My Italian sausage salad is full of fresh summer vegetables, creamy burrata, and juicy sausage for a perfect summertime bowl dinner without heating up the kitchen! Add a bright, lemony dressing and you have meal worthy of putting into regular rotation.
Hello, all.
Italian sausage salad
One of my favorite meals to enjoy at nearby Italian festivals is a bun full of sausage, peppers, and onions. It’s always delicious and such a staple of our region.
Today I bring to you a salad based on those sandwiches! I added a few zucchini (taking advantage of the summer bounty) and topped it all off with some burrata since I think most things are better with a bit of cheese.
While you could certainly pile everything into a hoagie, I like to scoop it into a bowl and serve it with a slice or two of grilled bread for crunch.
Shall we get into the details?
What do you need?
- Italian Sausage – You can use pork or chicken/turkey. Just make sure you have about one pound.
- Summer Vegetables – Zucchini (or other summer squash), peppers, and sweet onions.
- Cheese – Burrata for its super creaminess is my favorite. Can switch out for mozzarella or ricotta.
- Basil – A couple handfuls of fresh leaves.
- Lemon Dressing – A basic olive oil based dressing with lemon, red wine vinegar, and mustard.
How to make this
To make a grilled sausage salad first grill up sliced vegetables, then cook the sausage and slice that up. Toss everything with a lemon dressing and top with fresh herbs and cheese.
1. Grill Vegetables
Slice up the zucchini, peppers, and onions and toss with a bit of olive oil. Start the zucchini first since it takes longer to cook. Then add the pepper and onions and cook until it’s all soft and browned.
Tip: I love my grilling basket and use it all the time. It makes grilling sliced veggies easy.
2. Grill Sausage
Put the links on and cook on all sides until they reach 165F in the center and are browned on the outside. Then take them to a cutting board and slice up.
3. Dressing
Whisk up the oil, lemon/vinegar, mustard, and salt until well combined.
4. Serve
Toss the grilled vegetables and sausage slices with the dressing and basil. Serve with the burrata for each person to put in their bowl and slices of grilled bread.
If you try my recipe, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
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– Stay Safe, Annemarie
Grilled Italian Sausage Salad
Ingredients
Sausage Salad
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 large sweet onion
- 2-3 bell peppers
- olive oil + kosher salt
- 5-6 sweet Italian sausage links, about 1 lb
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or sliced
- 4 small balls of burrata, two large torn in half
Lemon Dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Grill: Fully preheat grill.
- Vegetables: Cut zucchini, onion, and bell peppers into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss with olive oil and kosher salt, keeping the squash and peppers/onions separate. Using a grilling basket, grill zucchini on medium heat with the grill cover closed for 5 minutes. Then stir and add the peppers/onions to the basket. Grill, covered, for 12-15 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. Once vegetables are softened and browned, remove basket from grill and transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
- Sausage: Prick each link a few times. Then grill them on medium, cover open, for 15-20 minutes. Turn every 4-5 minutes to get all sides. Remove once they reach 165F in the center. Slice up and add to the bowl with the vegetables.
- Dressing: Whisk together all dressing ingredients until well combined.
- Serve: Toss sausage and vegetables with dressing and basil leaves. Top each serving with a piece of burrata.
Notes
- Sausage: You can substitute the fresh links of your choice in the recipe. I find garlic cheese sausage to be quite good here.
- Burrata: If you can’t find this you can switch it out for fresh mozzarella or a dollop of ricotta.
- Grill Basket: I love this basket and use it often.
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