What Is Smoked sausage and How Can I Use It?

If smoked sausage has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 66 recipes to try it in.

Nutrition

Food group

Smoked sausage is a member of the Sausages and Luncheon Meats US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much does smoked sausage weigh?

Related

Sausages and Luncheon Meats

Recipes using smoked sausage

There are 66 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Country Cassoulet

A rustic American cassoulet with navy beans, browned chicken legs, crispy bacon, and smoked sausage baked in a tomato and herb broth. Hearty French-inspired comfort food for 4 to 6.

Loaded Spicy Chili with Italian Sausage & Ground Beef

Loaded chili built on three meats, ground beef, hot Italian sausage, and smoked sausage, with kidney beans, a layered hit of serrano and habanero heat, and a splash of red wine. Thickened with cornmeal and tastes even better the next day.

S & W Kick-Off Chili

Delicious chili made with succulent beef, sausage, tomatoes and kidney beans. Great served by itself or with a bread bowl!

Crescent City Red Beans & Rice (Crock-Pot)

New Orleans red beans and rice made easy in the slow cooker. Dried red beans cooked low with a smoky ham hock, garlic, and bay, thickened creamy, then piled over rice with browned smoked sausage.

Flournoy Red Beans & Rice

Louisiana red beans and rice simmered with a meaty ham bone, smoked sausage, the holy trinity, and hot sauce. Soaked overnight, slow-cooked, and served over fluffy rice with scallions.

Hardy Potato Soup

Hearty potato soup with browned smoked sausage, onion, and parsley. A no-cream, no-fuss one-pot soup where the potatoes break down into a thick, starchy broth with smoky meat flavor.

Tex-Mix

Four-ingredient Tex-Mex skillet with smoked beef sausage, rice, red beans, and hickory barbecue sauce. Dinner on the table in 10 minutes flat.

Turkey Gumbo (Franz)

Turkey gumbo built from a leftover carcass with a dark roux, okra, smoked sausage, bacon, and Cajun spices. A rich, hearty way to use your holiday turkey.

Shrimp'N' Chicken Gumbo

Louisiana-style shrimp and chicken gumbo with smoked sausage, the holy trinity, and a dry-roasted oven roux. No-mess deep brown roux that drives serious Cajun flavor.

Spicy-Sweet Treats

Spicy-sweet appetizer bites with picante sauce and honey glaze over chicken, turkey, shrimp, or smoked sausage. A two-ingredient sauce that works as a party appetizer served with toothpicks.

Pesto Potato-Sausage Salad

Pesto potato-sausage salad with red potatoes, browned kielbasa, cherry tomatoes, and a basil pesto-vinegar dressing. Served warm or at room temperature with just 5 ingredients.

Cajun Cannelloni

Cannelloni stuffed with crawfish, crab, Italian sausage, and a four-cheese ricotta blend, baked under a slow-simmered tomato sauce with jalapeños. Where Cajun meets Italian and everybody wins.

Mini Sausage Rubens

Mini sausage Reubens on party rye with smoked sausage, sauerkraut, Thousand Island, and bubbly Swiss cheese. Butter-toasted bread keeps them crispy under all that tangy, melty goodness.

Smoked Sausage Italian Bean Soup

One-pot Italian bean soup loaded with sliced smoked sausage, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, and small pasta shells in a savory broth. Warming, filling, and ready in 45 minutes.

Smoky Sausage Lentil Soup

Thick, hearty lentil soup with chunks of smoked sausage, potatoes, carrots and a surprising strip of orange zest that brightens the whole pot. A filling main-course bowl ready in about 80 minutes.

Boiled Crawfish

A succulent seafood dish made with smoked sausage, potatoes and a bit of cayenne pepper.

One-Dish Meal

Slow cooker one-dish meal with ground beef, bacon, smoked sausage, and four kinds of beans in a sweet-smoky ketchup and honey sauce. A hearty crowd-feeder for 10.

Poule D'Eau Jambalaya

Poule D'Eau Jambalaya with rabbit and smoked sausage cooked in a black iron pot. A big-batch Cajun rice dish with Ro-Tel tomatoes, mushrooms, and the holy trinity of vegetables.

Wild Duck Gumbo

Rich wild duck gumbo built on a dark roux with smoked sausage, the holy trinity, stewed tomatoes, and cayenne heat. Ladle it over rice for a true Louisiana supper.

Mr. Food's Bistro Supper Soup

Mr. Food's bistro supper soup throws diced tomatoes, French onion soup, smoked sausage, corn and picante sauce into one pot. Six ingredients, ready in 10 minutes.

Split Pea Soup with Potato & Sausage

Split pea soup with potato and sausage, a hearty slow cooker soup simmered with a meaty ham bone, smoked sausage, and vegetables until thick and creamy. A cozy, set-it-and-forget-it cold-weather meal.

Great Northern Bean Soup

Great northern bean soup simmers white beans with smoked sausage, onions, and garlic for two hours, then mashes to a creamy, hearty bowl. Old-school Southern soup that pairs beautifully with warm cornbread.

Justin Wilson's Boiled Crawfish

Justin Wilson's Cajun crawfish boil simmers 50 pounds of live crawfish with crab boil seasoning, lemons, cayenne, sausage, corn, and potatoes. The gold standard Louisiana backyard feast.

Cheese Fondue, American Style

Sharp cheddar cheese fondue made with cream of cheddar soup, garlic, and a splash of kirsch. Serve with crusty bread, meats, and fresh veggies for a crowd-pleasing party dip.

Smoked Chicken Hens

Whole chickens stuffed with sausage dressing and smoked over charcoal for 5 hours with a wine-herb water pan. Louisiana-style backyard smoking at its finest. Serves 8.

All 66 recipes