Country Sausage Gravy

The best Country Sausage Gravy is cooked in a cast iron skillet and requires just three ingredients.

Country style sausage gravy is a kitchen recipe staple that is loved by just about everyone.

While you can make this in any pan, it is highly recommend that you use a cast iron skillet, if you have one.

Use this gravy on fluffy biscuits, or layer in your favorite breakfast casserole.

Why Make Country Gravy? 

You only need 4 simple ingredients on hand to make your favorite homemade sausage gravy recipe for breakfast. 

This wonderful recipe pairs perfectly with homemade biscuits.

Sausage gravy is the ultimate comfort food and is great when feeding a crowd, served at brunch, or when you have a lazy weekend morning and want a belly filling breakfast.  

In fact, it's better than any gravy breakfast you'd get at a restaurant or premade in the grocery store aisles!

Ingredients

Here's a list of ingredients to have on hand. Get quantities and more in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

• ground pork sausage
• milk- whole milk or 2% works best, but can use 1% if in a pinch
• all purpose flour- to make your white gravy thicker
• salt and black pepper- to taste

Instructions

Start by adding ground sausage to a hot pan.

Immediately begin to break up the pork into pieces, and fry it in the pan until it becomes as crispy as possible without burning.

While that is frying, make a thickener that consists of flour and water mixed together.

Add the milk and the thickener to the pan once the pork sausage is crispy and simmer.

Salt and pepper the sausage gravy liberally. All the flavor comes from the sausage drippings, the pan and salt and pepper.

Continue to simmer the country sausage gravy about 10-20 minutes until thickened, and the flour taste has cooked out and is no longer detectable.

Storage 

For best results, sausage gravy needs to be refrigerated. Even though you have cooked sausage, this recipe uses milk and needs to be kept in the fridge. 

1. Allow the gravy to cool completely before storing it. Transfer the gravy to an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. Seal the container tightly to prevent any air from entering.
2. Label the container with the date to keep track of its freshness and put it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
3. When reheating the leftover gravy, you may need to add a little bit of milk or water to thin it out, as it may thicken further in the refrigerator. Heat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until it reaches your desired temperature. Enjoy the delicious country sausage gravy again!

Can you freeze country gravy?

Yes, you can freeze country gravy. Freezing country gravy is a great way to preserve it for longer periods of time.

However, it's important to note that the texture and consistency of the gravy may change slightly after freezing and thawing.

Here's how you can freeze country gravy for up to 6 months:

1. Allow the gravy to cool completely before freezing.

2. Transfer the gravy to a freezer-safe container or a resealable freezer bag. Make sure to leave some space at the top of the container as the gravy may expand during freezing.

3. Seal the container tightly to prevent any air from entering. If you're using a resealable freezer bag, remove as much air as possible before sealing.

4. Label the container with the date and contents so you use it before it goes bad. 

5. Place the container in the freezer and make sure it is stored upright to prevent any leakage. Ideally, the gravy should be used within 2-3 months for best quality.

When you're ready to use the frozen country gravy, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Additionally, you can run the bags under lukewarm water for 60 seconds to loosen them from the bag. 

Once thawed, you may notice some separation or changes in texture. Simply give the gravy a good stir or whisk to blend it back together.

It's also important to note that freezing may affect the flavor and consistency of the gravy slightly. To bring it back to its original taste and thickness, you may need to reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. If the gravy appears too thick after thawing, you can add a little bit of milk or water to thin it out to your desired consistency.

Remember to always reheat the gravy thoroughly before serving with nice warm biscuits. Once reheated, check the taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary before serving with homemade buttermilk biscuits or over toast. 

To reheat it easily, Reheat on the stove top, covered, on medium heat until bubbling hot. Alternatively, heat from frozen in the slow cooker on high heat for 4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low.

What kind of sausage is best for gravy? 

Start with ground pork sausage. Pork sausage gives the best flavor, because of the drippings.

What large skillet works best?

This gravy is even better when made in a cast iron skillet, because cooking on cast iron infuses extra flavor starting from the sear of the meat.

If you don't have a cast iron skillet, your favorite heavy skillet will do just fine.

Can I make sausage gravy the night before? 

You bet! Making Country Sausage Gravy ahead of time is the perfect make ahead meal.

It will save you time in the morning. Just bring it over low heat and stir. You'll have to add some more milk to thin it out to the right consistency since the fridge will make it thicken.

Variations

• Make it spicier. Up the heat by adding some more black pepper, red pepper flakes, or using your favorite spicy sausage. 
• Change the sausage. While we love pork sausage for its fantastic flavor it brings to this dish, you could a different breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, mild sausage, or hot sausage. Don't like pork breakfast sausage? Try turkey sausage! Options are endless, whatever your taste buds prefer in this creamy gravy!
• Use it as a topping. This is the best sausage gravy recipe to use on top of your favorite breakfast casserole.
• Serve your breakfast gravy differently. Instead of serving with hot biscuits, try serving over toast, golden brown tater tots, breakfast potatoes, shredded hash browns, etc.  

Good Recipe Tips

• Serve your biscuits and gravy with your favorite yogurt and fresh fruit. 
• If you find your gravy is too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it out. 
• Don't sub milk for heavy cream. 
• I don't ever drain the sausage grease since it provides so much flavor. But, if you don't like it, you can drain off any excess grease. 

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