good for breakfast, lunch & excellent for dinner in a pasta dish.
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14. Posted by psmedbill on Thu, Feb 28, 2008, 11:27 am PST

zumba zumba zumba
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15. Posted by safire48 on Thu, Feb 28, 2008, 1:14 pm PST

I just got back from Iraq, walked across base (1mile) every day several times. I am 56 yrs old and lost 14 lbs without doing anything but walking, some portion control and limited carbs (somewhat). I am convinced that as we age walking or "moving" through out the day is crucial to good health. I could have lost more if I was working out at the gym more often through the deployment. Arrived with 136lbs and left at 122 lbs.
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16. Posted by whipusrs on Thu, Feb 28, 2008, 2:20 pm PST

thank you for these articles. they really help.
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17. Posted by John S on Tue, Mar 04, 2008, 6:05 am PST

Have you ever tryed CoCo's turkey sausage it's the best , If you ever eat there .
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18. Posted by John S on Tue, Mar 04, 2008, 6:05 am PST

Have you ever tryed CoCo's turkey sausage it's the best , If you ever eat there .
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19. Posted by Lisa H on Tue, Mar 04, 2008, 6:57 am PST

Just a comment on the venison sausage idea: If you have a commercial meat market make venison sausage prodcts for you they make it sausage like by grinding up pork fat with the naturally lean venison and spices, which mostly makes the venison products just as bad for you as other commercial meat sausages. You could grind your own venison and add spices and make your own sausage patties that would be very lean, but I would recommend using a bit of olive oil to cook them up in.
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20. Posted by I love Paris on Tue, Mar 04, 2008, 10:36 am PST

Has anyone tried LIGHTLIFE (Gimme Lean)? It is meat free veggie protein, ground sausage style, in a 14 oz. tube. A serving size is 2 oz. with only 60 cal./2 oz. No fat, total carb 6g protein 8g & 1g sugar. I love it, tastes like pork sausage. Call " LIGHT LIFE FOODS" 1-800-SOY EAST.
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21. Posted by Spanky on Sun, Mar 09, 2008, 12:38 pm PDT

Real PORK sausage is the ONLY way to go!!!!
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22. Posted by armywife3 on Sun, Mar 09, 2008, 12:45 pm PDT

Unfortunately I thought the DLite's from Jimmy Dean were nasty...to me that is. I am glad Jennie O finally has breakfast sausage that is microwaveable. I was getting annoyed that the grocery store only carried the kind you have to cook on the stove.
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23. Posted by porterschool227 on Tue, Mar 11, 2008, 6:59 am PDT

The Jimmy Dean's are excellent, It is great to have this fast option and not have to rely on a drive-thru. I am going to try the other two as well. I have actually taken the Jimmy Dean's as an emergency lunch.
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24. Posted by Judi B on Tue, Mar 11, 2008, 9:05 am PDT

If you live in the Pacific NW then you may be able to get Isernio's Sausage at the grocery store - this is the most amazing stuff. Made with chicken and it comes in several flavors including a couple suitable for breakfast - I buy it everyweek! www.isernio.com
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25. Posted by td59101 on Sat, Apr 05, 2008, 5:57 pm PDT

the gimme lean sausage made by lightlife is supposed to be "meat free" but actually contatins beef. Read the ingredients for yourself. If you are a vegetarian be warned. To me this is as bad a Mcdonalds stateng that their fries were meat free as well but actually contains beef tallow.
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26. Posted by td59101 on Sat, Apr 05, 2008, 5:59 pm PDT

The sausage from morning star farms is pretty good.
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