1. Homemade Sweet Italian Sausage (Mild or Hot) 2. Authentic Sweet Italian Sausage from Scratch 3. Ingredients: 3 pounds ground beef 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for hot sausage) 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (as a substitute for red wine vinegar) 1/4 cup cold water Directions: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, salt, black pepper, fennel seeds, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, and thyme. If making hot sausage, add the red pepper flakes. Pour the apple cider vinegar and cold water into the bowl, then mix everything together using your hands until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the sausage mixture for at least 2 hours, or overnight for the best flavor. After marinating, the sausage is ready to be used in your favorite recipes. It can be cooked as patties, stuffed into casings, or used in pasta dishes, pizzas, or sandwiches. If stuffing into casings, prepare the casings according to the package instructions and stuff the sausage mixture into the casings using a sausage stuffer.