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Sausage Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Sausage stuffing bites with a crispy, golden exterior made by baking 1 1/2-inch balls, then served with a smooth warm cranberry dipping sauce. Packed with breakfast sausage, herb stuffing mix, Parmesan, and sage for a hearty appetizer that’s dunkable in tangy cranberry.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sausage stuffing bites
  • 1 lb breakfast sausage
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks finely diced
  • 1 box (6 oz) herb stuffing mix
  • 1 cup chicken broth warm
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 0.5 cup shredded Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
Cranberry dipping sauce
  • 1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and bake the stuffing bites
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a sheet pan with parchment for easy release and browning.
  2. Brown the breakfast sausage with the small onion and celery for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up, until cooked through; drain excess fat and cool slightly.
  3. Stir in the herb stuffing mix, warm chicken broth, beaten large eggs, shredded Parmesan, and chopped fresh sage until moist and evenly combined.
  4. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place them on the prepared sheet pan with space between each one.
  5. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes, until the outside is golden and crisp.
Make the cranberry dipping sauce
  1. Warm the whole berry cranberry sauce with orange juice and Dijon mustard, stirring until smooth for dipping.
  2. Serve the cranberry sauce alongside the hot stuffing bites.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the browned sausage mixture slightly before adding the eggs so the mixture binds without turning grainy. Store baked bites covered in the fridge up to 3 days and reheat in a 350F oven until crisp. Freeze baked bites up to 2 months (freeze on a tray, then bag); reheat from frozen. For a dairy-light swap, use a lactose-reduced or half amount of Parmesan while keeping the same bake time.