Sausage Stuffing Balls
Sausage Stuffing Balls are an easy appetizer with all of the flavors of the season. Cheese, sausage, bacon, and stuffing are rolled together for one perfect bite!
This stuffing ball recipe is a delectable holiday spin on a traditional sausage balls recipe and you only need 4 simple ingredients!
This version takes your favorite Thanksgiving stuffing and combines it with sausage, bacon. and cheese and bakes them into little balls of deliciousness.
The great thing about this sausage stuffing ball recipe is that you can use any stuffing you like. I love it with my apple pecan stuffing or southern cornbread dressing but you can also use a box of stuffing.
Serve them as an appetizer at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner along with some air fryer pigs in a blanket, cranberry goat cheese log, and fresh cranberry salsa and let the festivities begin!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Thank you!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Breakfast Sausage – You’ll use ground breakfast sausage for this recipe. We use pork sausage but you could substitute with turkey or chicken sausage as well. Any breakfast sausage will do as long as it is uncooked and ground.
- Bacon – Everything is better with bacon, right?
- Stuffing– No breadcrumbs needed for these sausage balls. Instead we use stuffing. To keep it simple this recipe uses Stove Top Stuffing but you can also use your homemade stuffing if you wish. The stuffing will need to be fully cooked prior to use in the sausage balls.
- Cheddar Cheese– Everything is better with cheese and these sausage balls are no different. It also helps to bind the sausage balls together.
Some people like to add extra onion, celery, garlic, or herbs and spices like fresh sage or parsley. We don’t add them in our recipe because we feel you get enough of those flavors from the Stove Top or homemade dressing.
How to Make Stuffing Balls with Stove Top Stuffing
Step 1 – Prep – Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2 – Cook the bacon – You’ll be adding cooked bacon to your uncooked sausage. Our pro tip is to cook all of your bacon at the same time by cooking it in the oven! Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake in your preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. When you’re done, remove your bacon and let the grease cool on the aluminum foil. Once it solidifies, roll up the foil and throw it away. Easy!
Step 3 – Prepare the stuffing. Make the stuffing according to the package instructions. If you are using homemade stuffing you can skip to the next step.
Step 4 – Make the sausage balls – Combine the sausage, fully cooked bacon, fully cooked stuffing, and cheese in a large bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. Roll into balls; approximately 1 heaping tablespoon each. Place sausage balls on prepared baking sheet.
Step 5 – Bake. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through. If you use your own homemade stuffing it may have slightly more or less moisture than the store-bought stuffing, so they may need a slightly longer cook time. You know a sausage ball is fully cooked when the internal temp is 165 degrees F.
Serve with toothpicks and a side of cranberry sauce for dipping and watch them disappear. These little bites of holiday goodness the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve!
Can I Use Homemade Stuffing?
Yes! You’ll use approximately 3 cups of homemade stuffing.
If you use your own homemade stuffing recipe it may have slightly more or less moisture than the Stove Top so they may need a slightly longer cook time. Your sausage balls will be fully cooked when the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
How Do I Keep My Stuffing Balls From Falling Apart?
Sausage balls will fall apart if they are too dry. Make sure to get your ingredient portions accurate to help prevent having too much breading in your mix.
Also make sure you are kneading your ingredients until they are an even consistency. If you notice your stuffing balls are falling apart as you are shaping them, you can add a little bit of water to your mix.
Can You Prepare Stuffing Balls in Advance?
Yes! These stuffing balls are so amazing because they not only taste great, but they can also be made ahead of time and frozen.
How to Freeze – Following the recipe instructions combine all your ingredients in a bowl and roll the mixture into balls and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Then, instead of putting the baking sheet in the oven, place it in the freezer. Let the sausage balls partially freeze (about 30 minutes) and then remove them from the baking sheet and place them in an airtight container. Leave them in the freezer until you are ready to bake them.
When you’re ready to bake them, place them on a lined baking sheet and then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
How Long Do Stuffing Balls Last in the Fridge?
