Taste Test: The Best Italian Sausage Links
Updated: Apr. 23, 2024
Ready to fire up the grill? Make sure you've got the best Italian sausage links at the ready—along with plenty of onions and peppers to garnish.
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Who Makes the Best Italian Sausage?
Whether you prefer them on the grill, in a skillet or even in the slow cooker, Italian sausages are a great way to add a little zing to your dinner. Before you fire up the grill, though, make sure you have the best Italian sausage links to serve to your friends and guests.
So who makes the best? Our Test Kitchen pros sampled eight brands—including chicken sausage—to find out.
How We Tested Italian Sausage Links
Our Test Kitchen team gathered up eight different Italian sausage brands—including a handful of chicken sausages—for this taste test. Our grilling expert Catherine Ward tossed them on the barbie for a delicious lunch. Each sausage was judged according to these categories, and the brands were kept secret until the test was over to avoid any biases.
- Appearance: Simply put, a good sausage should look like something you can’t wait to grab off the grill. They shouldn’t be misshapen or gray.
- Texture: The casing on sausage should be thin, and it should help create a satisfying snap when bitten into. Inside, the grind should be relatively coarse—this is standard for Italian sausage.
- Flavor: Italian sausages—be they made with pork or chicken—should be seasoned well with salt and Italian spices like fennel, red pepper flakes, oregano and garlic.
So what are the best? Here’s a preview of our sausage picks:
- Best for Grilling: Aldi Mild Italian Sausage Links
- Best with Sauce: Great Value Mild Italian Sausage Links
- Best Mild Sausage: Rastelli’s Mild Italian Pork Sausage
- Best Chicken Sausage: Good & Gather Italian-Style Smoked Chicken Sausage
Read on to get the full scoop on each of our top picks.
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Best for Grilling
Aldi Mild Italian Sausage Links
Ready to fire up the grill? Make sure you’ve got some Aldi Mild Italian Sausage Links at the ready. If you ask our Test Kitchen, these sausages are a can’t-miss item at our favorite budget grocer.
From the jump, these sausages got high marks. The outside casing is crisp and thin. Once you bite into it, you’ll find that the inside literally bursts with flavor; these links are juicy and well-seasoned. In addition to the natural pork flavor, you’ll pick up plenty of fennel and red pepper flakes. While advertised as mild, these links do have a bit of heat!
The Test Kitchen’s Sarah Tramonte sums this brand up simply: “This is a great Italian sausage.”
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Best Italian Sausage to Serve with Sauce
Great Value Mild Italian Sausage Links
Our Test Kitchen knows that grilling isn’t the only way to enjoy Italian sausage. If you prefer yours simmered in a pan of red sauce, go for Walmart’s Great Value Mild Italian Sausage Links.
These sausages had a coarser grind—what our team expects from an Italian sausage link—and plenty of seasoning. These links were a bit saltier with plenty of fennel flavor to compliment the pork.
And that extra bit of salt makes all the difference when looking for sausages to turn into slow-simmered sammies. That seasoning can add flavor to a basic tomato sauce, explains Catherine. For best results, she suggests serving links on crusty Italian rolls with plenty of sauce, onions and peppers.
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Best Mild Italian Sausage
Rastelli’s Mild Italian Pork Sausage
Looking for a delicious Italian that’ll please everyone at the party? That’s Rastelli’s Mild Italian Pork Sausage.
This sausage doesn’t have as much heat as other links, but it still packs plenty of flavor. Our testers loved the savory flavor of the pork here which comes from the shoulder cut (the same cut used to make pulled pork). These links were also seasoned to perfection with a hint of salt, paprika and Italian herbs. The result is a sausage that’s flavorful but not overly spicy. If you want to add a bit of heat, try some hot giardiniera spooned over the top.
Rastelli’s sausage also got high marks for texture. “The casing has a really nice snap, and the interior is really tender and juicy,” says Ellie Crowley in the Test Kitchen.
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Best Chicken Sausage
Good & Gather Italian-Style Smoked Chicken Sausage
If you prefer to enjoy chicken-based sausages at your barbecue, our Test Kitchen recommends Target’s Good & Gather Italian-Style Smoked Chicken Sausage.
These sausages have a slightly smoky flavor and plenty of Italian flavors encased inside. Our team picked up notes of red pepper, fennel, onion and rosemary. All these flavors are welcome on a bun piled high with sauteed peppers and onion. You could even slice up these sausages and use them in a skillet dinner.
Now, our Test Kitchen wants to make it clear: Chicken sausages of any kind aren’t quite comparable to traditional pork sausages in terms of flavor and texture. However, you can still enjoy a good chicken sausage at your cookout—it just won’t be quite the same as the other links you’re grilling.
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Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing food, kitchen gadgets and cleaning gear looking for brands that deserve the right to be called Test Kitchen-Preferred.
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Originally Published: August 10, 2023
