ITALIAN Spice Blend
2.7 ounces, 76 grams | Dual Shaker/Spoon cap
The ultimate easy button for adding a pop of Italian flavor - and for making sausage out of any ground meat.
Scroll down for recipes that use this blend!
granulated garlic*, granulated onion*, sea salt, fennel seed*, ground sage*, parsley*, white pepper*. *Certified Organic
A robust blend of garlic and onion with a touch of fennel, parsley, and white pepper. To make sausage: add 1 to 2 tablespoons per pound to ground meat. For a spicy variation, add crushed red chili flakes or add SUPER GARLIC PIZZA blend.
Eggs, chicken, steak, pork, lamb, sausage, fish, veggies, potatoes, and pizza.
Recipes Featuring Product
GRANDMA BARBARA'S STUFFED MUSHROOMS
My grandma used to make a big spread of appetizers every holiday, and I always requested her stuffed mushrooms. The original recipe calls for breadcrumbs, so this is an adaptation, but don’t worry—the tops of these get crispy even without the grains.
MEATBALLS MARINARA
This is a simple way to make meatballs at home with some zucchini noodles and sauce—easy-peasy. Make extra to keep this quick protein source on hand for weeknight meals or snacks anytime.
This recipe features our ITALIAN blend - which you can shop here!
APPLE SAGE SAUSAGE
These quick and easy sausage patties can be made ahead in a large batch (double or even triple this recipe) and frozen for later use.
This recipe also contains one of our Balanced Bites Spice Blends - ITALIAN - which you can shop here!
TATER TOT BREAKFAST FRITTATA
Our spin on a tater tot casserole - a cheesy, veggie & meat-filled frittata base, topped with tater tots tossed in DINER blend, & then baked until crisp! (This recipe is also great using ITALIAN and TRIFECTA blends).
This is the perfect dish to make on a Sunday and eat all week long, or to serve at a brunch for a crowd!
MUSTARD-GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS
ITALIAN HOAGIE SALAD
For months I've been enjoying a version of this Italian Hoagie Salad.
I grew up in New Jersey, in a largely Italian town and with an Italian father. The flavors of this salad are pure nostalgia for me!
We used to enjoy sandwiches (hoagies) piled high with meat, cheese, and a tangy vinegar-y dressing. Italian hoagies were the only thing I'd eat at the time with onions and oregano!
Delicious salads aren't hard to make, but I can easily get stuck in a rut. This salad will kick up the excitement and be a great change of pace. It's delicious as a single-serving, or you can make this ahead and it's party-perfect!
Featuring Balanced Bites ITALIAN spice blend, this salad is easy to make and full of flavor.
GLUTEN-FREE SAUSAGE GRAVY AND BISCUITS
Pre-Covid, my husband Scott and I would host an annual holiday champagne brunch for our friends here in San Francisco. We'd always try to make something special for our guests to enjoy each year, and a few years ago we decided on making some gluten-free sausage gravy & biscuits. We love using the ITALIAN and SAVORY spice blends in this dish.
ONE-POT SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN SPAGHETTI SQUASH BAKE
Spaghetti squash is a classic Paleo pasta replacement, and this One-Pot Sausage and Chicken Spaghetti Squash Bake brings it together with protein and bold flavors to create a complete meal your whole family will love. If your family enjoys more traditional sauce-covered pasta dishes, check out the Spaghetti Squash Bolognese on page 338 of Practical Paleo 2nd Edition, or order Spaghetti Squash Bolognese Bake from Balanced Bites Meals to have it delivered right to your door!
This recipe also contains one of our Balanced Bites Spice Blends - ITALIAN - which you can shop here!
HOME FRIES & SAUSAGE SKILLET
Egg-free breakfasts can seem challenging at first, but it’s quite simple when you break it down and realize that tons of breakfast-friendly foods work great together in a quick meal like this Home Fries & Sausage Skillet! Whether you simply want to change things up or you have an egg allergy or sensitivity, give this Home Fries & Sausage Skillet breakfast a try—it features our DINER and GREEK Spice Blends, and it’s hearty and satisfying.
ITALIAN DRESSING
ITALIANO SALAD
My husband, Scott, and I often have lunch dates at a local spot here in San Francisco where they serve a salad very similar to this Italiano Salad, and it’s always my favorite. I’ve re-created it here for you, but if you’re ever in town, stop by the Blue Barn to try the inspiration for this one!
