The Secret Ingredient: Cheese!
These sausage balls are basically meatballs, but less finicky; the recipe doesn’t call for breadcrumbs, eggs, or a bunch of other add-ins. What it does call for is cheese (two kinds, in fact): cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir these together with Italian sausage and you are in business!
Don’t Skip the Browning Step
I was worried that the meatballs would fall apart in the slow cooker or while browning but they firmed up nicely and held their shape. Browning helped with this and also gives the sausage balls great flavor, so don’t skip this step! Make sure to give yourself enough time to brown the sausage balls in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil before transferring them to a slow cooker so they develop flavor and keep their shape while they simmer.
Make-Ahead Tips for Stuffed Sausage Balls
These sausage balls can be made up to a few hours in advance of serving. If you need to make them further in advance, that’s just fine. Assemble the sausage balls and store them in the fridge for 2-3 days until you are ready to make them. Also, in terms of how flexible you can be with the slow-cooking time, I left a batch of these in a slow cooker for two hours on high and up to eight hours on low and both were excellent.
Ideas for Serving Sausage Balls
So. Many. Serving. Ideas! Here are a few favorite serving ideas for these stuffed sausage balls: Other ideas for these? Leave a comment!
Storing and Reheating Stuffed Sausage Balls
These sausage balls keep perfectly in the fridge for five days or so. You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Reheating them is best in a pot on the stove with a splash of water, or you can toss them back in the slow cooker on low. They will be just as good as on day one.
More Ways to Eat Italian Sausage
Grilled Italian Sausages with Peppers, Onions, and Arugula Sausage Breakfast Casserole Potato Spinach Sausage Casserole Polenta Sausage Mozzarella Casserole Sausage Stuffed Zucchini
Shape the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls. (Tip: it’s easier to make the balls if your hands are cold and wet!) Alternatively, use a small cookie scoop to create the meatballs. You should get around 30 balls out of the mixture. Put the meatballs on a plate. Repeat with the remaining sausage balls until all the balls have been browned. (It will probably take three batches to brown them all.) When finished, add the sausage balls to a slow cooker pot. Serve finished sausage balls garnished with parsley and served with toothpicks as an appetizer or over pasta for a full meal. Leftovers keep fantastically in the fridge for 5-6 days. Reheat in a pot over low heat with a splash of water. You can also freeze the sausage balls in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
