Most of us love to eat sausage, but have you ever tried sausage gravy? It is the ultimate comfort food and an American classic for breakfast dishes.
It is an effortless dish to make with only a few staple ingredients including white flour, creamy milk or evaporated milk, sausage, butter, salt, and pepper.
A favorite pairing for Americans is the combination of sausage gravy and homemade biscuits. It is a very yummy blend that few can resist. But, when you make your delicious sausage gravy, there is a good chance you’ll get carried away and make more than you thought.
In that case, the question arises of how you can store the sausage gravy leftovers and whether you can freeze sausage gravy. The answer to that question is positive. You definitely can freeze sausage gravy but you need to know some more information in order to do it right.
Can You Freeze Sausage Gravy?
Yes, you can freeze sausage gravy and it will last for up to 3 months in the fridge if you store it properly. It is a great thing that your favorite sausage dish won’t lose its taste and texture after the freezing process, which is an exception when it comes to freezing food in general.
It can look a little bit split after you take it out of the freezer and after you defrost it, but when you reheat it, it will look like the fresh version.
You must also know that you can use sausage that has been already frozen when making sausage gravy that you plan to freeze. You can use a slow cooker, skillet, or oven, there are plenty of choices. In this article, I will use the skillet.
My personal advice for you is to use Jimmy Dean sausage in order to make the best sausage gravy.
We can easily conclude that sausage gravy freezes well and that there is really no problem when you have some leftovers because you can freeze it freely.
You just have to follow the simple guidelines for making, freezing, defrosting, and reheating sausage gravy and you will get the best results.
How To Make The Best Homemade Sausage Gravy
Before you freeze it, you need to make the sausage gravy and here I will reveal to you a great sausage gravy recipe that just requires a few staple ingredients and about 30 minutes cook time.
Ingredients:
• 12 ounces of breakfast sausage
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking Instructions:
1. You first need to put your sausage into the skillet and, while it cooks, you need to break it down into small pieces (make something similar to ground sausage). Cook it on medium heat (medium-high heat).
2. Once the sausage is cooked, you need to add butter and mix well until it is melted.
3. After it is melted and mixed together, you need to add flour and mix that as well.
4. Then you need to begin adding milk. You cannot add all the milk at once, but you need to add 1/2 cup in intervals (there are 5 intervals) and after each interval, you need to stir well for the mixture to become very thick and then thin out.
This process of adding milk slowly is called “making a roux”.
5. After this process is completed, you need to add salt and pepper.
6. Finally, you can serve your homemade sausage gravy. It is best to serve it over biscuits, but you can also serve it with some other foods like mashed potatoes, Swedish meatballs, fried potatoes, casseroles, bacon, eggs, etc.
The cook time and total time is 30 minutes.
If you want your sausage gravy to thicken up more, then you need to add 2 teaspoons of water and 1 teaspoon of flour.
Don’t add too much flour because it can get too thick. If you want it to be thinner, you can add a little bit of milk, but be careful there as well so as not to overdo it.
Also, one more suggestion: If you plan to serve sausage gravy over biscuits, it is best to make ahead those biscuits.
This single serving contains 498mg of carbohydrates, 5g trans fat, 10g saturated fats, 0g unsaturated fats, 29mg sodium, 4g cholesterol, 152 total fat, 10g fiber, 6g proteins, and 0g sugar.
How Can You Freeze Sausage Gravy Properly?
After you have made your best homemade sausage gravy and ended up with a little more than you can consume at the time, the question arises of whether you can freeze sausage gravy. As I already said, the answer is “yes”, but how to do it is another question. The answer to that question lies in these steps.
STEP 1: Before you start the freezing process, you first must let your sausage gravy cool to room temperature.
STEP 2: After it has cooled, you can transfer it to a freezer bag or ziplock bag. It is also good to use an airtight container. It is up to you to choose. Ice cube trays are also an option if you want to freeze perfectly portioned amounts.
STEP 3: After you have sucked out all the air and sealed the container or bag, you must label it with the exact date.
STEP 4: Finally, the container or bag with sausage gravy is ready to be frozen for up to 3 months.
How Do You Thaw Sausage Gravy?
Now, it is time for the thawing process which is quite easy, but I will go through it briefly because it is very important to thaw any type of food properly, whether it is the process of defrosting chicken, potato, or any type of food really.
So, the best place for thawing frozen sausage gravy is definitely the refrigerator. You can thaw it in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. But if you want to consume it for breakfast, it is best to leave it in the fridge overnight and it will be perfectly ready in the morning.
The estimated maximum time that it can be preserved in the fridge is about 2 to 3 days, so you do not need to worry if it stays in the fridge a little longer than one night. It will be perfectly fine.
What Is The Best Way To Reheat Sausage Gravy?
Most chefs agree that the best way to reheat frozen gravy is using a stovetop and I always reheat my gravy using a stovetop. There is also the option of using a microwave, but really the stovetop is the best.
Using A Stovetop: The Best Option
If you decide to reheat your sausage gravy using the stovetop, you first need to place it in a skillet or saucepan and heat it on medium-high heat.
If you think that the sausage gravy is too thick, you can add a bit of milk or water until you see the consistency of your liking.
After the sausage gravy starts to bubble and you see that it is nice and hot, it is a sign that the reheating process is done.
You are free to serve your delicious gravy and enjoy it to the fullest.
Using A Microwave: Acceptable Option
Although it is not as good as reheating sausage gravy using the stovetop, the microwave is an option as well. What do you have to do in order to reheat it properly? You first have to put it into a microwave-safe bowl.
You will have to heat on high for about 1 minute at a time and stir it in between in order to prevent hotspots.
The estimated number of intervals is 3-4 but that also depends on the type ofmicrowave, i.e. microwave settings.
FAQs
How Long Can You Keep Sausage Gravy In The Refrigerator?
You can keep sausage gravy in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. It is best to keep it in the fridge overnight, i.e. 8-12 hours, especially if you are thawing it.
If you do not plan to use it even after those 4 days, you can freely freeze it following the steps recommended in this article and, in that case, gravy lasts for up to 3 months. The USDA doesn’t recommend keeping sausage gravy (or any other dish) for longer in the freezer due to quality loss.
Can You Freeze Gravy With Milk?
Generally speaking, freezing gravy that contains milk is not a good idea because the milk won’t freeze well. That is especially true when you are freezing some types of gravy based on cream like classic white gravy.
But when it comes to sausage gravy, it contains enough flour that makes the freezing process easier, so you can freely freeze this kind of gravy without any worry.
Final Words
Whether you like country sausage gravy or perhaps the one that contains Jimmy Dean sausage, one thing is sure, and that is the fact that you can always freeze your sausage gravy leftovers and use it within the time frame of three months.
The only thing you have to do is to follow the steps of the making, freezing, defrosting, and reheating process listed in this article and you will get sausage gravy with flavor and texture like the fresh version.