I’m Stocking Up on These Pre-Packed Sausages Before Summer Gets Here

Recently, I had a sausage awakening. I found a new-to-me brand and I need to spread the word about them. Premade sausages, in general, are one of the best tricks for getting a meal on the table quickly. They bring instant flavor and substance to many dishes. Simply cook (or heat through, if they are precooked) and slide one into a bun with the toppings of your choice. Or, slice them and add them to a stew, pasta sauce, or grain bowl. 

But what’s so enticing about these encased meats in particular (you know, aside from how delicious they are) is that they were created, in part, to get us all to eat LESS meat. Yup. These colorful, flavorful, texturally spot-on sausages are actually made with a mix of meats and fresh vegetables — and I must tell you more about them.

Seemore Meats & Veggies is the brainchild of fourth-generation butcher Cara Nicoletti. The company is named after her butcher grandpa, Seymour, and is woman-owned and carbon-neutral, and uses packaging created with an eye towards sustainability.

Now, getting into the meat (and veggies) of it all, here’s what you need to know: The chicken and pork is humanely raised, sourced through the Global Animal Partnership, and the sausages themselves are made of up to 35 percent fresh vegetables (other sausages are up to 98 percent meat, with 2 percent fillers). The uncured sausages are lower in calories than traditional sausages, and boast more nutrients, thanks to the high proportion of vegetables. The meat is antibiotic-free, and also free of nitrates and nitrites, phosphate or dyes. And the sausages are precooked, so all you have to do is heat and enjoy.

Buy: Seemore Meats & Veggies Chicken Parm Sausage, $7.99 for 12 ounces at Whole Foods

The bright, cheerfully seasoned sausages are available in eight varieties, including Chicken Chili Verde with spicy chilis and cilantro (this was the one that made me a fan); Loaded Baked Potato with pork, bacon, chives, and cheese; La-Dolce Beet-A with pork, beets, fennel and garlic; and Chicken Parm with roasted tomatoes, cheese, basil, and breadcrumbs. 

They each have a notable freshness about them, in marked contrast to some of the sausages I’ve found at supermarkets or even butcher shops. I’ve enjoyed them sliced in a sauce for pasta, crumbled into breakfast burritos, and heated and topped with cheese and a few drizzles of spicy mayo on a toasted bun. I’m sure they’ll be great every which way you can think to serve them … and probably more.

Do you have a favorite brand of sausages you buy in the summer? Tell us in the comments below!