Italian Turkey Sausage Sandwiches

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Italian sausage turkey burgers is my take on a sausage sandwich I had at a local drive-in when I was a kid. Once or twice a summer my family made the trek to Sal’s where we had Italian sausage sandwiches along with frosted mugs of root beer and shared a large order of fries.

In my trimmed down version, ground turkey is seasoned with salt, pepper and ground fennel, formed into patties and grilled. A roll is spread with marinara on each side, piled with grilled sweet onions on the bottom, and topped with the grilled Italian sausage turkey burger and a slice of provolone.

Sal’s closed their doors in 1987. For those of us still around who frequented their establishment, we have our memories and our home versions of their sandwiches.

Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.

Ingredient Round Up

• Ground turkey – I used 93% lean. If you choose to use ground turkey breast, mix in some grated zucchini to keep it moist when cooking.
• Salt and pepper
• Ground fennel – I use Penzy’s ground Indian fennel. As an aside, Penzy’s does have an Italian sausage spice mix consisting of salt, pepper and fennel. I have used it in the past successfully until I hit a batch that was just too salty.
• Low carb sandwich rolls or hard rolls
• Sweet onion
• Marinara – I used no sugar added Prego.
• Provolone cheese slices – I used Sargento ultra thin or reduced fat provolone slices.

Making the Sausage Burgers

• Place the ground turkey in a bowl along with the fennel, salt and pepper.

• Using your hands, mix the meat until the fennel, salt and pepper are incorporated and evenly distributed throughout the meat. If you like your Italian sausage hot, you can mix in some hot red pepper flakes.

• Pinch off a quarter size piece of the meat mixture and flatten it out on a napkin. Microwave it for 24 sec. Let it cool slightly and taste it to check the seasoning. Add more salt if needed. If you like a stronger flavor of fennel you can add more as well.

• Once you are satisfied with the seasonings, divide the mixture into 4 oz portions and form them into burgers.

• Refrigerate the burgers you plan on using that day and wrap the others in plastic wrap and stick them in the freezer. Once they are frozen transfer them to a freezer bag.

Preparing the Sandwiches

• Preheat your outdoor or indoor grill.
• You will need several slices of onions. Cut the slices in half and separate the rings. Once the grill is hot, place the onions on the grill and grill until they are tender and start to brown.

• Heat up your marinara and spread some of the sauce on each side of the sandwich rolls. Place some of the grilled onions on the bottom of each roll.

• Place the sausage burgers on the grill to cook. They cook in two min on my indoor grill. When the burgers are done, place them on top of the onions.

• Immediately place a slice on provolone on the sausage burger, letting the heat of the burger melt the cheese.

• Place the top of the rolls on the sandwiches and serve.

Serving Ideas

• Italian turkey sausage burgers are a nice addition to a barbecue.
• You can serve them for dinner with baked beans, cauliflower mock potato salad, corn on the cob or a side salad.
• Instead of full sized burger, you can make sliders and serve them on game day or at tail gate parties.

WW 0 pt per Italian turkey burger; 4 pt per sandwich with provolone

Note: Pts updated 12/11/24 to reflect new zero foods.