This skillet Italian sausage is our go-to way to cook Italian sausage on the stove. We brown the links in a little oil, then add water, cover the pan, and let them steam until they reach 160°F inside. It takes about 20 minutes, and the sausages come out browned on the outside and juicy in the middle.
Recipe at a glance
- Main ingredients: Italian sausage links, oil, water
- Time: Time: 20 minutes (about 5 minutes browning, then 10 to 15 minutes covered)
- Method: Method: Stovetop, browned in a skillet, then steamed with the lid on
- Best for: Weeknight dinners, sandwiches, and pasta
- Servings: 4
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What's great about this recipe
- Browned outside, juicy inside - Browning the links first and then steaming them with the lid on cooks them through without drying them out.
- Three ingredients, one pan - All you need is oil, water, and a package of Italian sausage links.
- Use it your way - Serve the sausages whole, in a sandwich, or sliced into pasta.
Budget check
- The full recipe is about $6 to $7
- Per serving (4 servings): about $1.50 to $1.75
Uses conventional ingredients. Based on recent U.S. averages. Actual prices will vary by store and region.
Ingredients you'll need
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- Italian sausage: Seasoned ground pork stuffed into a casing. We use fresh, uncooked pork Italian sausage links from the meat section of the supermarket. A 20-ounce package has about 5 links. Mild, hot, and sweet all cook the same way, so pick your favorite.
- Oil: We only need a little to get the sausage going. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point (not pictured).
- Water: We brown the outside first, then add water and cover the pan so the sausages steam until fully cooked.
📖 See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
How to cook Italian sausage in a skillet
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausage. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs to brown on all sides.
Carefully add the water to the skillet and cover. Make sure the water is boiling. If it isn't, raise the heat a little.
Cook covered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F and some or most of the liquid has cooked off. Check the temperature after 10 minutes so they don't overcook. If they aren't up to temperature, keep cooking and check again.
Remove the sausages from the skillet and serve.
Recipe tips and notes
- Use a non-stick skillet with a tight-fitting lid. If your skillet isn't non-stick, wait for the sausage to release from the pan before turning it so the casing doesn't tear.
- Turn the sausages with tongs, not a fork. Piercing the casing lets the juices run out, so the sausage can dry out. Hot liquid can also squirt quite a distance.
- Cooking time depends on size. Thick links take longer than thin ones, so go by temperature, not the clock.
- Check for 160°F. Use an instant-read thermometer on the largest, thickest sausage. Insert it through the end of the link toward the center. If it isn't up to temperature, keep cooking for a few minutes and check again.
What to serve with skillet Italian sausage
- Serve the sausages whole, tucked into an Italian sausage sandwich, or sliced for dipping. We like them with spicy mustard and our homemade chimichurri sauce.
- For a hearty dinner, we serve the sausages with garlic parsley potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, or roasted gold potatoes. They're also great with the easy sides in our 15 side dishes for summer cookouts.
- Sliced, they make a meatless sauce like our spaghetti sauce with squash heartier. They're a great topping for French bread pizza in place of the crumbled sausage, and they work in our pepperoni sausage pizza sliders.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerator: Store cooled sausages in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Warm the sausages in the microwave, or in a covered skillet so they steam and stay juicy.
Food safety: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if it's above 90°F. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
FAQs
About 20 minutes. We brown the links for about 5 minutes, then add water, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until they reach 160°F.
Use an instant-read thermometer. Insert it through the end of the thickest link toward the center. Pork Italian sausage is done when it reaches 160°F. Color alone isn't a reliable test.
A little helps. We use 1 tablespoon of a neutral oil with a high smoke point so the links start browning right away without sticking, even in a non-stick skillet.
No. Piercing the casing lets the juices escape, and the sausages can dry out. We turn them with tongs instead and let the covered simmer cook them through.
Fresh Italian sausage links, like the ones we use here, are raw and need to be cooked through. The USDA says to cook pork sausage to 160°F and chicken or turkey sausage to 165°F. Precooked sausages are already cooked, so they only need to be reheated. If you're not sure which kind you have, check the package label.
More Italian sausage recipes
If you enjoyed this skillet Italian sausage, try one of our other Italian sausage recipes. Our Italian sausage parmigiana and spaghetti aglio e olio and Italian sausage both start with whole links cooked in a skillet. For pasta night, try our baked ziti with sausage or creamy orecchiette with sausage.
When you'd rather use the oven, our baked Italian sausage and potatoes is an easy sheet pan dinner with the sausages, potatoes, and onions all roasted together.
You'll find even more ideas in our sausage and pasta recipes and 14 Italian sausage recipes.
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📖 Recipe
Skillet Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Oil use a neutral, flavorless oil with a high smoke point
- 16-20 ounces Mild, Hot, or Sweet Italian Sausage Links about 5 links in a 20 oz package, or about 4 links per pound; use fresh links, not precooked
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausage. Cook them for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.
- Carefully add the water to the skillet and cover. Make sure the liquid is boiling. If it is not, then raise the heat a bit.
- Cook the sausages for 10 to 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F and some or most of the liquid has cooked off.
- Cooking time depends on the size of the sausage. If they aren't up to temperature, keep cooking and check again.
- Remove the sausages from the skillet. Serve them whole, in a sandwich, or sliced into your favorite pasta.
Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Don
Water – is used to keep the sausage from burning on the outside without cooking on the inside.
Really... without cooking on the inside?
Elizabeth
Hi Don,
That was a mistake, I fixed it. Thank you for letting me know.