The $4.37 Walmart Find I Turn Into Countless Dinners

I first discovered Walmart Marketside Mild Ground Italian Ground Sausage a few years ago while aimlessly wandering Walmart for dinner inspiration. If I am not using the leftover ingredients in my fridge to guide me to what to cook, I walk the meat section of the grocery store to decide what I might be in the mood for.

Among the rows of pale ground pork, this specific product stood out with its vibrant speckles of red, orange, and white. The ground sausage looked fresh and natural, so I tossed it into my cart, and I’ve been adding it to my shopping list ever since. It’s a great way to make meals faster, easier, and tastier, and a kitchen staple I will always have on hand.

You may be thinking, Common! It’s just ground sausage… every grocery store in America carries them!

What makes this specific brand so useful is that the sausage doesn’t come in a casing like most sausages do. Instead of buying traditional links, puncturing them with a sharp knife to wrestle the filling out, the meat is ready to cook as is. This small detail saves me a tedious step when I want sausage meat for pasta sauces and casseroles.

Marketside’s Ground Italian Sausage tastes like it has a well-balanced mix of fennel, garlic, black pepper, paprika, and maybe even a hint of oregano. The seasoning brings warmth and depth without overpowering the pork’s natural flavor. True to its name, “mild,” it’s approachable and versatile. It’s flavorful but never too spicy or salty. 

I love that I can plop it straight from the package into a pan without adding anything extra. For cooks who don’t keep a wide range of spices on hand, this is an important benefit. Still, it’s flexible so if you prefer more heat, just sprinkle in red pepper flakes or chili powder.

Since it comes pre-seasoned with the classic flavors of Italian sausage, I can seamlessly swap it into any recipe that calls for ground sausage or ground pork. I also like that I can immediately see the texture and quality of the meat instead of guessing what’s inside a casing.

Price-wise, it’s nearly the same as regular cased sausages ($4.37 per pound), so the convenience doesn’t come with a markup. And because it’s already ground, it crumbles easily in the skillet, making recipes like lasagna meat sauce or this Easy Italian Sausage Spaghetti a breeze. 

I’ve also noticed that the mixture tends to be slightly leaner than most sausages and it browns really well—more browning means more flavor. While the fat-to-protein ratio can vary by brand, Marketside strikes a nice balance: plenty of protein with just enough fat to keep the sausage juicy and flavorful. It’s so good that I’ve even used it in sausage meatballs with tomato sauce.

One of my favorite experiments was using it for dumplings when my ground pork wouldn’t thaw in time for a dinner party. It worked surprisingly well and reminded me that while the package says “Italian Pork Sausage,” the possibilities are endless.

_{To learn more about our approach to product recommendations, see HERE.}