Featuring Balanced Bites Italian Spice Blend & our new SUPER GARLIC RANCH spiced nut mix, this salad is easy to make and full of flavor.
SAUSAGE, ZUCCHINI, & CHEDDAR CHEESE FRITTATA
Frittatas are one of the easiest ways to work veggies and extra protein into your morning, and this sausage, zucchini, & Cheddar cheese combination might be my favorite yet!
Plus, they are so versatile: Swap out the sausage for bacon. Use asparagus instead of zucchini. There are so many possibilities! Frittatas are easily one of my favorite ways to use eggs at breakfast.
This recipe also contains a few of our Balanced Bites Spice Blends - ITALIAN, TRIFECTA, and SUPER TRIFECTA - which you can shop here!
BACON, BRUSSELS, ASPARAGUS, & GOAT CHEESE FRITTATA
Frittatas – like this Bacon, Brussels, Asparagus & Goat Cheese Frittata – are one of the easiest ways to work veggies and extra protein into your morning.
And, I’m going to go out on a limb here and proclaim myself as not only a salad master, but *also* a frittata master.
One day, I'll blog my formula for how to make the best frittata, but here’s the gist of it:
+ Some sort of savory meat like bacon, sausage, chorizo, pancetta, shredded chicken, etc. I prefer something pork based but do you boo.
+ Leftover chunky vegetables that you chop up small, like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, etc.
+ Fresh vegetables or leafy greens like finely chopped kale or spinach with seasoning added, I usually use Balanced Bites TRIFECTA blend.
+ Eggs whisked with some sort of milk (I use coconut) and seasonings – I often use Balanced Bites SUPER GARLIC, TRIFECTA, GREEK, RANCH, SAVORY, or ITALIAN blend and some extra black pepper. (Shop all Balanced Bites Spices here!)
+ Cheese. Of course it’s optional if you can’t do dairy, but I highly recommend trying different types of animal dairy to see if goat or sheep works for you versus cow. If you can’t do dairy you *must* use a really flavorful cured meat like bacon in the first step of umami! Oh, garlicky cooked mushrooms will work or caramelized onions for that umami as well. Otherwise, a bland frittata is in your future and you KNOW how I feel… #noblandfood.
Since I know a bunch of you will want a precise recipe as well, here's one of my favorites – it has all of the components of the formula above: salty bacon, crispy brussels, fresh asparagus, & creamy goat cheese – so good!
SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOLOGNESE
Do you know what real bolognese is? A traditional meat sauce, Bolognese is usually made with heavy cream and a variety of meats.
Some of us may call *tomato sauce thrown over cooked ground meat* bolognese. In fact, I think I’ve named a recipe thusly as well in at least one of my books, so I’m certainly not gonna be the *Bolognese* police.
Traditional Bolognese is made by starting with a mirepoix: onion, carrot, celery… then cooked and ingredients added to, ground meat added (typically a combination of beef and pork), crushed or tomato paste, maybe some cream, some wine… then simmered before plating over pasta or whatever you want.
Red sauce with meat isn’t the same. Delicious, yes, but not the same. I’d argue that the traditional version is way more comforting and downright flavorful and delicious. The amount of time spent developing flavors doesn’t compare.
This recipe also contains two of our Balanced Bites Spice Blends - ITALIAN and TRIFECTA - which you can shop here!
EASY BREAKFAST HASH
An egg-free breakfast option, packed with veggies and sausage, and topped with creamy goat cheese. Feel free to add an egg though, if you're inclined!
We love to make this easy hash with ITALIAN or TRIFECTA spice blends, yum!
ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP
Did you know that Italian Wedding Soup has nothing to do with weddings? Funny, right?
It has to do with how the ingredients “marry” together – mini meatballs with the most flavorful broth packed with veggies, and hit with a citrus punch at the end. It's the perfect soup for a chilly day!
I like to serve mine with crusty bread and lots of parmesan grated on top – yum!
Featuring Balanced Bites ITALIAN and TEX MEX spice blends, this soup is easy to make and full of flavor.
PESTO & PANCETTA FRITTATA
RISE & SHINE! This artichoke, arugula, pesto, and pancetta frittata is so easy to throw together and is perfect for breakfast or lunch during the week, or you could easily double the recipe for a larger crowd on the weekend! Plus, it's so versatile! Swap out the pancetta for bacon. Use spinach instead of arugula. Tolerate dairy? Throw a couple of dollops of goats cheese on top. There are so many possibilities!
