My father taught me how to do this years ago, and it is a family favorite. It’s incredibly satisfying, and you can simply add more wheat and milk if unexpected guests show up for breakfast. Due to how effectively cast iron retains heat, this recipe works best with one. Additionally, it adds to the meal’s authenticity. Over buttermilk biscuits, please.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 cups milk, divided
- 2 cubes chicken bouillon
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a skillet on medium heat cook pork, onion, green pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic until pork is crumbly. Drain off excess fat, but leave a small amount.
- Combine butter, salt, and pepper with the meat mixture and stir until butter melts. Slowly sift flour over the top. Mix gently and allow mixture to cook for 5 minutes. It will burn, so do not let it sit unguarded. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the sage and thyme.
- Slowly stir in milk, about a half a cup at a time, and incorporate it well. When the mixture thickens, add more milk. Do not let it boil vigorously, or it will burn. Add chicken bullion and let cook for five minutes. Again, if it thickens too much, add more milk. Adjust taste with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Just before serving, add the parsley, and about a 1/4 cup more milk; the gravy will thicken quickly as it cools.
- Avoid using dried herbs if you can. Fresh herbs add much more flavor.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 700 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 118 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Sodium | 1389 mg |
| Sugars | 8 g |
| Fat | 60 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Everyone loves this recipe.
Wonderful! I like the extras that go into the gravy. Thank you!
Fantastic! This was the best gravy I have ever made. It went great with biscuits and over a breakfast casserole.
My family loved this. I followed the recipe, but doubled it. Next time (and there will be a next time) I won’t add salt as I cook. The sausage (Bob Evans with sage) and the bullion cubes added enough. Better to have your guests add salt at the table if they want it. I highly recommend this for a “breakfast for dinner” night.
This is a great recipe! The first time I made it, I was short on bell peppers and a few other ingredients and it was amazing. This time I made it according to the recipe, having all the herbs required. The only thing is that I halved the red pepper. That was sufficient! I also didn’t add all the bouillon this time. Had I realized how much was supposed to go in at the end, I might have eased up on the salt in the beginning. We had it over biscuits and plain white rice. I’m SO happy to have a recipe for a gravy with heaps of flavor!
Made this with turkey sausage since we don’t eat pork. Turned out pretty tasty and my family loved it. I’ll probably cut back on the onions a bit next time.Thank you!!
Excellent recipe. I skipped the bell peppers, but including the onion, garlic, and sage really boosted the savory flavor of the gravy. My primary gripe with so many country gravies is that they are too bland. This one is very much not bland.
This is my go to recipe for sausage gravy. Someone said too many spices but that’s what makes it full of flavor. I’m Hungarian so we like our spice and flavor. The only change I make is ,depending on the thickness, I will substitute flour for a prepackaged gravy mix and use the sausage drippings as well. I know it’s bit overkill but again I love flavor. Made with my homemade buttermilk biscuits and spicy sausage, I have yet to have anyone say that they hate my biscuits and gravy. Thank you for this recipe.
This recipe is superb! It disheartens me that folks complain about it being complicated. There are easier gravies, sure. This is well crafted. Delicious. Kudos to you, from someone who may have made a few gravies in my time.
Fantastic! Just like grandma used to make. Thank you for sharing.
This recipe gave me the idea to amp up my gravy game. Didn’t use green pepper (couldn’t imagine it) or sage (didn’t have it). I thought the garlic was weird but might use less because it did add something. Overall, it was a jumping off point and that is what I do with online recipes!
I love this recipe, except I do leave out the bell pepper and red pepper flakes. If the recipe itself omitted these two ingredients, I would give it a 5-star rating.
This was the first time I have ever made country gravy and one of the only time that I had a ‘OMG this is the best thing I’ve ever made’ moment. Will make again!!
SO GOOD!!! Planned on all the kids coming over to start a new “New Years Eve” tradings, so I doubled the sausage and increased the milk and thickener, leaving the remaining ingredients as written. Definitely will make it again. New fan of biscuits and gravy!
This turned out amazing! Its easy to follow and tastes great. My husband love that it was the perfectam
Great recipe, I left out the bell peppers ( didn’t have any) Used venison sausage and this is my new favorite. Thanks
yum. i’ll be making this for my monthly brunch as a rule!
I got tired of buying the package that you mix water and milk in with, and couldn’t figure out to make it right without the overpowering flour taste. I found this recipe, and my boyfriend, who doesn’t really like country gravy, fell IN LOVE with it. this one is definitely a keeper and to each their own, but I love the veggies in it. The bell peppers help keep a small sweetness to it, but I usually omit the spicy stuff because his stomach is too sensitive for all that. Still REALLY good and for me, it still has that southern gravy twang to it that some are like “I’ll stick to the traditional”. it’s just traditional with a lil spice
I just went out & bought more sausage, so I can make this again. Even my wife liked it 🙂
This is the best homemade gravy recipe I’ve ever used! Plenty of fresh flavor, perfectly savory, and a crowd-pleaser for everyone at brunch! Colorful, and so much more flavor than standard white gravy over biscuits. Made this just as written, and could not have been happier with the result!
I didn’t include the bell pepper but added a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper. I would add even more milk to make it more gravy like.