How to Cook a Sausage Patty in a Pan

Cooking sausage patties is fairly easy. Whether you're dealing with a standard pork-based breakfast sausage, or something like chicken or turkey, the process is the same.

In terms of breakfast sausage patties nutrition, a lot will depend on the type of meat used. Many sausages use sodium nitrate as a preservative. According to the Mayo Clinic, sodium nitrate may increase your heart disease risk, as it's thought to damage your blood vessels and may affect how your body uses sugar.

Processed meats like breakfast sausage are often high in sodium and some may even be high in saturated fat, which can be an issue for a heart healthy diet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) FoodData Central shows that a single patty (35 grams) of pork sausage contains:

• 114 calories
• 6 grams of protein
• 10 grams of fat
• 285 milligrams of sodium

Let's compare that to USDA FoodData Central data for the same size patty made with chicken or turkey That contains:

• 82 calories
• 5 grams of protein
• 6 grams of fat
• 224 milligrams of sodium

And finally, here's what the USDA FoodData Central says about the same size patty made with beef:

• 142 calories
• 6 grams of protein
• 13 grams of fat
• 288 milligrams of sodium

When you consider that's a single patty and many serving sizes allow for two or three patties, it's a lot of salt and fat, even using healthy sausage meat recipes that are chicken or turkey based.

Read more: Can You Eat Sausages on a Low-Carb Diet?

Depending on the brand, frying sausage meat may require you to thaw it first. If you've forgotten to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, you can use your microwave's defrost cycle to thaw it before you start cooking.

Some brands are okay for frying sausage meat from frozen. The best way to know which one you're working with is to read the box.

Place a pan on the stove and warm over medium high heat. Arrange the sausage patties in a single layer on the pan. Cook for three to five minutes per side, or until the meat is browned and cooked through.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, beef and pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken and turkey should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from heat and place on a plate lined with paper towels. This will help soak up some of the grease from cooking sausage patties.

Read more: Breakfast Foods that Are High in Iron

Though the food industry wants you to believe chicken sausage breakfast patties nutrition is a healthier alternative to traditionally frying sausage meat, the reality is, it's not much better for you. It's lower in fat and calories, yes, but it's still high in sodium.

If you want to make a healthier sausage, there are many healthy sausage meat recipes out there. The key is making your own sausage patties from ground turkey or chicken. The meat is lower in fat and will be better for you, and you won't be dealing with sodium nitrates.

Without the fat, it will be harder to keep the meat in a patty shape, so you'll want to use an egg to bind it together. Then, you can start frying sausage meat according to the directions above.

The good thing about healthy sausage meat recipes is that you can make the patties ahead of time and freeze them to thaw and cook whenever you want. You can also save time by frying the sausage meat before you freeze it, so all you have to do is thaw and heat up.