You can store your stuffing balls in an airtight container for 3 – 5 days.
Can Stuffing Balls be Frozen?
You can store your stuffing balls in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How to Store and Reheat
Store your stuffing balls in an airtight container.
You can keep them in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat, preheat oven to 350 degrees F, place balls on baking sheet. Heat for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through.
You can keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, place on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until warmed through.
Looking for More Easy Appetizers?
- Quick and Easy Crab Balls
- Classic Cheese Ball Recipe
- Southern Deviled Eggs
- Pesto Cream Cheese Spread
- Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- More Appetizer Recipes…
Like this recipe?
Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipes like this.
Stuffing Balls with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground breakfast sausage
- 8 slices Bacon, cooked and diced
- 6 ounces Boxed stuffing mix , this equals approximately 3 cups of homemade stuffing
- 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare boxed stuffing according to package instructions. If using homemade stuffing you can skip to the next step.
- Combine sausage, cooked bacon, cooked stuffing, and cheese in a large bowl. Mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Roll into balls, approximately 1 heaping tablespoon each. Make sure to pack the balls tightly so they hold together as they bake.
- Place sausage balls on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
Nutrition
What if we use Bacon bits? Would that turn out OK instead of cooking up bacon?
I’m not familiar with bacon bits. Are they the ones made of a vegetable protein or real pork? My only concern would be that the bacon bits may be drier than fresh bacon.
Yes! I used REAL bacon bits that I purchased in a large bag from Sam’s Club. I did warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave just to bring out some of the bacon fat. I don’t measure much these days 😁..I use what looks good to me, so on that, I used 2 good handfuls
Made for a “finger food friendsgiving potluck” and it was the first dish to run out. Everybody loved, including myself. I prepped the day before and had a hard tome not eating more than 1 meatball.
I’m so glad everyone like it. I love the idea of a finger food thanksgiving!
Made these into stuffin muffins !!! Love them as a side dish
If we are using leftover cornbread dressing (cooked), how much do we use? Six ounces of cooked dressing really isn’t very much. Just want to make sure I am doing this correctly.
This recipe calls for 6 ounces of boxed stuffing mix before it is cooked so if you are using stuffing that is already made it should be about 3 cups. I hope you enjoy them!
These are a great appetizer. Easy to make. I am taking them to a Super Bowl party. I always run out of them. Yummy!
Made for a fall themed party. A good hearty snack when apple pie shots are on the same table. Dipping sauce was fun too. Thanks for this party pleaser!
what kinda dipping sauce did you use?
I actually don’t dip mine in anything but if you are a fan of cranberry sauce with your stuffing I’d give this a try https://www.oceanspray.com/en/Recipes/By-Course/Sauces-Sides-and-Salads/Cranberry-Mustard-Dipping-Sauce
Could you please update the recipe to say “3 cups of homemade stuffing, or 1 6oz box of prepared boxed stuffing”?
I, like another commenter, made the recipe in error with only 6oz of homemade dressing and thought the proportions looked off, but went with what the recipe stated. I probably only used about half of the intended amount of stuffing.
I’ve updated the recipe based on your suggestion. I appreciate you taking the time to let us know!
I just made the sausage balls. I used real bacon bits and chicken-flavored stovetop stuffing. I cooked the pan sausage till it was partially done and drained off the fat, then added it to the cooked stuffing, bacon bits, and 2 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. Mixed all together, then mixed in some red pepper flakes. Baked them exactly 20 minutes!! Delicious!! Definitely will be making again and again!!
Can you put these in a crockpot to keep warm
I think that’s a great idea. I don’t see any reason why that wouldnt work. You might want to put a paper towel across the top of the slow cooker before you put the lid on. That will catch any condensation that might make the sausage balls soggy
Question; Are you cooking the sausage before mixing with the stuffing?
No. The stuffing should be cooked already but the sausage is raw.