Italian Sausage with Balsamic Grapes
The flavor combination of this Italian Sausage with Balsamic grapes is phenomenal! Savory seasoned Italian flavored links nestled in a sweet, dark balsamic glaze with sweet, roasted red and green grapes.
The grapes provide just the right amount of sweetness, which balances beautifully with the tangy balsamic glaze and the salty sausage.
Make this easy Italian dinner in one pan and it’s ready in about 30-minutes! Your taste buds are gonna be dancing!
This particular recipe is inspired by the fabulous Ina Garten (aka “The Barefoot Contessa”) who featured this dish on The Food Network years ago. In that episode, the owner of Il Forno indicated that this was a family tradition and authentic recipe from Italy. When I heard that, I knew I had to try it!
The Italian cuisine ingredients are the same as her recipe but in different proportions, and the cooking method varies a bit from hers. I hope you’ll like this quick and easy version!
The stovetop method of this recipe results is a one-pan dinner with minimal clean-up.
Why this recipe works
This easy Italian recipe doesn’t require a meat grinder or homemade links, and is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. I usually serve this with a crisp green salad, some warm Italian bread and a side of creamy polenta.
Here’s what you’ll need
If you can’t get high-quality Italian sausage links made from your local butcher, you’ll have to rely on the grocery store. There are a few brands I recommend, but Johnsonville links are most prevalent in the United States and have a nice Italian seasoning to them. If you can’t find this brand, just use a good brand and get the best quality you can find.
One package of Johnsonville™ Italian sausage links has 4-5 links. You can use whatever flavor you like – sweet, mild, hot, (or a combination of mixed flavored links), 1/2 pound of red seedless grapes, 1/2 pound of green seedless grapes, unsalted butter, dark Balsamic vinegar, thyme (optional), salt and pepper.
I prefer using hot flavored links because the spice contrasts well with the sweet/tangy sauce, but if heat isn’t your thing, sweet, or mild flavored works just as well. Or, use a combination of mild and hot.
You can also use Italian links that have ground fennel or fennel seeds in them, which enhances the flavor of this Italian favorite even more!
As for the grapes, if you can’t find seedless grapes, no big deal; just buy grapes with seeds.
How to make Italian sausage and grapes
I make this easy Italian recipe when I’m on a budget and when I’m craving Italian with no carbs. The grapes only take a few minutes to soften, and after that, this recipe goes lickety-split-fast. There’s no lengthy or complicated meal prep, either.
- Rinse the grapes and pull them from the stem; set aside
- Heat the. links in a cast iron, non-stick or stainless steel skillet and cook them until the casing is nicely browned and the internal temperature of the links is around 150°F; transfer to plate
- Add the unsalted butter to the skillet on low heat then add the rinsed grapes and cook for about 10-minutes until the green grapes begin to brown slightly and the red grapes begin to split.
- The last step is to pour the aged dark balsamic vinegar into the skillet with the grapes and cook another 3-5 minutes, until the balsamic vinegar begins to thicken and form a glaze. (The natural sugars from the fruit will release and the sauce will begin to thicken.) and, if you like, add a little fresh or dried thyme (optional)
- Add the browned links to the skillet, coating them well with the balsamic vinegar.
- Once links are browned and reach an internal temperature of 160°F, they’re done!
- Taste for salt and ground black pepper; if you want to add a little heat to the dish, sprinkle in some hot red pepper flakes. Then, plate and serve.
Serving suggestions and substitutions
Italian Sausage with Balsamic Grapes pairs well with a starchy side dish like pasta, scalloped or mashed potatoes, creamy risotto, polenta, creamy cheese grits, and perhaps a green vegetable – broccoli rabe, green beans, Brussels Sprouts, asparagus or roasted broccoli.
You can substitute the Italian sausage links with any type of sausage or use ground sausage (beef or ground turkey sausage); however, if you use turkey sausage, the sausage meat will probably not be as flavorful as a seasoned Italian pork sausage.
Storage and reheating
If you happen to have any sausage and grapes leftover, I recommend you put the sausage in an airtight container and pour the grapes and balsamic glaze in another container. Refrigerate up to 3 days.
The best way to reheat this dish is to wrap the sausage links in foil and place them in a 300°F oven on a baking sheet (on the middle rack) and reheat the grapes and sweet glaze on the stovetop on medium-high heat.
The balsamic glaze may thicken upon refrigeration, so you may need to add a little water and maybe a little butter when reheating.
This quick and easy Italian sausage and grape recipe is budget-friendly, delicious and a one-pan dinner you can make in minutes!
Related recipes
- Pasta Carbonara
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Beef Tips and Gravy
- Smothered Steak with Brown Gravy
- Sauteed Yellow Squash
- Italian Egg Rolls
♥ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!
Italian Sausage with Balsamic Grapes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian sausage hot or mild, or a combination; See Recipe Notes
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ lb. red seedless grapes
- ½ lb. green seedless grapes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh) ; Optional
- ¾ cup dark balsamic vinegar
- salt and black pepper to taste
- grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional for garnish)
- chopped fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add oil and brown sausage links on medium heat; rotate links until they're completely brown; transfer sausage to plate1 lb. Italian sausage, 1 tablespoon oil
- Add butter and grapes to the skillet toss to coat well; stirring occasionally, allow to cook 10 minutes on medium heat or until the green grapes begin to slightly brown and the red grapes begin to split; reduce heat to medium low½ lb. red seedless grapes, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ lb. green seedless grapes
- Add balsamic vinegar and thyme; continue to cook until fruit begins to soften, sauce thickens; add sausage links back into the skillet, coat well with the balsamic sauce and cook until they reach 160ºF internal temperature; taste for salt and pepper½ teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh) ; Optional, ¾ cup dark balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper to taste
- Plate sausage and grapes and drizzle remaining balsamic glaze over them; garnish with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and chopped basil (optional)grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional for garnish), chopped fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Notes
- If you use “grocery store” sausage, the sausage casing will dissolve in the skillet; however, if you get sausage links from a local butcher, you’ll need to boil the links in hot water for about 5 minutes to dissolve the casing. Why? The casing the butcher uses is different from the one sausage companies use.
- A pound of sausage links is about 4-5 links, which, in our house will serve 1 hungry man and two women:)
- This recipe makes about 1/2 cup of sauce which enough to drizzle over 5 links; however, if you want more sauce, double the amount of grapes and butter
