Easily Upgrade Canned Sausage Gravy With Just A Few Ingredients - The Daily Meal (2024)

Easily Upgrade Canned Sausage Gravy With Just A Few Ingredients - The Daily Meal (1)

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As far as favorite classic comfort foods go, biscuits and gravy are high on the list. It's easy to find comfort in a plate of warm, buttery, flaky biscuits topped with a rich, creamy, meaty gravy. The roots of this hearty breakfast dish lie in the South — specifically Southern Appalachia in the late 1800s — where it started as an affordable and filling meal for sawmill workers. What began as a cheap way to incorporate leftovers and make biscuits more palatable is now a coveted breakfast dish served in restaurants and cooked in countless home kitchens around the U.S.

Sure, you can spend all morning in the kitchen making homemade sausage gravy, but when you're on a time crunch, have a lot of mouths to feed, or simply need a break from cooking, grab a can of sausage gravy from your pantry or the grocery store. Canned sausage gravy can be fine by itself, but if you find it to be a bit bland, upgrade it with some fresh herbs and spices. Adding fresh, fragrant ingredients will boost the flavor of your gravy and might help remove some of the metallic taste that sometimes comes with canned goods. For a delicious plate of smothered biscuits, there are plenty oftips that will elevate your sausage gravy.

Fresh herbs add a vibrant taste

Easily Upgrade Canned Sausage Gravy With Just A Few Ingredients - The Daily Meal (2)

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Dried herbs are easy to sprinkle in your food, but they don't impart the crisp, garden taste that fresh herbs do.Instead of reaching for your spice cabinet, chop up somefresh herbslike sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, andbasil. You don't have to go overboard with the herbs but add enough to improve the taste — choose two or three varieties, finely chop them up, and mix them in the gravy. Keep in mind that fresh herbs have a lighter, less intense flavor than dried herbs, so you typically needabout three timesmore in your food when substituting.

Thyme, sage, and rosemary are commonly used to season pork sausage, imparting a herbaceous, citrusy, and piney flavor to the meat. Basil is a versatile herb that goes well with everything from chicken and pork to eggs and watermelon. Its sweet and pungent flavor will help liven up your canned sausage gravy in no time.

Biscuits and gravy are delicious, but they aren't the most aesthetically pleasing. Adding a little green can go a long way for presentation, so upgrade the boring look of your breakfast by garnishing it with fresh parsley.

Add spices to boost the flavor

Easily Upgrade Canned Sausage Gravy With Just A Few Ingredients - The Daily Meal (3)

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Besides fresh herbs, various spices work wonders to amp up the flavor of your canned sausage gravy. Garlic is the perfect aromatic for enhancing the taste of almost any dish, so try sprinkling in some garlic powder or swapping your regular salt for garlic salt. Onion powder and other seasoned salts (like celery salt or even truffle salt if you want to get fancy) will also give your canned gravy the flavor boost it needs.

Another great way to elevate your canned sausage gravy is to pump up the spiciness. If it tastes slightly underseasoned, add some freshly ground black pepper and white pepper to enhance the flavor with a bonus touch of spicy warmth.You can alsotry some paprika and cayenne pepper for a Cajun-inspired sausage gravy.

If you prefer a more pronounced heat in your sausage gravy, try making spicy biscuits and gravyby adding hot Italian sausage and crushed red pepper to the mix.Just remember, a little bit goes a long way with dried chile flakes, so sprinkle them in judiciously and taste as you go.

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Easily Upgrade Canned Sausage Gravy With Just A Few Ingredients - The Daily Meal (2024)

FAQs

Easily Upgrade Canned Sausage Gravy With Just A Few Ingredients - The Daily Meal? ›

Add Spices To Boost The Flavor

What can I add to canned sausage gravy to make it better? ›

Because this particular issue can't be corrected in store-bought gravy, the strong herbaceous notes of chicken base can work to overpower that pasty flavor. Chicken base, which is a type of concentrated bouillon, can improve your canned sausage gravy instantly.

How to jazz up sausage gravy? ›

For an additional kick, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes along with the seasonings. Onions/Garlic can be sautéed with the sausage as well. If the gravy becomes too thick, add a splash of milk. This may be particularly helpful if reheating from a cold state.

How to thicken canned sausage gravy? ›

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

What are the ingredients in Chefmate sausage gravy? ›

WATER, PORK, SOYBEAN OIL, BLEACHED ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, 2% OR LESS OF SALT, SUGAR, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM CASEINATE, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, MALTODEXTRIN, SPICE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM ...

What can I add to my gravy to make it better? ›

I only season my homemade gravy with salt and pepper, and it's delicious! If you want to add more spices, avoid anything with large pieces (such as dried rosemary) to keep gravy smooth. Thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, paprika, and oregano all taste great.

What can I put sausage gravy on besides biscuits? ›

A classic sausage gravy recipe starts with a velvety bechamel-based sauce that is infused with bits of browned breakfast meat, spices, and plenty of black pepper. Most often, it's served on fluffy, warm biscuits, but it's also delicious on waffles, grits, hash browns, and even mashed potatoes.

Is gravy better with flour or cornstarch? ›

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

How do chefs thicken gravy? ›

Chefs and home cooks often use pan drippings and other cooking liquids, such as chicken broth, wine, or milk, to thicken and flavor the gravy.

Why does my sausage gravy have no flavor? ›

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful.

What's the difference between country gravy and sausage gravy? ›

The main difference is that country gravy does not have sausage. Country gravy uses butter to make its roux, while sausage gravy uses the rendered fat from the meat, cooked with flour, to thicken the gravy. Check out Ree Drummond's recipe for country gravy which she serves alongside chicken fried steak.

What is often served with sausage gravy in the South? ›

Southern Style Biscuit and Sausage Gravy

It is best served over flaky homemade biscuits, soaking up all of that delicious gravy. For those who are less familiar with the different 'types' of gravy, this is different from brown gravy, which is usually served over turkey and mashed potatoes during holiday dinners.

Why is my sausage gravy bland? ›

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful.

How do you thicken sausage gravy without flour or cornstarch? ›

It is possible to thicken gravy without flour or cornstarch, and it's as simple as keeping it on the heat. When gravy is left to simmer or reduce, it naturally thickens, so be patient with your gravy. One downside to reducing gravy, though, is that it can become too salty.

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