Poultry sausage can be healthy alternative, but read labels first

Sausage doesn’t make many top 10 lists of healthy foods, and for good reason. Most are fatty and loaded with salt.

Chicken and turkey have a reputation for being low in fat, so you might think poultry dinner sausages also would be lean.

Not always. Poultry sausages vary widely in fat content, so read the labels carefully. A serving of dinner sausages can have as little as 4 grams of fat or as many as 17 grams. It all depends on whether skin or fat were added to keep the sausage moist.

Breakfast sausages face similar issues. Some brands can have as little as 2 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving. Others, even those with healthy-sounding labels, can have as much as 15 grams of fat.

SMOKED SAUSAGE REUBEN SANDWICH

2tablespoons light mayonnaise

2tablespoons chili sauce

4slices seeded rye bread

8thin slices Jarlsberg Lite or other low-fat Swiss cheese (about 3 ounces total)

6ounces 97 percent fat-free smoked sausage or kielbasa

1teaspoon olive oil

1/2cup sauerkraut

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and chili sauce. Spread the dressing on one side of each slice of bread. Top each slice with 2 slices of cheese. Set aside.

Slice the sausages on the diagonal into long, thin slices. In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low, heat the oil.

Add the sausages to the skillet and saute until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes. Divide the sausage between 2 of the slices of bread, arranging the slices in even layers.

Add the sauerkraut to the skillet and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Divide it between the two sandwiches, spreading it over the sausages. Top with the remaining prepared bread slices.

Place the sandwiches in the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the sandwiches are browned on both sides and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

Makes 2 servings. Per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 570 calories; 206 calories from fat; 23 g fat (10 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 82 mg cholesterol; 58 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 4 g fiber; 2,159 mg sodium.