This recipe also contains one of our Balanced Bites Spice Blends - ITALIAN - which you can shop here!
SHORTCUT PALEO BOLOGNESE
This sausage, pepper, and onion stuffed spaghetti squash is an easy weeknight go-to meal. It's the perfect weeknight paleo meal, and usually makes enough for two for dinner, with extra leftovers for lunch the next day!
Want to try my full Spaghetti Squash Bolognese recipe from Practical Paleo? It's absolutely a reader favorite and is worth making even if it takes a little bit longer than this short-cut version!
This recipe also contains one of our Balanced Bites Spice Blends - ITALIAN - which you can shop here!
GRAIN-FREE CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
You may be wondering how or why I decided to develop this Paleo-friendly chicken parm recipe…
Well, after years of eating Paleo and being one of those folks who occasionally would use almond flour in place of wheat flour, my once walnut-only allergy developed further into an all-nut allergy. Well, that is, except for the “non-Paleo” nuts: peanuts and cashews. I react strongly with an oral allergy to all other nuts, but peanuts and cashews, though both often technically referred to as legumes, don't cause this reaction for me.
Recently, I heard that Trader Joe's started carrying a cashew meal – like other nut flours out there, a finely ground form that can be used in baking and breading. In general, I'm not a huge fan of the taste of cashews, but I figured that I'd give this stuff a whirl since it's the last remaining grain-free/nut-type-flour I can really try. So, I whipped up this Paleo-friendly chicken parm using the cashew meal, some arrowroot flour for added starch (since nut meals are much higher in fat and not very much starch), and a bunch of Italian spices to create a grain-free “Italian breadcrumb” mixture first.
I can't wait to serve this one up to my family – mangia! Our ITALIAN blend works perfectly in this dish.
GRAIN-FREE SAUSAGE & APPLE STUFFING
This year, my friend and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner together and she was kind enough to make her stuffing without bread for me, and it was fantastic! What's great about having friends who understand that your choices are yours and that they don't need to follow them if they don't want to is that they can eventually also see how easy it is to just avoid certain foods. I didn't even really mention it to her, but she said “well, I can just make the stuffing and leave out the bread for yours.” YES! Exactly! I can enjoy all of the same flavors and stuffing awesomeness without the digestive discomfort and brain fog I used to experience with a grain-based version.
I don't think the recipe itself is highly calculated, just whatever proportions you find tasty will be just fine.
PALEO BREAKFAST HASH WITH SWEET POTATO
I’ve never met an egg I don’t like, but baking them in the oven surrounded by maple and sage flavored pork and crispy sweet potatoes might just be one of the most delicious ways to make them!
What I love about this recipe is how versatile it is — you can substitute sausage or bacon for the pork, (or use ground turkey!) mix in additional veggies, and even experiment with different seasonings.
It’s also a very impressive dish, and a perfect Paleo brunch dish to serve for a crowd — this recipe is easily doubled, you just might need to use a larger skillet, or two!
THANKSGIVING STUFFING MEATBALLS
If you’ve ever wished you could eat something that tastes like Thanksgiving any time of the year without cooking a whole feast, here’s your chance! These tiny pork meatballs pack all the flavor of the season and are perfect with the Simple Cranberry Sauce for dipping.
Use our ITALIAN spice blend in this dish, it's the perfect blend to make any sausage!
Customer Reviews
- Reviews
- Questions
United StatesFavorite Blend!
This is the most used apice blend in our house! We use it to make homemade italian sausage, sprinkled on potatoes, on roast chicken! It's so versatile.
United StatesFamily Favorite
We love sausage in our house so this spice is perfect! I put it on ground turkey with a can of diced tomatoes and even my pickiest eater loved it. I used the leftovers of that mixture to make a frittata and also delicious. This spice blend is amazing.
United StatesBest Italian spice blend out there
I over this blend. The flavors are so fresh and has a lot of depth to it. It elevates every dish I add it too. I’ve made my own blend before to make homemade Italian sausage and I no longer need to do that. I just add this to it instead.
Love, love love these spice blends!
I have cooked with the Italian blend, Taco-Fajita blend, Bagel blend, Greek blend, Trifecta blend and Ranch blend. They are all amazing. The pork tenderloin I coated with Italian blend last night was a huge hit in my house. Can’t say enough about these blends! They make cooking meat fun and super tasty!!
Yummo!
Great on salads, added to any meat dish or sauce. Awesome added to buttered (ghee) pasta with diced pepperoni or prosciutto.