The Key Ingredient That Gives Store-Bought Ground Beef An Italian Flavor

Ground beef is naturally savory, but it's still mild enough to take on the tastes of whatever you desire. Whenever you're in the mood to spruce it up for a certain cuisine or mirror the taste of another ingredient, all you need is the right spice. To get ground beef to taste a little more like Italian sausage, make it with fennel seeds.

There are far too many bold essential ingredients in Italian cooking for a singular spice to define the cuisine. When you narrow things down to Italian sausage, however, fennel seed is the clear winner. The spiced meat is savory and earthy, a credit to classic Italian seasoning components like oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Yet, the aromatic, slightly sweet quality it has is all thanks to fennel seeds. Native to the Mediterranean, the seeds have a spiced, warm taste that resembles anise or licorice. Since their flavor stands apart from other seasonings used in the sausage, it's the one thing your ground beef really needs to get a touch of Italian flavor.

The umami meat perfectly complements the sweet, earthy spice, with the flavors meshing together easily. Crush the fennel seeds up and sprinkle them onto the ground beef as it sizzles in a pan. For a bolder taste, toast the seeds beforehand. You can add in herbs that pair well with the fennel, or use a blend that pairs it with other ingredients, like Gustus Vitae's Taste of Tuscany Gourmet Seasoning.

If you like the aromatic, herbaceous flavor of Italian pork sausage, but prefer something a little more robust, using ground beef works well. It adds the same spiced flavor to dishes, but the protein is a little more savory than mild, sweet pork while being just as delicious.

You can make the swap for a multitude of recipes, particularly pasta dishes like one-pan orecchiette with sausage. The recipe calls for ground Italian sausage, so ground beef can easily be used as an alternative. The beef adds a bolder taste to the creamy dish, enhancing the sweet crushed tomatoes and salty mozzarella. Add in the fennel, as well as a dash of Italian seasoning, when sauteing the beef with onions.

Ground beef also works as a heartier alternative in Italian sausage and sweet potato pizza. If the pork and sweet potato pairing is a little too honeyed for you, ground beef tempers the sweetness while still acting as a great base for the fennel seeds to shine on. While the potatoes are roasting with thinly sliced fennel bulbs, heat the ground beef on the stovetop with minced onions and herbs before piling everything on top of the pizza and baking.